Chiddingly

Hussey (1852) [perhaps quoting Horsfield (1835)?] states that the Church of St. Martin in Heighton had been damaged by lightning in 1769 and that, by 1845 it was in a ruinous state, the interior of the church and the cemetery used as garden by the parish clerk, "while the font is appropriated to the use of a water-trough in a neighbouring farmyard" [NB: the quotation marks are Hussey's]. "When visited in June 1849," -adds Hussey- "the site of the church [...] was no longer a garden, being totally unprotected by any fence, and overgrown with grass." This is perhaps the same font that re-appears in Chiddingly, in East Sussex, as reported in the Chiddingly Church Parish web site [www.chiddinglychurch.org.uk]: "The font was brought from a derelict church at South Heighton and given a new pedestal. It was relocated in 1894" [from the north door to the transept]. The latter source describes the font thus: "Date not known. Octagonal bowl with lead liner and moulded octagonal column, ovolo and astragal mouldings join the bowl to the stem, with roll moulded base to octagonal plinth"; of the font cover: "19thC. Octagonal shaped wood in one board with central split. Wrought iron plain handle in centre on top and three battens on underside." Southey's parish guide of 1906 reads: "The Ringers Gallery still remains and under this stands the font, which formerly stood in the Jefferay Chapel, and was brought from the Church of South Heighton, near Newhaven, long since destroyed by lightning. Previous to this, a small marble basin served as a font". The revised and enlarged version of Southey's guide [cf. supra], however, notes that during the alterations carried out inside the church in 1917, "under the direction of Mr. Manning Robertson [...] the font, which had at one time stood in front of the big monument, and had later been put under the Tower, was moved to a position near the North (main) door".