View source for St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox church
| name                 = St Giles' Church
| image                = St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes (NHLE Code 1025684).JPG

| caption              = The church from the south
| location             = Church Lane, [[Horsted&nbsp;Keynes]], [[West&nbsp;Sussex]] RH17&nbsp;7AY
| country              = United Kingdom
| coordinates          = {{coord|51.0402|-0.0281|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| denomination         = [[Church of England]]
| tradition            = 
| website              = {{url|www.stgileschurchhorstedkeynes.org.uk}}
| founded date         = 11th century
| founder              = 
| dedication           = [[Saint Giles]]
| dedicated date       = 
| consecrated date     = 
| status               = [[Parish church]]
| functional status    = Active
| heritage designation = [[Listed building|Grade I]]
| designated date      = 28 October 1957
| style                = [[Norman architecture]]
| parish               = Horsted Keynes
| deanery              = [[Rural Deanery of Cuckfield]]
| archdeaconry         = [[Archdeaconry of Horsham|Horsham]]
| diocese              = [[Diocese of Chichester|Chichester]]
| province             = [[Province of Canterbury|Canterbury]]
| rector               = Canon John Twisleton
| warden               = David Lamb;<br />James Nicholson 
}}
'''St Giles' Church''' is an [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] church in the village of [[Horsted Keynes]] in [[Mid Sussex District|Mid Sussex]], one of seven [[Districts of England|local government districts]] in the English county of [[West Sussex]].  Serving an extensive rural parish in the Sussex [[Weald]], it stands at the north end of its village on the [[Christianised sites|site of an ancient pagan place of worship]].  The present building succeeds the original [[wattle and daub]] church, its wooden successor and a [[Anglo-Saxon architecture|Saxon]] stone building—although the Norman architects who erected the [[cruciform]] structure in the 12th century preserved parts of the Saxon fabric.

Long established local families have been important in the life of the church for centuries, as indicated by the extensive range of memorials and fittings in the building and its large churchyard.  The village got its name from the de Cahaignes family, one of whose ancestors is apparently commemorated by the rare 13th-century "heart shrine" in the [[chancel]].  Another family with more recent connections to the parish is the Macmillan publishing dynasty, the most famous of whose sons—former [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Harold Macmillan]]—is buried in the family plot.

Various changes have been made to the [[Norman architecture|Norman]] church, mostly in the 13th and 14th centuries, and some [[Victorian restoration]] was undertaken.  Nevertheless, the building still retains its original cruciform shape and its central tower topped by a landmark [[broach spire]].  The church continues to play an active part in parish life, maintaining links to the local school and holding regular services.  [[English Heritage]] has [[Listed building|listed]] it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.

==History==
Horsted Keynes is an ancient parish in the centre of Sussex, covering about {{convert|5000|acre|ha|sigfig=3}} of heavily forested, mostly rural land which forms part of the [[Weald]].  Nearly {{convert|480|acre|ha|sigfig=3}} was originally part of the ancient Forest of Anderida, and the soil consists of [[Hastings Beds|Hastings Sand]] and clay with several prominent [[sandstone]] ridges.  The village stands on one of these.<ref name="FSE3–4">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|pp=3–4.}}</ref>  At the time of the [[Domesday Book|Domesday survey]] in 1086, the parish of ''Horstede'' was in the [[Hundred (county subdivision)|Hundred]] of Ristone{{#tag:ref|Later known as ''Rushmonden''.<ref name="FSE6"/>|group=note}} and the [[Rape (county subdivision)|Rape]] of [[Rape of Pevensey|Pevensey]].  Sir William de Cahaignes held all the land in the parish,<ref name="FSE6">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=6.}}</ref> and a Saxon noblewoman called Wulfgifa was the tenant of most of it.<ref name="FSE4">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=4.}}</ref>  The name, derived from the [[Old English]] for "place where horses are kept", was later recorded as ''Orsteda'' (in 1121) and ''Horsestud'' (1190).  To distinguish it from another parish called Horsted in the Rape of Pevensey, the names ''Grethorsted''{{#tag:ref|i.e. ''Great Horsted''.  The other parish was, and still is, known as ''[[Little Horsted]]'' or ''Horsted Parva''.<ref name="FSE142"/>|group=note}} or ''Horsted Magna'' were occasionally used for ecclesiastical purposes.<ref name="FSE142">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=142.}}</ref>  The name that entered regular use, though, was ''Horsted de Cahaignes''—later simplified to ''Horsted Keynes''—in honour of [[Lord of the Manor]] and principal landowner Sir William de Cahaignes, an associate of [[Robert, Count of Mortain|Robert de Mortain]] who also held much land in [[Cahaignes]] in [[Normandy]].<ref name="FSE8">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=8.}}</ref>

