St. Mary's Church, Sompting
In 1154 the church was given to
the Knights Templar's after a request from Henry, Duke of
Normandy.
This gift was made by William de Harcourt, Philip de
Harcourt, Bishop of Bayeux and William de Braose, Lord of
Bramber.
Church taxes
The Bishop of Chichester, decreed that the
vicar should have some of the tithes due to the church. This was a
voluntary tax of one-tenth of the profits raised on church
land.
The tithes included:
- three mills;
- Templar's building suitable houses to accomodate the
vicar;
- paying 2 marks of silver per year.
Philip de Bernehus gave an acre of land to
Sompting church, ‘between the green way and the marl pit’, when he
was seeking admission into the Templar's, agreeing the gift
with an improvised seal made by biting the
wax.
The church passed to the Knights Hospitallers
and is noted in the report on their English properties in 1338 as
being administered by the commandery at
Shipley.
The church is noted for its architecture as it has Saxon parts
and its spire roof is very unusual.
The church today
Since 1963 the advowson or the right to appoint the
vicar, has been vested in the Order of St
John.