Holy Trinity Poynings Parish Church

The Downland Churches
Holy Trinity Poynings
St Andrews, Edburton
St John the Evangelist, Newtimber
The Transfiguration, Pyecombe
January 2012
Sunday 1 January Christmas 1
10am Holy Communion, Poynings
11am Family Communion, Edburton
Sunday 8 January Baptism of Christ/ Epiphany 10am Holy Communion, Newtimber
6pm Evening Service, Pyecombe
Sunday 15 January Epiphany 2 10am Holy Communion, Poynings
11am Family Communion, Edburton
Sunday 22 January Epiphany 3 10am Holy Communion, Pyecombe
Sunday 29 January Epiphany 4 10am Holy Communion, Newtimber
Evening Prayer each week At 6pm: Mondays (Edburton), Wednesdays (Pyecombe)
And at 4pm during the winter: Tuesdays (Newtimber)
Morning Prayer each week At 9am on Wednesdays at Poynings
Evergreens (for the over 60’s) There will be no meeting of Evergeens in January
Special events and dates this month
• The Church Tots group will restart on Tuesday January 17th. We will meet in the Rectory
until the weather is warmer.
10am-11am Tuesdays; this month on 17th and 31st January.
All welcome.
• The weekend of 7th and 8th January is PANTOMIME time in Poynings. Tickets have now sold out – we hope that a good
time will be had by all, and are grateful for the tremendous amount of work that villagers have put into this in
aid of the Church.
• 9th January at 7.30pm there is a PCC meeting in Edburton to continue discussion of the future of the Church
Hall.
• House groups resume on Wednesday 11th January. There will be an evening group at 8pm in the Rectory, but a day
time group will also run if there is enough interest. The course lasts for 4 weeks and looks at The Bible, The
Church, Prayer and Holy Communion.
• Our Joint PCC meeting is on 16th January at 7.30pm at Pangdean in Pyecombe. The main agenda item will be to look
at plans for Deanery review plans, and our part in this.
• There will be a Deanery Synod meeting on Tuesday, 24 January, starting at 7.15pm.
• Friday January 27th is Race Night at Pangdean Farm. A fun night out, and a fund raiser for the Church: tickets
from Rae Corbett. Clergy contact details:
Revd Dr Caroline Currer, Priest-in-Charge 01273 857456
Tel 01273 857456
Revd Graham Jeffery
(mainly Edburton) 02392 631220
Revd Canon Alan Spray
01444 232149
The Rectory, The Street, Poynings, BN45 7AQ
HISTORY
The Domesday survey of 1087 refers to a
church at this location, and there is little doubt it superseded a Saxon place of worship. The Norman building
stood for 300 years until the reign of Edward III. The tiles at the base of the altar are from the original Norman
church.
In 1389, Michael of Poynings, Lord of the Manor, died at the age of 51 and his remains with those
of his wife were buried in a tomb close to what is now the south transept. In his will he left 200 marcs for the
erection of a new church.
Michael's eldest son, Thomas, supervised the building of the replacement church which is of
Perpendicular style, with much of the earlier building being incorporated into the new. The unusual width of the
south transept, sometimes called St Mary's Chapel, reflects the desire to include the founder's grave within its
dimensions. The chapel also contains an old tie beam bearing the name of Francis Killingbeck, a former rector who
died in 1625. It is probable that he was responsible for repairs to the roof.
The form of the church is near perfect equi-cruciform, or Greek Cross in design and resembles
that at Alfriston. Its position on a mound exaggerates the overall height. The building is ninety feet long and
seventy feet wide across the transepts. Four enormous columns support the tower which contains three bells, which
are in occasional use.
The tower is 58 feet high, and is accessed by what is probably the oldest surviving wooden ladder
in Sussex from the north transept. The roof underwent major repairs in 1993 and is largely covered in Horsham
stone.
When Rev. Samuel Holland became rector in 1806 the church was in a poor state of repair. Under
his tenure substantial repair work was carried out, including the installation of the chancel screen at the
entrance to the south transept, until his son T A Holland became rector in 1846. He also moved the pulpit from the
south side of the northwest column.
The north transept now houses the vestry and the organ, although was formerly the Montague
Chapel. In the east window there is a fragment of painted glass dating from 1421, picturing the annunciation. There
are also a few pieces in the north window.
The five light east window of the chancel is a facsimile of the one at Alfriston and of Tarring,
West Sussex. The altar rails date from 1640 following the Archbishop of Canterbury's edict that holy tables should
be 'fenced'. The finely carved angels are the work of Sussex sculptor William Court and were given in memory of
Anthony Stanislaus, an airman killed in World War II.
There is a fine triple sedilia in the chancel, a piscina from the Norman church , and a priest's
door which may also have been used by the Lord of the Manor.
The west door was blocked at one time to allow entry to a west gallery, now removed. On the south
wall there are traces of a medieval mural over which the ten commandments have been painted.
The font is a good example of the transition from decorated to perpendicular style.
The porch was built over the grave of Michael of Poynings' grandson, Richard, who died in 1420
and the Poynings coat of arms is in the gable.
Next door is the old Georgian Rectory which is now a private house. It has three bays and a
Tuscan porch to its front door.
2009 - The Rev Peter Morgan has had to give up our Downland Benefice due to his wife Jean’s ill health. We are sad
to lose them but will still be in contact as Peter has several marriage services to conduct during the Summer
months. We were able to give them a cheque for £724.00 as a farewell gift and wish them good health and happiness
in their new home in Ardingly.
Rene
Rectory telephone number: 01273 857456
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