St. John's is a rectory, and is valued in the king's books at 37. 11s. 3d. It is not, however, discharged from the payment of first fruits. The present patron is the Rev. Peter Guerin Crofts, who is also the incumbent. The following is the most perfect list of the rectors of this parish that I have been able to form :John Chauntrell was rector in 1617 died 1631 | John Whaley George Thetcher inducted 1631 Thomas Stevenson, Henry Thurman, died 1740? 1708 1634 Richard Davies, inducted 1722 Thomas Clark John Shore 1774 1784 Population-In 1724 there were fifty-six families in the parish. dogs, &c. 1247. 12s. Of the benefactions to the parish, the following are upon record:-10s. per annum left by Thomas Smith, and issuing out of the manors of Wilting and Hollington; Baron Hilton's annuity of 47. per annum, which has long since expired and 17. per annum payable out of Mr. Blunt's estate. The parish extends northward some miles beyond the boundary of the borough, and is intersected by a portion of the parish of Hamsey. The great increase that has taken place in the population of the borough during the last thirty years, has been occasioned chiefly by the erection of small houses within this parish. PARISH OF ST. MICHAEL. This parish is bounded on the east by that of St. John, on the west by the parish of St. Anne, on the north by that of St John and the precincts of the castle, and on the south by Southover. Its boundaries include the ancient parishes of St. Andrew, St. Mary in foro, St. Martin and St. Michael; or rather, as is most probable, the three first mentioned parishes were united into one in the 37th year of the reign of Henry VIII., and the name of St. Michael was given to the parish formed by this triple union. From 1680 to 1685 inclusive, the registers are missing. The Benefice of St. Michael is a rectory of which the king is patron. It is a discharged living, and paid a pension to the Priory of Canterbury of 3s. It is valued in the king's books at 137. and pays yearly tenths 17s. 6d.1 The old church was an ancient edifice, consisting of a nave and two aisles. By length of time it had become so ruinous, that the inhabitants could not attend divine service therein, without great danger of their lives. "A survey being made of the premises, by several able and experienced workmen on oath, and an estimate of charge of rebuilding the same being drawn up, it amounted on a moderate computation, to upwards of 13667.2" The present church was erected in 1755. The front has been much admired for its neatness. It is built of flint stones squared, and firmly put together. A wood engraving of the edifice is here given. There are several very ancient tomb-stones lying in the northern and middle aisles, but our limits will prevent the insertion of the inscriptions upon them. One of them in the northern aisle had two figures in brass upon it; but they are completely destroyed. There are remaining two brasses in the middle aisle one of them pointing out the grave-stone of John Bradford, formerly rector of one of the churches before the union. The label fixes the time of his death to 1457. See Pl. XX. No. 11. The other brass is figured on the same plate No. 12. It is supposed to be a representation of a knight of the Warren 'An ecclesiastical survey made in 1724, after stating that the real value of the living was 137. proceeds thus," of which scarce two-thirds can be collected, by reason of the poverty of many of the parishioners." Notwithstanding all that is said in praise of the times that are gone by, we may fairly conclude that the inhabitants of this parish, at least, are now more responsible, or perhaps more liberal, than were their ancestors. Brief for the church, dated Jan. 20, 22d G. II. family. The head, and the label at the feet have been long missing. No tradition remains of who he was, nor is it known to whom the arms belonged, which are quartered with those of Warren. The grave stone and brass work let into it seem by the workmanship to be coeval with the one above-mentioned. There are several elegant mural monuments in the church, but our limits will only allow us to notice the following one. On the northern wall is a splendid monument erected to the memory of Sir Nicholas Pelham, Knight, a sketch of which is given below: The inscription is as follows:-" Here under lye buried the bodies of Sir Nicholas Pelham, Knight, (son of Sir Wm. Pelham, of Laughton), and Dame Anne, his wife, daughter of John Sackvile, Esq., grandfather of the Right Hon. Tho. (late) Earl of Dorset. They had issue six sonnes and four daughters. His valrs. proofe, his manlie vertues, prayse Among the worthye hath a worthier tombe: What time the French sought to have sack't Sea-Foord Obiit 15 Decembris anno Dai. 1559. Opposite the monument of Sir Nicholas Pelham, stood formerly an elegant tablet to the memory of George Goring, Esq., which was taken down on rebuilding the church, and never replaced. The inscription was on a slab of black marble, the letters being gilt. The two first lines were properly engraved, and in Latin: the English lines were not cut in deep, but merely scratched upon the tablet. The following was the inscription: "Dies mortis, æternæ vitæ natalis est, Sementis mors est, unde vita pullulat.” "Here before lieth buried the body of George Goring, Esq., who married Anne, the daughter of Edward Denny, of Waltham Abbey, Esq., aud had issue by her five sonnes and four daughters. He deceased Feb. 7, anno 1601." Arms Quarterly, 1st Goring; 2d argent, on a chief indented gules, 3 mullets or; 3d or, on a chief gules, 3 plates arg; 4th arg. between 2 bendlets, 3 lions passant, sable; 5th barry, of six arg. and sable, a canton of the last: 6th gules, 3 martlets or, between a fess ermine, charged with an annulet of the first; 7th arg. 3 pellicans vulning themselves proper; 8th gules, a fret or. Crest, a lion rampant sable. George Goring, Esq. was member for Lewes in 1563, and his son George Goring, Jun. Esq. in 1592: and afterwards in several parliaments as Sir George Goring, Knight. The living is in the gift of the chancellor, and is only held by prescription. The following is a list of the ministers from 1668. Mr. Gualter Postelthwaite, mentioned in the above list of ministers of this church, was one of the two thousand ejected ministers who suffered the penalty of persecution for not conforming to the wishes of a corrupt court. Of the particulars of his life nothing is known. His opinions and character are thus stated by Palmer2. “He was congregational in his judgment, a sound preacher, a holy liver, and a strict governor of his flock. He was in the fifth monarchy notion, as appears by something he printed; but his private opinions affected not his ordinary preaching. He had many seals of his ministry, and some of his society were extraordinary christians, the fruit of whose strict and pious family government appeared in many of their descendants. Upon the return of King Charles II., some attempted to ensnare him with the oaths of government, which he took without scruple. He died in 1671, and was succeeded by Mr. Joseph Weston." For a view and account of the West-gate, which stood near the western boundary of this parish, I must refer the reader to Chap. IX. Pl. X. 1 Mr. Jenkins is the first minister who held the living as rector, by letters patent. 66 Mr. Rowe, in his rental of this parish', states that there were twenty-four tenements holden of the lords of the borough, on the south side of the street, and east of the Westgate, of which three were copyhold and the rest free: one of these is described as capitale messuagium" belonging to Sir Thomas Pelham, who paid for it 3s. 94d. On the northern side of the street, and within the Westgate, were 27 tenements held of the lords, six of which were copyhold; and without the Westgate, yet within the boundary of the parish, were 15 tenements holden of the lords. Mr. Bryan Twyne, the learned antiquary, and the son of the celebrated Dr. Thomas Twyne, occupied one of these tenements, situated on the top of Keere-hill. Mr. Dunvan, in his History of Lewes and Brighthelmston, p. 347, argues that the district of the castle, which is now deemed extra-parochial, was probably in ancient times part of the parish of St. Michael. His reason for this hypothesis is founded on a fact recorded by Mr. Rowe, that the lords of the barony had in the year 1633 granted a piece of land to certain trustees for the use of the poor of the borough; which land, he conjectured, was that on which the poor-house on the north west side of the Bray Mount was built. The land alluded to, was not, however, that which he supposed, but a portion adjoining the premises given to the borough by Mr. Blunt, and now included in the garden occupied by Mr. Cooper. The discovery of the original grant has rectified the mistake, and overthrown his hypothesis. The White Hart is mentioned by Mr. Rowe in this rental, as well as the Bull Inn, now the Westgate meeting-house. These two buildings were probably erected about the same time. The style of architecture, as seen in the back part of the White Hart, corresponds exactly with that of the ancient Bull Inn, which was originally built as the town residence of George Goring, Esq. It may not be unworthy of notice, that the far-famed Thomas Paine, whose works of varied character have been perhaps more read than those of any modern author, resided for some time in this parish, and in the house adjoining the Westgate meeting-house. This celebrated member of the National Assembly, and Representative of Congress, lived here in the humble capacity of an exciseman, but distinguished himself amongst his associates by the poignancy of his satire, and the brilliancy of his wit. He was yet only an obscure individual, in the service of that government which he afterwards attempted to subvert, and conforming to the creed of that religion whose oracles he vainly essayed to impugn, by wilful misrepresentation, empty sophistry, and tasteless ridicule. The following are the benefactions to this parish now received:-10s. per annum paid by J. C. Pelham, Esq. from the manors of Wilting and Hollington; and 8s. a year from the property of Mr. T. Blunt, to the poor. ' Rowe's MSS. folio 6, 7. and other description of land, as well as dwelling By tenements Mr. Rowe meant gardens, or any other houses. 4 D |