Mid Sussex Times - Tuesday 11 September 1923

CUCKFIELD PARISH CHURCH: TWO ANCIENT WINDOWS

In the September issue of the Cuckfield Parish Magazine, the Vicar (Canon Wilson) writes; Good progress is being made with the church roof. The work was begun about August 15th, and a large section has been stripped and is being boarded and felted. The oak timbers of the upper part, which were all hewn adze and not sawn, are in a splendid state of preservation, although they have been up for at least 500 years, but the oak battens were in a broken state and the nails were rusted. These were probably of local manufacture, wrought by hand and of iron smelted by charcoal. Below the upper part of the roof the original wall is perpendicular for about five feet and two windows have been uncovered which have probably not been exposed to view for 300 or 400 years. They are quatrefoil shape and similar in size and design to the closed clerestory windows in the nave. We hope that they will photographed before they are covered up, as we at any rate will never see them again.

Meanwhile the Treasurer of the Fund, Mr. W. E. Mitchell, wishes to acknowledge with many thanks the following contributions which have been received during the past month:- Miss Bentley £5, Miss Berly £1, Miss Best £10, Miss Blair £15 15s., Miss Bannister £50, Mr. Clive Boyd £2 2s.. Miss Carpenter and Mr. James Wilson £.5, Colonel Stephenson, R. Clarke, C.B.. £100. Mrs. Campbell £5., Mrs. Field 10s., Mr. W. Herrington £2, Mr. H. S. Hotblack £2 2s., Mr. and Mrs. A. K. Jarrett £.5. Miss Jarrett10s.. Mr. W. Creber 10s., Mr. C.H. S Ellis £100 (first instalment), Mrs. C.H. S. Ellis £10, Mrs. Cow £5., Mrs. Booker £ 12 12s.. Messrs. Askew and Sons £.5. Miss Newboult £2. In Memoriam L.E.M. £1., Mrs. Miles Walker £2., Mrs. Schlesinger £5., Parishioner £1. Colonel Wallinger. R.A.. £25, Mr. Harry J. Preston £2 25., Mr. George Upton 5s., Mrs. Reid £50., Mrs. Lowndes £.3 3s.. Rev. Dr. Richards 15s., Mrs. Vaughan Powell £5 5s., An old parishioner (Mr. Stephen Knight) £50. and Mr. and Mrs. W. Stevens £5.

We hope this list is complete, but if any names have been inadvertently omitted we must apologise beforehand. We are glad to say that Sir A.D. Kleinwort, Bart., has very generously promised to give £500 provided both slopes of the roof are re-healed with Horsham stone, and Mr. B. Y. Bevan and Sir William Chance. Bart., have both kindly promised to give £50. We may add that some of these are only first instalments, and more will be given as the work progresses.

Photograph courtesy of Holy Trinity Church http://www.holytrinitycuckfield.org/

ADDITiONAL NOTES

During the repair work to the south side of the parish church roof, an ancient clerestory window was uncovered and the belief that it was glazed and the lead lights were there has proved correct. In the centre light is a crown on a hawthorn bush over the initials 'HR' this being the emblem of the Tudor kings. They emblem seems to show that the window is contemporary with the church roof, which is 500 years old.

Mid Sussex Times 17 April 1923