History

No one knows exactly how long a church has occupied the site, but traces of work, including the bowl of the font and the east arch of the crossing, appear to date from the 13th century, and it is likely that some kind of structure was in place soon after, or even before, the Norman Conquest. The present cruciform building took shape in the early 14th century, which was one of the most volatile periods in English history: the time of the Hundred Years’ War, the Black Death, and the Great Famine.

There is a fragment of glass from this period in the window behind the Gabriel statue in the north transept, and there is also a 14th century work in the chancel, notably the moulded and shafted south doorway and the large vestry with its ogee-headed lancets. The church was evidently an important building, and its dedication to St Mary and St Gabriel is unusual – shared in this country only with the parish church of Stoke Gabriel on the River Dart in Devon.

It was also associated with two distinguished medieval clerics who served, at least nominally, as its Rector. The first was William de Edynton, who held the incumbency briefly in 1344, prior to becoming Bishop of Winchester, the first Chancellor of the Order of the Garter, and the Lord Chancellor of England. The second was none other than Cardinal Reginald Pole, who served as Rector in 1524, and later became the very last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury under Queen Mary.

A sad turning point in the church’s fortunes came in 1576, when it was severely damaged by fire, perhaps as the result of being struck by lightning. The entire roof was destroyed, and the building might have been abandoned altogether. But, in a remarkable way it was rebuilt, stamping it with an Elizabethan character appropriate to its new post-Reformation identity.

This is most evident in the magnificent timberwork of the chancel roof, which consists of two layers of tie-beams and bears the date 1577, together with a carved Tudor rose. It is reminiscent of the roof of a great house, such as Wiston near Steyning, which was built in 1576. But the rebuilding also included the nave roof and the belfry floor of the tower, and extensive remodelling of the crossing and the aisles.

Like many medieval churches, Harting underwent extensive restoration during the 19th century, much of it paid for by the Fetherstonhaugh family of Uppark. The spire, which had been rebuilt in its present broached form in the 1790’s, was covered in copper (replacing wooden shingles); existing box pews and a western gallery were removed; the organ was installed (originally in the chancel); and the chancel was extensively restored, with the insertion of a triple lancet window and blank arcading on the east wall.

Soon after this the church became the resting place of members of the Cowper family of Ditcham House, whose magnificent tombs are in the south transept. Nearby is the badly weathered effigy of Sir Richard Caryll, who was a member of a distinguished Catholic family in Sussex who in 1610 built their own memorial chapel just outside the transept.

Other pieces of statuary in the church include the Madonna and child by Karin Jonzen (1987), also in the south aisle, and the figure of the Angel Gabriel by Philip Jackson (2008) in the north aisle.

The work was inspired by the wider Gothic Revival and the principles of the Cambridge Camden Society and was undertaken by the architects Sir George Gilbert Scott and Benjamin Ferrey. It also included the installation of stained glass in a number of windows, notably the west window – which is the work of Clayton and Bell and depicts the seven acts of mercy as described by Christ in Matthew Chapter 25.

Mention should also be made of the wooden spiral staircase in the north transept, which was the work of Thomas Blackmore, the Uppark Estate carpenter. Blackmore is reputed to have searched acres of woodland for an oak tree suitable for the central post, and the conception and detail of his design is exceptional, showing the Victorians (in the words of Ian Nairn) ‘at their most ingenious, and hence most truly Gothic’.

The twentieth century also left its mark on the church, notably in the form of the War Memorial, which was designed by Eric Gill and dedicated in 1921. Its distinctive form is similar to that of Gill’s memorial for Trumpington Church in Cambridge. In the 1960’s new pews were installed, replacing the darkly varnished deal ones which had, in turn replaced the box pews. In more recent times, a large church room was built on the south side of the nave and dedicated in memory of Admiral Sir Horace Law.

Harting has always had its fair share of distinguished residents, many of whom have worshipped at the church. Among them was Anthony Trollope, who spent the last year of his life living at The Grange and is known to have attended services at the church during the long incumbency of the Reverend H. D. Gordon. Trollope was buried in London, but Harting churchyard contains many interesting graves and fine headstones, especially those from the late 18th century, and it includes the walled garden of what was once the adjacent manor house.