Many Sussex churches stand on high ground overlooking their village, but at Horsted Keynes the church was built in a deep dip to the north.<ref name="Whiteman86">{{Harvnb|Whiteman|Whiteman|1998|p=86.}}</ref><ref name="Pevsner540">{{Harvnb|Nairn|Pevsner|1965|p=540.}}</ref>  This is because the original church on the site—a small [[wattle and daub]] structure, later succeeded by a wooden church built from the oak trees prevalent in the Forest of Anderida<ref name="FSE5">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=5.}}</ref> (a pattern repeated at many villages in the Sussex [[Weald]])—occupied a pre-Christian site of pagan worship.  St Giles' Church "may be one of the best examples of re-use of an old religious site" which was again a common practice in Sussex:<ref name="Coppin128">{{Harvnb|Coppin|2006|p=128.}}</ref> the present building, like its wooden and wattle and daub predecessors, stands within a stone circle which can still be seen in places,<ref name="FSE5"/><ref name="Coppin128"/> and which probably contained a pagan temple.<ref name="Pé120">{{Harvnb|Pé|2006|p=120.}}</ref>  This may also explain its unusual orientation, northeast–southwest rather than the conventional east–west: the original pre-Christian structures on the site would have been aligned in this way so they would face the sunrise at the summer solstice.<ref name="Coppin128"/><ref name="Pé120"/>

[[File:St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes (Reset Saxon Doorway).JPG|thumb|left|This Saxon doorway was reset in the north aisle, built in 1885.]]
Although the timber church would have existed at the time of the [[Domesday Book|Domesday survey]] in 1086, it was not recorded in it; only the village was.<ref name="Fisher130">{{Harvnb|Fisher|1970|p=130.}}</ref>  The absence of church records from the survey was common, though, as its main purpose was to record landholdings for taxation purposes.<ref name="FSE17">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=17.}}</ref>  By this time, a stone-built [[Anglo-Saxon architecture|Saxon]] church would have been in place; Ralph de Cahaignes possibly ordered its construction to replace the old wooden building.  After the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman conquest]], many Sussex churches were rebuilt in [[Norman architecture|Norman style]], although Saxon fabric was sometimes retained, and this happened at Horsted Keynes.<ref name="FSE18">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=18.}}</ref>  One doorway and the foot of the tower survive from the Saxon era; the doorway has been repositioned in the north aisle.<ref name="Coppin128"/>

[[File:St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes (Site of former Chantry Chapel).JPG|thumb|right|This pointed arch is all that remains of the 14th-century former [[chantry]] chapel.]]
[[File:St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes (from WSW).JPG|thumb|right|From left to right, the north aisle, west end of the nave, southwest porch and south transept are visible.]]
In place of the Saxon building, the Normans constructed a large [[cruciform]] church with a central tower and tall, sharp spire which forms a landmark for miles around despite the church standing in a dip.<ref name="Whiteman86"/>  The four arms of the cross were formed by the [[nave]], the [[chancel]] and a north and south [[transept]].<ref name="FSE19">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=19.}}</ref>  The chancel had an [[apse]] and a narrow chancel arch.<ref name="Coppin128"/>  In about 1220 (the [[English Gothic architecture#Early English period|Early English Gothic]] architectural period)<ref name="FSE19"/> many changes were made.  The apse was removed and the chancel was completely rebuilt with a square end and a longer floorplan.  [[Lancet window]]s were installed, including a large triple window in the new east end.  The south transept was also reconstructed and given lancets.<ref name="Pevsner540"/><ref name="Coppin128"/><ref name="FSE19"/>  The old transept must have been smaller and lower, more like a porch, because the low original 12th-century arches leading to the [[Crossing (architecture)|crossing]] were retained.<ref name="Salter42">{{Harvnb|Salter|2000|p=42.}}</ref>

