Country Churches

119. St Peter, West Firle

This fine church lies south east of Lewes just south of the A27 road. Much of the church dates from the 13th century including the chancel and the west tower. The nave arcades are 14th century whilst the aisles were rebuilt in the 15th century.

The church is noted for three fine medieval brasses above the vestry door on the north side. In the centre is the Bolney brass commemorating the Lord of the Manor Bartholomew Bolney (d 1476) and his wife Eleanor. He is depicted in armour whilst his wife is shown wearing a long gown and a mitred head-dress. Another brass on the south side dates from 1590. It shows Thomas Gage, his wife Elizabeth with two kneeling daughters below. A third brass on the north side commemorates George Gage (d 1569). He is bearded and wearing armour. The Latin text below translates “What of the body is life? They are but a flower, a dust, a shadow that fleeth away”. Two floor brasses can also been seen in front of the chancel steps. One relates to Mary Howard (1638) and the other commemorates Alice Levett (1676) wife of the vicar of Firle.

Three Gage family altar tombs stand in the vestry on the north side of the chancel. The finest shows Sir John Gage (1556) and his wife Philippa as recumbent figures in alabaster. Sir John is shown in armour wearing the Order of the Garter with a ram at his feet. Philippa in a long gown, has at her feet the Guldeford crest showing a trunk of a tree in flames.

In a recess in the north wall of the chapel there is the tomb of Sir Edward Gage (1569) and his wife Elizabeth. He was the eldest son of Sir John and was made Knight of the Bath at Queen Mary’s accession. The third tomb is that of a grandson John Gage who died in 1595. He had two wives, Elizabeth Littleton and Margaret Copley. Various family crests can be seen on the wall behind. All three tombs were commissioned in 1595 by John Gage and designed by Garrat Johnston.

In sharp contrast to the Tudor tombs is an attractive and colourful John Piper stained glass window commissioned in 1985 in memory of Viscount Gage who died in 1982. The window relates to William Blake’s Book of Job and depicts the Tree of Life and the Heavenly Jerusalem. It lightens up the rather gloomy interior of the church. There are also some Victorian glass windows in the north wall showing St Michael and St Gabriel placed there in memory of Colonel Gage of the 14 Hussars.

On the wall of the south aisle is the village War Memorial inscribed on a wooden tryptch. Close by is a poignant memorial to Allan Mann a midshipman aged 19 ‘lost with upwards of 500 of the crew of HM Turret ship Captain which foundered off Cape Finisterre on 7 September 1870.’ This is a fitting reminder of the dangers facing sailors in earlier centuries.

Finally note the 15th century Holy Water Stoop standing outside the south porch and the two Mass Dials outside the north door.

John Symonds