England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Clayton St John the Baptist

The Parish

The parish of Clayton lies in southern Sussex roughly 7 miles north of the coastal resort of Brighton. Clayton sits on and mostly east of the A273 road which links Brighton with Burgess Hill. Clayton is a small village, a presence including notable inn on the A273 and most properties lying eastwards along Underhill Lane where sits the church. Clayton sits at the base of the South Downs which loom immediately southwards and are topped by not only Clayton's twin iconic mills, Jack & Jill, but also crested by the South Downs Way National Trail. Clayton's parish is a thin strip of land extended on a north to south axis to encompass both aspects of the landscape, to the south chalk downland once dominated by grazing sheep whilst the northern portion had a mixture of both farming methods and much woodland management too. Modern developments have come to the parish, the railway line from London to Brighton passing through, with neighbouring Hassocks granted a station, and disappearing into Clayton Tunnel its entrance fronted by castellated turrets in a prominent yellow brick. A maze of small streams drain the parish steadily eastwards not maturing into a named stream until it becomes Bevern Stream, a major feeder of Sussex's Ouse, the water turns south passing through Lewes and the Downs to enter into the English Channel at Newhaven. Clayton is sited at around 60 metres above the sea, the nearby South Downs raise as a mighty escarpment to top out at 248 metres on nearby Ditchling Beacon with its extensive views across the Weald to the North Downs indeed. The narrow strip of Clayton parish encompassed just under 2,400 acres and would have supported a population of close to 750 parishioners. In Domesday times Clayton was a holding of William de Warenne and a substantial rural manor offering 16 ploughs backed by typical meadows & woodland

The Church

St John the Baptist's church sits on the southern side of Underhill Lane with the Downs rising majestically to Jack & Jill high above. Like many humble rural churches it hides ancient origins having been left relatively unscathed by later restorers, with the exception of its chancel. Norman style Romanesque work can be seen in its northern doorway dating back to the 12th century whilst the church's chancel arch is a fine piece which Pevsner places into the 11th century immediately following the Norman Conquest. The ages of the transeptal chapels which extend from the main body are more difficult to date but Pevsner tentatively places them even earlier into the Saxon period. The chancel is the main piece which has received much later attention Pevsner dating that work only to the "19th century" and directed at a mixture of early fabric and 13th century enlargements. The piece de resistance of St John is, however, its wall paintings unique in England for their extent, preservation and early date of c1140 and well worth a visit in themselves. Whilst Underhill Lane is narrow there is sufficient room for considerate on-street parking outside the churchyard which is set behind a mid-height local stone wall with a neat lychgate for entry. Obstacles, in the form of close trees and adjacent properties, restrict viewing from both east & west but otherwise there are few issues for the photographer.