St Botolph's Church, Botolphs

The parish of Botolphs came into existence in the Saxon era as one of several long, narrow divisions of land on the southern slopes of the South Downs near the River Adur, which reached the English Channel at the port of Shoreham. Like neighbouring Beeding and Bramber, Botolphs' territory stretched for about 2 mi from west to east. At the time of the Domesday survey in 1086, the manor of Hanyngedune was known; it was first named in 956, when King Eadwig gave it away, and the area it covered was identical to the later parish of Botolphs. The lie of the land meant that two settlements developed separately in the parish: there were two areas of high ground rising from a flood-prone alluvial…

ed tower, stands in an isolated downland setting.]] St Botolph's Church is in "a peaceful spot" of the "small, attractive church". .]] The nave and chancel are Saxon, but their date is unknown. The chancel arch is of one order with the late Saxon feature of a soffit roll. The three-bay north aisle added in about 1250 It is covered with incised abstract patterns. A modern Tapsel gate dating from 2003 links the churchyard to an adjacent civil burial ground, operated jointly by the three civil parish councils of Bramber, Upper Beeding, and Steyning. The Rector of Botolphs sits (ex officio) on the Joint Parishes Burial Board, and an annual memorial service for the council burial ground in held…

The church was listed at Grade I on 15 March 1955. Such buildings are defined as being of "exceptional interest" and greater than national importance. As of February 2001, it was one of 38 Grade I listed buildings, and 1,726 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Horsham. The advowson (the right to appoint clergy) has been held by the Bishop of Chichester since 1953, along with that of St Nicholas' Church at Bramber with which it has been united since 1526, and St Peter's Church in Beeding with which it has been united since 1987. The three churches now form a single ecclesiastical parish, with one parochial church council. The advowson had originally been held by Sele Priory at…