[[File:St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes (Tower and Spire).JPG|thumb|left|The tower is topped with a landmark spire.]]
More changes took place in the early 14th century, by which time [[English Gothic architecture]] had moved into its [[English Gothic architecture#Decorated Gothic|Decorated Gothic]] phase.<ref name="Coppin128"/>  A new wider chancel arch was installed between the crossing and the chancel, a side chapel was added on the north side, new windows were added in the nave, and the original rounded west arch of the crossing (into the nave) was replaced by a new pointed arch.<ref name="Whiteman86"/><ref name="Pevsner540"/><ref name="Coppin128"/><ref name="FSE19"/><ref name="Fisher131"/><ref name="FSE20">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=20.}}</ref>  The side chapel probably replaced the old north transept, which was removed "for some reason unknown";<ref name="FSE19"/> its roofline can still be traced.<ref name="Pevsner540"/>  All of this work apparently took place between 1320 and 1330.<ref name="FSE19"/>  One contemporary feature that has now disappeared was a [[chantry]] chapel dedicated to Marie de Bradehurst.  It was built alongside the chancel and was latterly used as a schoolroom until it was removed in the [[Victorian era]].<ref name="FSE20"/>  The dedication relates to the Broadhurst [[Manorialism|manor]] in Horsted Keynes parish.  The demolition of the chapel revealed the outline of a wide blocked pointed arch on the south wall, which is still clearly visible.<ref name="SPC-48133">{{cite web|url=http://www.sussexparishchurches.org/content/view/481/33 |title=Horsted Keynes – St Giles |date=5 September 2011 |publisher=www.sussexparishchurches.org (John Allen) |work=Sussex Parish Churches website |access-date=15 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610205304/http://www.sussexparishchurches.org/content/view/481/33 |archive-date=10 June 2015 |url-status=live |df= }}</ref>

Later work included reconstructing the porch at the southwest corner—dated to the late 17th century—and reinforcing the tower and the west walls of the nave, necessitated by the subsidence of the tower caused by the removal in the 14th century of its north transept and its original rounded west arch.  The tower started to lean, and its tall spire accentuated the problem.  [[Buttress]]es were added in four places, and iron ties were inserted later to bring the tower back towards the vertical.<ref name="FSE20"/>  The spire is known to have been in place by 1667, when lightning struck it and dislodged 3,000 [[Roof shingle|shingles]].<ref name="FSE23">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=23.}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|This incident is documented in Rector Giles Moore's famous diaries, which ran for 23 years from 1656 and which were republished in 1971:<ref name="Wales123">{{Harvnb|Wales|1999|p=123.}}</ref> ''"On Aug. 8, Thurs. 1667, 10–11 {{smallcaps|a.m.}}, the Church was struck by lightning.  3000 shingles came off the spire."''<ref name="FSE23"/>|group=note}}

[[Victorian restoration]] was carried out at the church, as at many ancient churches in Sussex.<ref name="BMR66">{{Harvnb|Beevers|Marks|Roles|1989|p=66.}}</ref>  [[Spencer Slingsby Stallwood]], a [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]]-based architect, was commissioned to carry out his only work at a Sussex church at St Giles' in 1885,<ref name="SPC-32440">{{cite web |url=http://www.sussexparishchurches.org/content/view/324/40 |title=Architects and Artists S |date=6 June 2012 |publisher=www.sussexparishchurches.org (John Allen) |work=Sussex Parish Churches website |access-date=15 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218073758/http://www.sussexparishchurches.org/content/view/324/40 |archive-date=18 February 2013 |url-status=dead |df= }}</ref> in association with his colleague [[Joseph Morris (architect)|Joseph Morris]].<ref name="SPC-48133"/>  The work may have continued until 1888,<ref name="Pevsner540"/> and involved the construction of a north aisle and arcade, the replacement of the 18th-century [[king post]] roof, and some improvements to the north chapel, apparently instead of an earlier scheme (announced in 1840) to rebuild the demolished north transept.<ref name="SPC-48133"/>  The old king post roof had been installed in 1714.<ref name="FSE23"/>  Changes inside included the removal of old [[box pew]]s and a wooden gallery at the west end, which had latterly been used by church musicians.  The work cost £2,300.<ref name="FSE26">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=26.}}</ref>  The Saxon doorway, which was once believed to be a "[[Devil's door]]", was inserted in the new north aisle during this work.<ref name="FSE24">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=24.}}</ref>  More restoration was carried out between 1959 and 1960 or 1961 by [[Brighton]] architect [[John Leopold Denman]]'s firm Denman & Son;<ref name="SPC-48133"/> his work revealed traces of an old Norman window in the nave.<ref name="Pevsner540"/>

For many years the church was a [[Archbishop of Canterbury#Province and Diocese of Canterbury|peculier of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] rather than being held by the [[Bishop of Chichester]], head of [[Diocese of Chichester|the local diocese]].<ref name="FSE134">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=134.}}</ref>  It was also one of about 20 churches in the area covered by the diocese at which the ancient [[Sanctuary#Legal sanctuary|Law of Sanctuary]] applied.<ref name="FSE133"/>

