Email: Lisa Smith.
The church was originally built in the early 12th century, and is included in a list in the year 1121 of those churches given to the Priory of St Pancras in Lewes.
The most striking feature of this church is the round tower, there are only two others in Sussex, namely St Michael's, Lewes and Southease. It has been suggested that the reason for the round towers is that flint was plentiful and dressed or cut stone for the quoins needed for a square tower was expensive and scarce.
The lean-to aisles make the interior of the church rather gloomy, but their low windows are certainly attractive.
The tower, surmounted by a wooden shingled octagonal spire is topped by a wind vane in the shape of a large gilded fish. Its origin is not known, but it replaced an earlier one shaped like a flag or pennant.
The fish was certainly on the tower in 1882, and Rudyard Kipling mentioned it in his poem "Sussex" in 1902 when he wrote: "where windy Piddinghoe's begilded dolphin veers".
Some artistic licence here I fear for the fish looks nothing like a dolphin, more of a salmon or trout!
Church details, together with baptism, marriage, monumental inscription & burial records can be accessed by clicking on the church name.
262 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1841 census.
243 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1861 census.
237 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1871 census.
240 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1891 census.
20 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1851 census.
19 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1861 census.
15 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1871 census.
15 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1891 census.
2 individuals in the OPC Database for the 1901 census.
Grid reference: 543480, 103015 ~ View on: Google Maps, Open Street Map, Streetmap, National Library of Scotland Map or Oldmaps.
Transcription of the Roll of Honour in the village hall
The OPC database contains 12 poll register entries for people entitled to vote in this parish.
There are no protestation returns for this parish in the OPC database.
The OPC database contains 17 entries for people associated with this parish mentioned in Gazettes.
There are 12 images depicting this parish in the OPC database.
POWPics (The new Roughwood churches album) contains 21 photographs of churches in this parish. This album will also display any postcards or other images of churches which are in the Sussex OPC database.
The OPC database contains no postal directory entries for this parish.
1867 Kelly's Directory for Piddinghoe is available on the GENUKI site
1851 Post Office Directory for Piddinghoe
There is 1 book about this parish in the Sussex OPC Bibliography.
There is 1 article about this parish in the OPC Sussex Archeaological Collections Index.
There are no people from this parish in the OPC Sussex Archeaological Society Members Index.
The OPC database contains 1 will of someone who lived in this parish.
The OPC database contains 1 will which mention this parish.
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