(302) WITHYHAM, St. Michael and All Angels
Using 14th-century fabric, the church was rebuilt 1663-72, after lightning and a fire on 16 Jun 1663; Sackville chapel completed 1680; South aisle remade in 1841 and there were other 19th century changes - Nairn & Pevsner (637-8); for plan see SNQ (IV 113); fabric fine in 1724, but for North chancel (Sackville chapel) (Ford 184); monuments nearly all in North-East Chapel from which earlier examples have been lost; for example, in his will, Robert Sackville, 2nd Earl (1561-1608/9) left provision for a monument costing £200-300 (biography by Michael A.R. Graves in ODNB); some early brasses did survive (302B, D and H); the excellent conditions of the monuments, the high rank of the family, the sensational quality of 302J and the fame of the makers of 302 E-G has earned the monuments at Withyham a good deal of antiquarian and art-historical interest; Horsfield (Sussex I 395-6) noted that Burrell had found 27 M.I.s in the Sackville vault, see too SNQ (IV 113) and Willatts (SAC 125 10); for views of the monuments see BL Add. MS 5671 ff.5-11; 5676 ff.44 & 47; Withyham was a large Wealden parish with c.100 families in 1724 and a population of 1074 in 1801. For the history of the family vault, remodelled in 1677 and again in 1815, see Julian Litten in Church Monuments, XIV 1999 104-28
302A Wall-mounted iron slab for William ALFREY, d. 1610
- Nave, against West wall.
- 39(W) x 121(L)~Fine.
- M.I. (10 lines, relief) on the upper 30% of a cast iron slab; raised border.
- William Alfrey, yeoman, d. 15 Jun 1610.
302B Wall-mounted brass for Ann SACKVILL, d. 1653
- Sackville Chapel, South wall, at head height.
- 27.5(W) x 21(H)~Fine; local losses (top left corner).
- M.I. (11 lines, engraved) fills a polished rectangular brass plate, with tabs for attachment.
- Ann Sackvill, d. 13 Feb 1653, aet 63, daughter of Sir Robert Johnson, Knt., of the Tower of London; and wife of Thomas Sackvill, son of Thomas Sackvill, Lord Buckhurst, Knight of the Garter.
302C Wall-mounted brass for Lady Ann SACKVIL, Countess of Home, d. 1672
- Sackville Chapel, West wall, North of 302B.
- 24(W) x 13(H)~Fine.
- M.I. (6 lines, engraved) on a polished rectangular, brass plate; elegant script.
- Lady Ann Sackvil, Countess of Home, 17 Jun 1650 - 22 Aug 1672; wife (from 19 Apr 1671) of Alexander, Earl of Home, Lord Coldinghame.
302D Wall-mounted brass for Lady Mary SACKVILLE, d. 1632
- Sackville Chapel, West wall, at head height, below 302C.
- 23(W) x 14(H)~Fine.
- M.I. (8 lines, engraved) on a polished rectangular brass plate.
- Lady Mary Sackville, d. 30 Oct 1632, aet 7, daughter of Edward, Earl of Dorset, .
302E Mural monument for John Frederick SACKVILLE, 3rd Duke and Earl of DORSET, d. 1799
- Sackville Chapel, North wall, West end, above head height.
- 135(W); (H) inaccessible~Excellent.
- Above, 3 mourning putti with the portrait roundel of the deceased against a square back plate; pointed pediment over; M.I. on framed tablet, set landscape-wise, flanked by fluted drums; all on large corbels with arms between; signed (lower right): 'NOLLEKENS FT. 1802'.
- John Frederick Sackville, Duke, KG, etc., many titles and honours, died at Knowle Park, 19 Jul 1799, aet 54, buried at Withyham; his widow, Arabella Diana Cope.
302F Mural monument for Arabella Diana SACKVILLE, Duchess of DORSET, d. 1825
- Sackville Chapel, North wall, alongside and East of 302E.
- 160(W); (H) unknown~Excellent.
- Black backplate; screen with 2 daughters as mourners; urn on plinth; below, M.I. (engraved) on tablet; signed (on right return): 'CHANTREY. SC.'.
- Arabella Diana Sackville, Duchess of Dorset, d. 1 Aug 1825, aet 57.
302G Mural monument for George John Frederick SACKVILLE, 4th Duke of DORSET, d. 1815
- Sackville Chapel, North wall, East end, at head height.
- 170(W) x 252(H)~Excellent.
- Against a black backplate with a pointed top, in white marble, a seated, mourning figure (the Duke's mother); against an urn, on a pedestal; above, a small cornice with palmettes left and right, flanking a portrait roundel; below, a deeper cornice on fluted brackets over a M.I. (engraved) on an unframed tablet; signed (on right return): 'FLAXMAN'.
- George John Frederick Sackville, Duke of Dorset, died near Dublin after a fall from his horse, 14 Feb 1815, aet 21, buried at Withyham.
302H Wall-mounted brass for Thomas SACKVILLE, d. 1646
- Sackville Chapel, East wall, low down.
- 18(W) x 10(H)~Stained; sound.
- M.I. (8 lines, engraved) on a tiny brass plate, in Latin, floral decoration below.
302I Wall-mounted brass for Thomas SACKVILLE, d. 1675
- Sackville Chapel, East wall, below 302H.
- 28(W) x 33(H)~Fine; stained.
- M.I. (32 lines engraved) in Latin, on a brass plate (high copper content).
- Thomas Sackville, 5 Feb 1662 - 19 Aug 1675, died at Saumur, France; seventh son of Richard Sackville, 5th Earl, d. 27 Aug 1677, aet 54 and Frances Cranfield.
302J Freestanding monument for Thomas SACKVILLE, d. 1675, and his father Richard, Earl of Dorset, d. 1677, erected 1678
- Sackville Chapel, freestanding, in the centre.
- The plinth: 348 (East-West); 248 (North-South); The tomb-chest: 120(W) x 229(L)~Excellent; local losses (toes, etc.).
- A tomb-chest on a stepped plinth set East-West; a semi-reclining effigy with a skull, gazing to the East, on a rolled mat, on a polished dark grey ledger; the tomb-chest with white marble panels within a dark grey frame, with his mourning parents kneeling on cushions (father on the North side); portrayals of the siblings in middle relief, dead and alive, kneeling or facing East; on the North side (6 brothers); on the South side (6 sisters); M.I. (engraved, black) on tablets on each short end; East end on patronage; West end, verses on Thomas Sackville's virtues; an achievement on a plaque at the East end; another similar, with details of the Earl, on the other end.
- Thomas Sackville, d 1675, aet 13, thirteenth child and seventh son of Rt. Hon. Richard, Earl of Dorset, d. 27 Aug 1677, aet 55; and Frances, Countess Dowager of Dorset.