==Architecture==
[[File:St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes (South Porch).JPG|thumb|left|The church has [[lancet window]]s, [[sandstone]] walls and a stone porch.]]
St Giles' Church stands on a northeast–southwest alignment.  Its nave is 18° north of east and the chancel 13°; this skewed construction recalls the leftward tilting of [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Christ's head on the cross]].<ref name="FSE133">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=133.}}</ref>  In its present form, it is roughly [[cruciform]] and consists of a nave and shorter chancel separated by a [[Crossing (architecture)|crossing]] upon which the tower rests, a south [[transept]], a north chapel, an arcaded north aisle and the remains of a south chapel and north transept.<ref name="Whiteman86"/><ref name="Coppin128"/>   There are arches to each of the four sides of the crossing.<ref name="Pevsner540"/>  The church is built of locally hewn [[sandstone]] laid in large, rough blocks with wide joints.  The stone has been weathered to a dark brown colour in places.<ref name="Fisher130"/>

A Saxon doorway, reset in the new north aisle in 1885, is the oldest surviving part of the church.   Less elaborate than the Saxon entrance at nearby [[St Mary Magdalene's Church, Bolney|St Mary Magdalene's Church]], [[Bolney]], it is round-arched with narrow [[voussoir]]s and has [[Door jamb|jambs]] made of five large, roughly cut stones on each side (inside) and six more cleanly hewn and regular stones (outside).  The entrance is {{convert|5|ft|10|in}} high and {{convert|3|ft|1|in}} wide.  The voussoirs are each about {{convert|5|in|cm}} wide, and there are nine inside and seven outside.<ref name="Fisher131">{{Harvnb|Fisher|1970|p=131.}}</ref>

In the crossing, the round-headed east- and south-facing arches, each {{convert|6|ft|4|in|m}} high to the [[Impost (architecture)|imposts]], {{convert|10|ft|in}} high to the top of the arch and {{convert|6|ft|4|in|m}} wide,<ref name="Fisher132">{{Harvnb|Fisher|1970|p=132.}}</ref> are from the original Norman building and are supported on four square [[Pier (architecture)|piers]] each {{convert|4|ft|in}} thick.  The pointed west arch was inserted in the 14th century, and the north arch is a much later restoration in the Norman style.  The tower was not part of the original church: it was built over the crossing later.<ref name="Fisher131"/>  It is topped with a tall, slim, sharply pointed [[broach spire]] with an octagonal base and a covering of [[Roof shingle|shingles]].<ref name="Pé120"/><ref name="FSE20"/>

The chancel was rebuilt in the 13th century in the [[English Gothic architecture#Early English Gothic|Early English Gothic]] style.  At its west end is a 14th-century [[English Gothic architecture#Decorated Gothic|Decorated Gothic]] chancel arch.<ref name="Coppin128"/>  This measures {{convert|11|ft|10|in|m}} by {{convert|7|ft|2|in|m}}; the height to the [[Impost (architecture)|imposts]] is {{convert|7|ft|10|in|m}}.  The imposts are thin (about {{convert|5|in|cm}} across), are made up of two stones and have been partly renewed—perhaps to support the weight of the tower when it was added.<ref name="Fisher131"/>  The jambs of the chancel arch are supported on plinths that project only slightly.<ref name="Fisher131"/>  Tall slabs, up to {{convert|21|in|cm}} high, make up the jambs, which then support a pointed arch made up of ten [[voussoir]]s.<ref name="Fisher132"/>

The nave mostly retains its original appearance, except for the insertion of later windows in the [[English Gothic architecture#Perpendicular Gothic|Perpendicular Gothic]] style.<ref name="Pé120"/><ref name="FSE26–27">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|pp=26–27.}}</ref>  The north wall was taken out in 1885 when the aisle was built; in its place a three-[[Bay (architecture)|bay]] arcade was inserted, of which the easternmost bay reused 14th-century fabric.<ref name="FSE26–27"/>  A [[piscina]] whose upper part is of ancient origin was placed in the south wall during the early 20th-century incumbency of Rev. Frederick H.D. Smythe, who discovered it in the tower.<ref name="FSE28">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=28.}}</ref>

==Fixtures and fittings==
[[File:A Scotsman at the Nativity - geograph.org.uk - 1018407.jpg|thumb|right|St Giles' Church has stained glass from the 19th and 20th centuries.]]
[[File:St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes (Memorial to Rev Ralph Clutton).JPG|thumb|right|Many memorials can be found inside and outside the church.]]
The church has late 19th- and early 20th-century [[stained glass]].  The oldest window is in the north wall of the chancel, designed by the Jones & Willis firm in about 1892.  [[Charles Eamer Kempe]] designed the east window of the chancel in 1895; it depicts the [[Crucifixion of Jesus]].  Another Jones & Willis window, dating from 1895 and depicting Faith, is in the [[Crossing (architecture)|crossing]], and they also designed a second window in the north wall of the chancel in about 1908.  The west window of the nave has Kempe glass from 1905 depicting the [[Presentation of Jesus at the Temple]], and his firm Kempe & Co. installed stained glass in the north aisle in 1910 and 1925 and in the nave in 1919 and 1926.  Later windows include [[Morris & Co.]] and Wippell & Co. designs of 1950, both in the north aisle, and a 1956 design by the [[Barton, Kinder and Alderson]] firm in the north wall of the chancel.<ref name="Pevsner540"/><ref name="FSE23"/><ref name="FSE45–46">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|pp=45–46.}}</ref>

