ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE 



chancel at Arundel (restored) belongs to the close of the same century. The 

 Alfriston, Bosham, Broadwater, East Lavant, Mayfield, Poynings, Rye, West 

 Tarring, and West Wittering stall-work all dates from the late fourteenth and 

 early fifteenth centuries. A carved misericorde remains at Hardham church. 



There is an oak lectern of late thirteenth- or early fourteenth-century 

 date in Old Shoreham church. 



Two stone pulpits of the late fourteenth century remain at Arundel 

 (with good carved canopy) and Climping and oak pulpits are found at 

 Goring (c. 1540), Rye (c. 1550), Newtimber (late sixteenth century), 

 Worth (1577), Arlington, Botolphs, Buxted, West Chiltington, Eastdean 

 (East Sussex 1624), Lamberhurst (1630), Poynings, Rotherfield, South- 

 wick, Tortington, Twineham, and Wilmington (early seventeenth century). 



Ancient oak seating is found at Slindon (early fourteenth century), 

 Felpham (c. 1370), Climping (c. 1380), Hardham, Tortington, Singleton, 

 and Sutton (c. 1420). Kirdford, Didling, and Burpham also have fifteenth- 

 century seats, while those at Burton, Coldwaltham, Rogate, and East Preston 

 belong to the sixteenth century. There were formerly seats dating from the 

 fourteenth century in Ford and Rustington churches, but they have been 

 destroyed, or replaced by modern copies. Seventeenth-century pewing still 

 remains in a few churches, such as Botolphs, Mayfield, and Sedlescombe ; and 

 there are some quaint deal 'Gothic' seats of the latter part of the eighteenth 

 century in Warminghurst church. 



There is a good seventeenth-century western gallery at Worth, and one 

 in the tower at Singleton. Slinfold had one, richly carved, dated 1660. 



Sussex possesses an unrivalled series of early thirteenth-century church 

 chests part of a group found in the southern and eastern counties, some at least 

 of which are probably to be identified with the Crusaders' alms-chests ordered 

 to be placed in all churches by Pope Innocent III in 1199. The Sussex 

 examples are found at South Bersted, Bosham, Chichester Cathedral (chapter- 

 house), Climping, Felpham, Horsham, Rogate, and Midhurst ; within the last 

 half-century there were others at Arundel and Rustington. They vary in size 

 and details, but all have a central body and broad end-standards ; the lids, in one 

 slab, open upon the 'pin-hinge'; the ends have an applied framework in front 

 of the panel, and nearly all have roundels on the front, filled with shallow 

 geometrical carving of ' whorl,' star (or flower), and prism patterns, the 

 feet being also ornamented in some cases. They have a slit in the lid, an 

 internal hutch, with a separate lid, to receive money, and, in most cases, 

 three locks, generally original. All the woodwork appears to have been 

 adzed or cleft, and finished with a chisel. Other and later thirteenth-century 

 chests occur in Chichester Cathedral (one small and another long chest, 

 both portable), Buxted (richly ornamented) and Ditchling churches. The 

 last two are evidently (like the early group) by the same guild of craftsmen. 

 Later mediaeval chests are to be found in West Tarring (iron-bound), 

 Lyminster (c. 1530), and other churches ; and within living memory there 

 were two fine ' Flanders ' chests at Guestling and Sidlesham. The 

 cathedral retains a handsome chest, made to the order of Bishop Sherborn. 

 There is a very remarkable chest bearing the inscription : SAY I/IT OLAVE 

 CHYCHESTERE , in the church of that name, richly carved with the Annuncia- 

 tion, mitres, pastoral staves, keys, swords, the open Bible, chalices, and the 



359 



