Old St. Helen's Church

Located off Elphinstone Road this was possibly one of the earliest churches in the town, and constructed/enlarged over a number of distinct phases; 11th century nave, 12th century tower and 13th century chancel. By 1869 it was suffering from excessive problems with damp, so was demolished, the materials being salvaged to construct the new St Helen's Church a short distance away on The Ridge^[1]

Construction[edit]

The 1855 book by Mary Matilda Howard "Hastings past and present with notices of the most remarkable places in the neighbourhood" notes that:-

"It was originally very small, but was enlarged in 1821 by the addition of a new aisle, containing 200 free sittings. It now consists of a nave, chancel, a south aisle, two porches (one of them used as a vestry), and a low square tower. The windows in the north and south sides are partly in the narrow lancet, partly the low square-headed form. The east window is ornamented with a quatrefoiled head and two trefoiled divisions. The interior of the church is very plain, and contains nothing requiring notice but a trefoiled recess on the north side of the communion-table, nearly concealed by a pew, and a sepulchral brass, with the effigies of a civilian and his wife, under a small double canopy.

There is also a stone slab with an incised stone, and the name and date " Bentle, 1641."^[2]

Known Incumbents[edit]

[ 8 ]

List of Rectors[edit]

Admission Date	Rector	How vacant
18 Apr 1361	William Page de Ukfield/ExchangePeter de Achesfont	Resignation of William Page
(Rector on 4 Nov 1389, and in 1396-7)	Thomas John Walkyngton
20 Jun 1399	William Hankok	Resignation of John Walkyngton
23 Nov 1399	William Godefray
28 Jan 1415-16	Walter Prew William Taylour	Death of William Godefray
1423	Richard Hochekyne
9 Nov 1439	John Morcok	Resignation of Richard Hochekyne
(Rector in 1463-4	John Rust
(Rector on July 13 1478	Dominus Michael Harsant
(Rector in 1535	William Tykynall
(Rector in December 1551)	John Cartwright
28 Nov 1554	William Ridge	Deprivation of John Cartwright

Rev. Devy Fearon

Smuggler's Graves[edit]

In the graveyard on the south side of the church were buried five smugglers in a row, together with those of seven women aged around 17 their graves being marked by a white row of headstones. It is unclear whether these survive to the present day^[3].

First guide to the ruins[edit]

In 1949, F. W. B. Bullock (the son of the Rector W. C. Bullock between 1897-1929) wrote what is possibly the first published history of the church. The contents are in the process of transcription and can be found on this page:- Guide to the Ruins of St. Helen's Church.