The three bells date from the 17th century and are set in a {{convert|7|ft|m|adj=on}} bell-cage contemporary with the spire.<ref name="FSE50">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=50.}}</ref>  They are inscribed as follows:
# (Treble bell): {{smallcaps|John Palmar Bel Fovndar made me 1653}}<ref name="FSE49">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=49.}}</ref>
# (Call bell): {{smallcaps|Edmund Giles of Lewes made me Anno D<sup>ni</sup> 1604}}<ref name="FSE50"/>
# (Tenor bell): {{smallcaps|Gloria Deo in excelsis 1633 b e}} (Bryan Eldridge, represented by the initials {{smallcaps|b e}}, cast bells at [[Chertsey]] in [[Surrey]] between 1618 and 1640.)<ref name="FSE50"/>

Inside and outside the church are a wide range of memorial tablets, slabs and stones commemorating members of locally important families such as the Wyat(t)s, Lightmakers and Piggot(t)s.  Most date from between the 17th and 19th centuries.  Examples include white marble tablets by the north and east walls of the chancel (the latter is topped with an urn); two grey marble tablets by the south wall—one with an inscribed shield decoration, the other supported on columns with decorative [[Capital (architecture)|capitals]] and bearing a shield with a [[coat of arms]]; an engraved marble slab near the chancel arch; one embedded in the south transept floor; and a series of blue and white marble stones by the vestry.  Many have lengthy commemorative inscriptions.<ref name="FSE40–45">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|pp=40–45.}}</ref>

A rare "heart shrine"—a memorial to a parishioner who died abroad (usually during the [[Crusades]])<ref name="Curious78"/> but whose heart was returned and buried in the church—is in the chancel.<ref name="Coppin128"/>  It measures {{convert|27|in|cm}} and is placed in an alcove {{convert|34|in|cm}} long and {{convert|30|in|cm}} above the floor.<ref name="FSE37">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=37.}}</ref>  It was designed in about 1270<ref name="Curious78"/> and may commemorate Richard de Cahaignes<ref name="Pé120"/> or one of his family.<ref name="Curious78"/>  A study in 1846 described the effigy as being "of a fine grained [[oolite]] or [[sandstone]]" and taking the form of a cross-legged knight wearing 13th-century<ref name="Coppin128"/> armour (painted rather than carved on to the stone, and now invisible) and holding a sword but no shield.  The lower parts of the knight's arms have broken away, but the hands would have been clasped in prayer.<ref name="FSE37–38">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|pp=37–38.}}</ref>  One writer on the subject of effigies{{#tag:ref|H.R. Mosse, in ''The Monumental Effigies of Sussex''.<ref name="FSE39"/>|group=note}} has stated that it is "one of the most curious and interesting monumental effigies in Sussex, if not in England".<ref name="FSE39">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=39.}}</ref>

The [[baptismal font|font]] is simple and unadorned, octagonal in shape and dates from about 1500.<ref name="Whiteman87"/>  The church also has a brass cross made in [[Florence]] in 1550 and restored in 1907.  During its restoration it was inscribed {{smallcaps|l.c.f. a.m.d.g. k.b.m.}}, referring to the initials of the donors and the Latin phrase "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam" (Glory to God in the highest).<ref name="FSE46-47">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|pp=46–47.}}</ref>  The [[pulpit]], its screen and the [[lectern]] were donated to the church at various times; several saints were carved on the pulpit by a member of the local Wyatt family.<ref name="FSE48">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=48.}}</ref>  The church [[Organ (music)|organ]] dates from 1904, reused some equipment from its predecessor and cost £310.<ref name="FSE49"/>

==Churchyard==
[[File:St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes (Macmillan Family Grave).JPG|thumb|left|The Macmillan family plot has a [[Celtic cross#Ireland and Great Britain|Celtic cross]] at the centre.]]
The churchyard is surrounded by the remains of a pre-Christian [[:wikt:Fosse#Noun|fosse]] and [[vallum]] about {{convert|120|yd|m}} in diameter.  This area also incorporates some surrounding buildings such as St Giles' School: the churchyard does not cover the whole extent of the pagan site.  It was extended in 1925,<ref name="FSE29">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=29.}}</ref> and in 1937 nearly 250 ancient gravestones were re-erected by the incumbent rector.<ref name="FSE30">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=30.}}</ref>  Many of the gravestones date from the 17th and 18th centuries, including two gigantic stone slabs that were moved from the demolished south chapel to the wall outside the chancel.<ref name="Whiteman87">{{Harvnb|Whiteman|Whiteman|1998|p=87.}}</ref>

