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CHIDDINGFOLD CHU RCH. CHIDDINGFOLD CHU RCH. A R E D H E A L E S E S E . S. B Y A L F , Q , o o . HE church is dedicated in h n ur of St Mary, and the annual fe stival was held o n the feast of her 8 th . on nativity , the September The orientation that ° day would be nearly 5 N . of E . the actual orientation O 1 h of rs 3 . " é N of E The t eory that the nominal east the church was determined by the point at which the s u n on l rose the festiva of the Patron Saint proves here , as very generally elsewhere , to be baseless . There are two distin ct quarries in which the ar chaeo logist may di g for materials to construct the history of a building . The first of these sources of information , h t f which I term the istoric source , is tha a forded by actual written record ; and the other, which we may exami term the inductive method , is simply a careful o f o f h nation the structure , its style arc itecture and m o f materials , and a co parison with others known dates , enabling us with more or less certainty and exactitude (comparing large things with small) to classify and label the specimen . The historic method , at first sight the safest , has often led to extreme and even ludicrous errors while the inductive may be inadequate in a very : plain building , though always the safest where both concur, perfect certainty is attained . In cathedral churches , minsters , and abbeys , the docu of ments containing accounts their origin , foundation , an d h additions , alterations , general istory were most so carefully preserved amongst their muniments ; and , too , in large and important churches , especially those of hO e cities , we may reasonably p to find that some record has been preserved respecting them ; but in an ordinary vo L . v . Y 1 58 CHIDDINGFOLD CHURCH . l vil age church , perhaps small in dimensions and plain in design , and undistinguished by any special circumstance from some thousand others , and situate in a locality n . remote from any tow , we cannot expect such fortune So it happens here at Chiddi ngfold t hat the historic ff source quite fails of any positive evidence , and o ers only a bare presumption . The sound o f the name Chiddingfold at once points to a Saxon origin . We look first to Domesday Book, i which , consider ng its period and the circumstances under which it was compiled , is the most extraordinary work of the kind that the world can produce : it is a wonderfully complete national assessment for rates and taxes . Formed with that object , it specifies care ’ fu lly every knight s fee , and every acre of land , whether or o f vill an es arable pasture , the number and bondmen , the mills , the ploughs , and even the number of fat swine which the oak and beech forests were capable of main taining ; but this business - like work only incidentally m entions , if it mentions at all , the fact of there being a church ; and archaeologists will generally concede that the circumstance of no church being mentioned in Domesday Book affords little presumption against the existence o f one at the time . Though that great work l mentions no church at Chiddingfold , the vi lage may, not improbably , have had its humble place of worship . That on e existed in 1 2 9] is clear : about that year l o f IV . was compi ed , by direction Pope Nicholas , a work , 1 which may be call ed an Ecclesiastical Rate -book ; it w mentions the church of Chiddingfold , ith a chapel of £20 (Haslemere) , producing an annual income (by no m eans a bad living , considering the comparative value o f o f money at that date) , and the rate taxation being a 2 £ . tithe, consequently amounted to In the year 1 3 63 a license was granted by the bishop (Edin don ) to the parishion ers and inhabitants of the of o f hamlet Haslemere , with the consent Thomas the l o f rector, and the parishioners of the vil age and burgh 1 Taxa tio E cclesi asti ca in t e the Re o fi e 208 . , pr d by c rd Of c , 1 59 CHIDDINGFOLD CHURCH . Chiddingfold , to have their chapel (long since an d - the area around the same , for a burial place , con se cr ated by any Catholic bishop of the realm of England , o f or of or the Bishop Ossory in Ireland , the Bishop 2 m ur La b g . u Beside the list of rectors , of whom there is subseq ent fin d i record , we a ment on of the church towards the end o f an d Va lor E ccle the fifteenth century, then comes the ' 3 si as ti cu s of n I Ki g Henry VII , which runs thus CHY DYN F LD D G C . ’ 9 cJ V a et in fir riri man ? cu m o to divs t Id a a i rat l r , r b l p ’ ac pastu a u n acfi d ecim t am m aj o rd qam mm oi'l 9 eidm r ectoil' ptin ac cu m cap ell de Hasylmer XXVJ mi] 11 13 2 9 d e z eidm capell ptifil p an n fi 3 J C he A u sten mo0 rect or ib m ’ 9 Repris in pcu raizl sin od an nu atim i ) ‘ so n archidia u r “ l t Cl s f) U . s Et remarn xxv1 1113 v i] ma S x P lij v ob In the succeeding reign i s an inventory of the church goods , as follows E 4 CH DIN C FOLD PARISH CHU RCH . In ri mi s on e ali e p , ch c . tem 11 co o s I 3 pe . t em iii v est m n t I j y e es . tem iii l i I j be ls n the st eple . 1 It s a c it e tu e co o o at es t is st at men r h c r rr b r h e t . 2 is o a Re ist e of Win t on Edin o I 46 a u oted in d n I . Man Ep c p l g r , q ’ ' n in an d B a s Hi stor u r re l S o . i . 0 v 66 . g r y y qf y, p . 3 Ch dd n fold ossesses a ou se an d a den wit y y g p h g r , h i e s a a e meadow an d astu e an ds t o et e d v r r bl , , p r l , g h r wi th b oth great an d small t ith es belon gin g t o the 26 13 4 Rect o an d it the a e of Has lmer e an d ry ; w h ch p l y , the tit es e on in t o the said c a e is wo t er h b l g g h p l , r h p an n u m o n A u st en n o w Re t o t e e 5 (J h , c r h r ) D e u tin for oc u atio n s an d s n o a s id t o the d c g pr r y d l pa 8 9 A O rchdeacon of Surrey Th ere re main s O n which the tith es ar e 4 n en t o i es o f C u c Goo s ese ved i n the Re o d ffi e I v r h r h d pr r c r O c , 1 60 CHIDDI NGFOLD CHURCH . Al l ic i s comm tt e d to the cus tod e of Ro e C anl e Wil iam wh h y y g r r y, l s o n e o n Pe t o of Pica es o n Pe to o f Ramsn est the si t of O b r , J h y rd , J h y x v i n O ct o ber in the s ixt e yere of the r aign e o f o ur sai d so era g e Lorde . The r esyde w of th e C hu rch go o des p er tayn in g t o ye same Ch ur ch were s to le n b y the v es wh en the Chu rch w as r o b b yde the mor row afte r All S ou es Da e ann o e ni Re is a l Sex ti u a t o . l y , r g g Edw rd q r Exami n ed by the Commi ssion ers an d w fo u n d t o b e t re e . f u s After all , then , the historic source a fords perhaps m ul as much , but no more , infor ation than we co d reason ably have expected . l ve t o u must now turn the ind ctive method , and inquir e of the building itself for information as to its o wn date and history : we cannot usually expect to or receive very positive precise answers , but it never l fai s to give some response to those who ask in earnest .