by the oath of Andrew le Frye, John ate Nelne, Ralph Russell, and Walter Nynman, parishioners of the church of Mechyng, who say upon their oath, that the ninth of sheaves this year is worth four marks, three shillings, and fourpence; the ninth of fleeces six shillings; and the ninth of lambs four shillings. Item, they say that the Prior of Lewes receives for tithes of sheaves in this parish ten shillings-of fleeces two shillings-and of lambs sixteen pence. The sum of the said ninths with the portion of the Prior is six marks. And they say that the ninths aforesaid could not answer nor reach to the taxation of the church aforesaid, which is rated at eight marks [the £5. 68. 8d. of Pope Nicholas]. And that the rector of the said church hath one messuage with nine acres of land and pasturage worth 13s. 4d. Item, he hath oblations worth 108. per annum. Item, the tithe of hay is 4s. ; the tithe of mills, 38. 4d.; the tithe of cows, calves, and dayrie, 2s. 6d. ; the tithes of honey, pigs, geese, and eggs, 28.; the tithe of hemp, 12d. The tithe of pasture is worth per annum 3s. 4d. And thus the sum excepted is 40s. 6d. And they say that there are not in the said parish any chattels beyond the value of 108. except of those who live by their lands and tenements. In witness whereof the said jurors have to this indenture affixed their seals."

In the Valor Ecclesiasticus of Henry VIII., the value of the rectory of Mechyng, then held by Richard Glover, was £13. 38. 3 d., besides, 168. 8d. payable to the Prior of Lewes, 68. 8d. to the archdeacon, 18d. for synodals, and 10d. for procuration.

In Bishop Bower's visitation, 1724, the following account is given of "Meeching alias Newhaven Rectory:" Patron: the King. Rector, Ezekiel Bristed, A.M., of Aberdeen in Scotland; instituted 1694. Church and chancel in good repair without, but the walls, floor, and some seats of both very nasty and indecent within; the communion table indifferent, but the cloth bad; a small silver chalice and cover, and pewter plate pretty good; the pulpit and desk very dark; the pulpit cloth and cushion scandalous! No carpet for the communion table; the surplice, bible and common-prayer books in good order; the steeple and one bell the same; two other bells lost many years ago; no chest nor poor box. The chancel repaired

by the rector. Parsonage house &c. in good order. Families 49-no dissenters-no papists. Value in the king's books £8. Ss. 4d., discharged from first-fruits. Divine service and sermon by the rector; the holy sacrament administered at the three solemn sacraments and at Michaelmas. Communicants about 15. Nine acres of glebe.

The church at that period was extremely small, consisting, besides the tower and apse, of a nave only. Subsequently the latter was considerably enlarged in the worst possible taste. Quite recently, it has undergone a thorough renovation.

The only ancient portions of the building are the tower and the very small semicircular apse attached to its eastern side. The Rev. J. L. Petit, in his account of this church, in the Archæological Journal (vol. vi. p. 138), observes, that it is "almost, if not quite, unique, as an English specimen of a tower with an eastern apse immediately annexed to it without the intervention of any other chancel." He adds, "The arrangement is common enough on the Continent." Though I have a great penchant for continental churches, I cannot boast of a large acquaintance with them, and the only one I have seen, in this respect like Newhaven, is at Yainville in Normandy, on the right bank of the Scine, between Duclair and Jumièges. This I encountered, quite unexpectedly, in a summer excursion during the present year. When, at a sudden turn in the road, it burst at once upon my view, I involuntarily exclaimed, "Why, here's Newhaven church!" As a matter of course I sketched it; and having subsequently taken a sketch of Newhaven from the same point of view, one may on inspection easily note the extraordinary points of resemblance the same corbelled band beneath the eaves; the same double belfry-window in each face of the tower; and the same flat-buttressed, semicircular apse, with the same diminutive eastern window. There are however some points in which the Norman and the Sussex churches disagree; yet so strong is the general likeness of these sister edifices, that there is no great stretch of probability in assigning them both to precisely the same epoch, if not actually to the same architect, in the twelfth century.

I may observe here, that both Mr. Hussey,' in his account

1 Notes on Churches, p. 258.