[[File:St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes (Parish War Memorial).jpg|thumb|right|The parish war memorial was erected in 1920.]]
The parish war memorial, a copy of [[Muiredach's High Cross]] at the ruined monastery of [[Monasterboice]], Ireland, was put up in 1920<ref name="FSE29"/> and commemorates 33 soldiers who died in [[World War I]].<ref name="FSE30"/>  Names from [[World War II]] have also been added.  Also found in the churchyard are some wood and stone "dead boards", an early type of grave marker that was easier to produce than a [[headstone]].  They consist of a wooden board supported on two small stones.<ref name="BMR112">{{Harvnb|Beevers|Marks|Roles|1989|p=112.}}</ref> Moreover, this churchyard contain two burials in the incident of World War II.<ref>[https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3756820 A Twin CWGC Headstone]</ref><ref>[http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2073794/Horsted%20Keynes%20%28St.%20Giles%29%20Churchyard CWGC: Horsted Keynes (St. Giles) Churchyard]</ref>

Many members of the Michelborne family of Broadhurst Manor are buried in the churchyard.  Another family who lived locally, at [[Birch Grove]] House in the northeast of the parish, were the descendants of [[Daniel MacMillan]], founder of the [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan publishing house]].<ref name="FSE31">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=31.}}</ref>  His son Maurice Crawford MacMillan and Maurice's wife Helen (née Tarleton Belles) are buried in the churchyard in graves overlooked by an "impressive runic Cross, a replica of the MacMillan Cross at [[Kilmory Knap]], [[Argyll and Bute|Argyllshire]]".<ref name="FSE31"/>  Maurice and Helen's son was [[Harold Macmillan]], [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] between 1957 and 1963; when he died in 1986 he was also buried here, alongside his son [[Maurice Macmillan|Maurice junior]] who had predeceased him.<ref name="Coppin128"/>

Also buried in the churchyard is Henry Piggott, a member of the locally prominent Piggot(t) family.  His "seemingly very odd memorial"<ref name="Coppin128"/> by the southwest corner of the chancel<ref name="Hidden80">{{Harvnb|Swinfen|Arscott|1984|p=80.}}</ref> states that he was born on 30 December 1715 and died on 7 March 1715.<ref name="Curious78">{{Harvnb|Arscott|1993|p=78.}}</ref>  The gravestone is an example of the use of [[Old Style and New Style dates|Old Style]] ([[Julian calendar]]) dates in the period before 1752, when the [[Gregorian calendar]] was introduced.  The new year started on 25 March rather than 1 January, so Henry Piggott lived for about nine weeks.<ref name="Coppin128"/><ref name="Curious78"/><ref name="Hidden80"/>

==Associated buildings==

===Mission churches===
{{see also|List of demolished places of worship in West Sussex}}
The large parish has several [[Hamlet (place)|hamlets]], and in the late 19th and early 20th century there were two [[Chapel of ease|chapels of ease]] serving outlying areas.  Both were linked to St Giles' Church, and neither survive.  Freshfield Mission Church, located at {{Coord|51.0132|-0.0309|display=inline}} in the hamlet of Freshfield, opened for worship on 15 November 1897 after a dedication ceremony by the Archdeacon of Lewes.  It was built during that year through the efforts of Rev. C.R. Heald, who served St Giles' Church at the time.  A local man donated the land, but building and fitting out the chapel cost £140 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|140|1897|r=-2}}}} in {{CURRENTISOYEAR}} pounds)).{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}}  A Sunday school was held in the building, and by 1939 it was still "used for occasional services".<ref name="FSE139">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=139.}}</ref>  The 1965 [[Ordnance Survey]] map indicates that it was latterly called St John the Baptist's Chapel.<ref name="Freshfield">{{cite map|title=Historical map|publisher= www.old-maps.co.uk (Historical Map Archive)|url=http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maptiles/t100955_538247_125595.png|year=1965|cartography=[[Ordnance Survey]]|scale=1:2500|access-date=15 July 2012}}</ref>

Cinder Hill Mission Church served the hamlet of Cinder Hill north of Horsted Keynes village.  The building, no more than a hut, was moved to its new location in 1919; previously it had been used as a Soldiers' Church at an unspecified location on the [[English Channel]] coast.  The cost of buying, moving and installing the structure on its new site was £85 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|85|1919|r=-2}}}} in {{CURRENTISOYEAR}} pounds)).{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}}  A Sunday school used the building, and some religious services were held.<ref name="FSE140">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=140.}}</ref>

