Parish Church of St Mary, Westham, East Sussex
Visited March 2016
This church is believed to be the first built by the Normans after the conquest of 1066 (the site of the infamous battle of Hastings is nearby in the town of Battle). It stands close to the site of Pevensey Castle, and the two were probably connected. The church itself has original features dating back to the late 11th century, with renovations and restorations going up to the 20th century.
The
churchyard is still in use, and most of the simple gravestones date
from the 19th century onwards; I only managed to find one earlier stone
with memento mori features on it. But, it's in a lovely country setting,
so could easily be fitted in with a visit to the Castle. Look out, in
one of the modern parts, for the graves from the 1930s most of which
appear to have a coppiced tree growing out of them (no bones coming up
with the roots, I checked!).
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