Beckley Church.

The Parish of Beckley was mentioned in the will of King Alfred the Great-: "I Alfred, king of the West Saxons, by the grace of God and with this witness, say what I wish about my inheritence after my day................. and I bequeath to Osferthe, my Kinsman, the manor of Beccanleah (Anglo Saxon for Beckley) and at Rotherfields and at Ditchling and at Sutton and at ..................................and the lands thereunto belonging......................"  From this we can assume that the herring-bone stonework on the outside of the Tower may be of Saxon origin, whilst presumably, there may have been a wood and wattle Church on the present site, it is supposed that the mighty oak beams within the lower portion of the tower were set in position as framework for an older structure, but the main portion of the stonework was put into position about 1100A.D.  The upper stage dated about 14th century is roughcast,except for the quoins, and the whole is surmounted by an octagonal shingled spire and weather vane.  The deep diagonal north west buttress is 14th century, while that at the south west is 18th or 19th century.  The west doorway with its pointed head, continous mouldings and splayed jambs is a 14th century insertion.  Upon the remoddelling of the Nave with Gothic arches between1250 and 1350 A.D;the tower arch was remodelled to its present form

There are six bells and a Sanctus Bell. Th earliest mention of these is in 1515, when there were only five bells.  In that year Thomas Awyke directed in his Will "I bequeath to the reparation of the bellsof Beckley" In 1686 they were reported in good repair, but in 1708 they were recast and rehung by Richard Phelps who had cast the Tenor Bell at Chichester Cathedral, the 5 ton tenor of St Pauls Cathedral as well as the tenors for Winchester Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.  The treble bell was apparently added in 1748 and was paid fo by "6d on all lands within ye said Parish for and towards a Sixth Bell which is this day agreed upon, provided the residueof ye money can be rais'd by subscription without further charge of Taxing ye Parihupon ye said account of ye said bells".  This Bell was recast in 1825.

For more information  please see the leaflets in the church.