===Martindale Centre===
[[File:Martindale Centre, Horsted Keynes (Former Horsted Keynes Congregational Hall).JPG|thumb|right|The Martindale Centre was originally an independent Congregational chapel.  [[Louisa Martindale (feminist)|Louisa Martindale]] founded it in 1907.]]
The Martindale Centre, named after [[Louisa Martindale (feminist)|Louisa Martindale]], is used as the church office and parish hall.<ref name="StGilesChurch-p4"/>  It was built in 1907 as a [[Congregational church#United Kingdom|Congregational]] chapel.  Martindale moved to Horsted Keynes in 1903 and founded the chapel as a testament to her belief in the right of women to preach.<ref name="ODNB">{{Cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/56459|title=Oxford DNB article: Martindale, Louisa|last=Williamson|first=Lori|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/56459|access-date=15 July 2012}}</ref>  The building is of red brick and was extended in 1950 before it was sold by the Congregational church.<ref name="PoW33">{{Harvnb|Elleray|2004|p=33.}}</ref>

===Parish rooms===
During the incumbency of Rev. Frederick H.D. Smythe (1900–1909),<ref name="FSE53">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=53.}}</ref> two new buildings were provided for the benefit of parishioners.  When he became rector, there was a building near the church that was divided into two parts, used for church business and as a [[working men's club]] respectively.  After the latter stopped using it, Smythe opened the building out, extended it and turned it into a parish room for church activities.  It is held in trust by the [[Diocese of Chichester]].  Later in the 20th century, electricity and heating were installed and the building was enlarged further.<ref name="FSE140"/>  Smythe also built a new room for the Church Lads Brigade in 1908.  Called the "Young Men's Room", it was erected at a cost of £42 and was again placed in the possession of the Diocese.<ref name="FSE141">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|p=141.}}</ref>

===St Giles' School===
Children of the parish were originally educated in the chantry chapel of Marie de Bradehurst, which was part of the church.  When this was demolished in about 1850, lessons moved to the south transept until the present St Giles' School was built in 1884.  It was initially described as a "Church of England (Non-Provided) Elementary School", and was provided by the Lightmaker family—therefore it was also known as the Lightmaker School.<ref name="FSE70–71">{{Harvnb|Stenton Eardley|1939|pp=70–71.}}</ref>  {{As of|2013}}, it was known as ''St Giles' Church of England Primary School'' and is a [[voluntary aided school]].<ref name="StGilesSch">{{cite web|url=http://www.st-giles.w-sussex.sch.uk/p_General_Information_about_St_Giles_School.ikml |title=General Information about St Giles School |publisher=St Giles' CE School, Horsted Keynes |year=2012 |access-date=26 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930013250/http://www.st-giles.w-sussex.sch.uk/p_General_Information_about_St_Giles_School.ikml |archive-date=30 September 2012 |url-status=live |df= }}</ref>  Pupils attend an assembly in the church every Friday morning.<ref name="StGilesChurch-p4">{{cite web|url=http://www.stgileschurchhorstedkeynes.org.uk/page4.html |title=Information |publisher=St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes |year=2012 |access-date=15 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716231900/http://www.stgileschurchhorstedkeynes.org.uk/page4.html |archive-date=16 July 2012 |url-status=live |df= }}</ref>

==Today==
St Giles' Church was [[Listed building|listed]] at Grade I by [[English Heritage]] on 28 October 1957.<ref name="NHLE-1025684">{{NHLE|num=1025684|access-date=15 July 2012}}</ref> Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance.<ref name="EH2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/listed-buildings/ |title=Listed Buildings |year=2012 |publisher=[[English Heritage]] |access-date=24 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126151823/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/listed-buildings |archive-date=26 January 2013 |url-status=dead |df= }}</ref>  {{As of|2001|02}}, it was one of 16 Grade I listed buildings, and 1,028 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Mid Sussex.<ref name="IoEStats-WSx">{{Cite web|title=Images of England — Statistics by County (West Sussex) |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/StatisticsPage/default.aspx?StatsCounty=WEST%20SUSSEX |work=[[Images of England]] |publisher=[[English Heritage]] |year=2007 |access-date=2 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014174226/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/StatisticsPage/default.aspx?StatsCounty=WEST%20SUSSEX |archive-date=14 October 2012 |url-status=dead |df= }}</ref>

