St Dunstan's Church, Mayfield facts for kids
St Dunstan's Church in Mayfield, East Sussex, is a very old and important building. It was started way back in 960 CE by a famous person named St Dunstan. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. Today, the church is a special "listed building." This means it's protected because of its history and architecture. In 2023, the vicar was Fr Michael Asquith.
Contents
History of St Dunstan's Church
How the Church Began
The first church here was probably made of logs. It stood for a long time! In the 1100s, the Normans built a new church using stone. This stone church was almost completely destroyed by a big fire in 1389. Only the tower, a tall, narrow window called a lancet window, and the bottom part of the north aisle survived.
The people who went to church probably used a private chapel nearby. This was until the church was rebuilt between 1410 and 1420.
Changes Over Time
More work was done on the church when King Henry VIII was in charge. The roof of the main part of the church, called the nave, was made higher. A row of windows, known as the clerestory, was also added. In 1657, a clock was put in by Thomas Punnett.
Exploring the Church
The South Porch
In the South Porch, you can see carved stone supports called corbels. These hold up a special arched ceiling known as a quadripartite rib vault. A spiral staircase, called a newel staircase, leads to a room above. This room was used for different things. It might have been a small prayer room for a special priest. Or it could have been a place for a sacristan, who looked after the church's things. In the 1800s, it was even used as a cloakroom for a girls' school held in the church.
The nave has four flat stone slabs on the floor. These are made of iron from Sussex. They are tomb slabs for people who lived long ago. The best-preserved ones belong to Thomas Sands, who sold wine in London, and his grandson, also named Thomas Sands.
The font, which is used for baptisms, is from 1666. The first letters of the vicar at that time, Robert Peck, are carved on its eight-sided bowl. The pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, is from the 1600s. It has special carvings called Jacobean strap-carvings.
Choir Stalls and Screens
Many of the seats in the choir area were from the 1500s. Some repairs were done in the early 1900s by the Mayfield School of Carving. They also made the screen for the Lady Chapel. This screen has beautiful carvings that look like folded linen, called linenfold carving. In 2016, the choir stalls were replaced with new movable oak seats. The east end of the church was also rearranged.
Beautiful Windows
The large window at the east end of the church is very striking. It has special glass from Munich. The Treherne family gave it to the church in 1869. In 1894, an old carved screen behind the altar, called a reredos, was replaced. This old screen was carved by Walter Gale, the village schoolmaster, in 1750.
There is also a window at the west end of the church. This window celebrates the life of Lt Gen Sir John Bagot Glubb. He was known as Glubb Pasha. He was a soldier, a smart person, and an author. He led and trained the Arab Legion in Transjordan between 1939 and 1956.
The Church Bells
In the 1970s, cracks appeared in the tower walls. Because of this, it was not safe to ring all the bells at once. It took fourteen years to fix the tower! The repairs cost £140,000. The bells were then retuned at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The oldest bell was made by Thomas Giles in 1602. Other bell makers included Brian Eldredge, Richard Phelps, John Waylett, and John Taylor.
In the year 2000, a special concert was held. It involved 100 bell towers! It was part of a French festival called "Rencontres en Pays de Bray" in Normandy. The concert happened at the same time in Notre-Dame church in Neufchatel, France, and St Dunstan's in Mayfield. The BBC even broadcast it!
Memorials and Burials
Many of the memorials inside the church are for the Baker and Kirby families. These families were important local ironmasters. They worked with iron. Georgina Weldon is buried in the Dalrymple family vault.
See also