The ecclesiastical parish of Horsted Keynes covers a mostly rural area of Mid Sussex, much longer from north to south than it is wide.  Part of the northern boundary runs along Top Road between [[West Hoathly]] and [[Sharpthorne]].  To the east, it follows the [[West Sussex]]/[[East Sussex]] county boundary from near Wych Cross to the [[River Ouse, Sussex|River Ouse]] near Freshfield.  The river then forms the southern boundary, and a tributary called Cockhaise Brook is the parish's western limit.<ref name="ACNY-Parish">{{cite web|url=http://www.achurchnearyou.com/parish.php?p=100162/ |title=Horsted Keynes |year=2010 |work=A Church Near You website |publisher=[[Archbishops' Council]] |access-date=15 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610195930/http://www.achurchnearyou.com/parish.php?p=100162/ |archive-date=10 June 2015 |url-status=live |df= }}</ref>

St Giles is open daily from around 8{{nbsp}}am to 6{{nbsp}}pm. Two [[Eucharist]]ic services take place every Sunday 8{{nbsp}}am and 10{{nbsp}}am.  The eucharist is celebrated every Friday 10:30{{nbsp}}am and on feast days. Lay-led evening prayer is said every Wednesday 6:30{{nbsp}}pm.  Weekly services are also held for pupils of St Giles' Primary School.<ref name="ACNY-HK">{{cite web|url=http://www.achurchnearyou.com/horsted-keynes-st-giles/ |title=St Giles, Horsted Keynes |year=2010 |work=A Church Near You website |publisher=[[Archbishops' Council]] |access-date=15 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023052556/http://www.achurchnearyou.com/horsted-keynes-st-giles/ |archive-date=23 October 2012 |url-status=live |df= }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex]]
*[[List of places of worship in Mid Sussex]]
*{{Commons category-inline|St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin|33em}}
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*{{cite book|last1=Beevers|first1=David|last2=Marks|first2=Richard|last3=Roles|first3=John|title=Sussex Churches and Chapels|publisher=The Royal Pavilion, Art Gallery and Museums|location=Brighton|year=1989|isbn=0-948723-11-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Collins|first=Sophie|title=A Sussex Miscellany|publisher=Snake River Press|location=Alfriston|year=2007|isbn=978-1-906022-08-2}}
*{{cite book|last=Coppin|first=Paul|title=101 Medieval Churches of West Sussex|year=2006|publisher=S.B. Publications|location=Seaford|isbn=1-85770-306-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Elleray|first=D. Robert|title=Sussex Places of Worship|year=2004|publisher=Optimus Books|location=Worthing|isbn=0-9533132-7-1}}
*{{cite book|last=Fisher|first=E.A.|title=The Saxon Churches of Sussex|publisher=David & Charles|location=Newton Abbot|year=1970|isbn=0-7153-4946-5}}
*{{cite book|last1=Nairn|first1=Ian|author-link1=Ian Nairn|last2=Pevsner|first2=Nikolaus|author-link2=Nikolaus Pevsner|title=The Buildings of England: Sussex|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|location=Harmondsworth|year=1965|isbn=0-14-071028-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Pé|first=Diana|title=Mid Sussex Church Walks|publisher=PP (Pé Publishing)|year=2006|isbn=0-9543690-2-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Salter|first=Mike|title=The Old Parish Churches of Sussex|publisher=Folly Publications|location=Malvern|year=2000|isbn=1-871731-40-2}}
*{{cite book|last=Stenton Eardley|first=Frank|title=Horsted Keynes, Sussex: The Church and Parish of St Giles|year=1939|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan & Co. Ltd]]|location=London|url=http://theweald.org/B10.asp?BookId=hk000&v=0&xid=&xnm=1}}
*{{cite book|last1=Swinfen|first=Warden|last2=Arscott|first2=David|author-link2 = David Arscott|title=Hidden Sussex|publisher=[[BBC Sussex|BBC Radio Sussex]]|location=Brighton|year=1984|isbn=0-9509510-0-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Vigar|first=John|title=Exploring Sussex Churches|year=1986|publisher=Meresborough Books|location=Rainham|isbn=0-948193-09-3}}
*{{cite book|last=Wales|first=Tony|title=The West Sussex Village Book|publisher=Countryside Books|location=Newbury|year=1999|isbn=1-85306-581-1}}
*{{cite book|last1=Whiteman|first1=Ken|last2=Whiteman|first2=Joyce|title=Ancient Churches of Sussex|publisher=S.B. Publications|location=Seaford|year=1998|isbn=1-85770-154-2}}
{{Refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horsted Keynes, Saint Giles}}
[[Category:12th-century church buildings in England]]
[[Category:Church of England church buildings in Mid Sussex District]]
[[Category:Grade I listed churches in West Sussex]]
[[Category:English churches with Norman architecture]]
[[Category:Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in England]]
[[Category:Harold Macmillan]]