St. Andrew’s Church, Bishopstone

St Andrew's Church dates to the seventh or eighth century, though scholars debate the precise period. Built as a minster church on an episcopal estate belonging to the Bishops of Selsey, it served as a spiritual center for a wide region of the Sussex Downs. The church was the shrine of St Lewinna until her relics were stolen around 1060. Major archaeological excavations between 2002 and 2005 established Bishopstone as one of the most important Anglo-Saxon settlement sites in southern England.

The story of St Andrew's begins with conversion. When Christianity came to the South Saxons in the late seventh century, brought by missionaries like Wilfrid of York, the new faith needed places to take root. Churches rose across the landscape, many positioned on sites already held sacred by the people who would now worship in a new way.

The episcopal estate at Bishopstone—literally the dwelling place of the bishop—became one such center. The Bishops of Selsey established a minster church here, meaning not a monastery in the later sense but a mother church from which priests went out to serve surrounding communities. The church named for St Andrew became the spiritual heart of an estate that included Denton, Norton, Sutton, and lands beyond.

St Lewinna's martyrdom adds another layer to the founding narrative. According to traditional accounts, this Christian woman was killed around 670 by Saxon pagans who had not yet accepted the faith. Her body was enshrined in the church, and miracles occurred at her tomb. The shrine drew pilgrims seeking healing and intercession until a Flemish monk named Balgerus stole the relics around 1058-1060 and carried them to Bergues Abbey in Flanders. There the relics were venerated until religious disturbances in 1522 led to their destruction.

The identity of Eadric, whose name appears on the sundial, remains debated. Some scholars have suggested he was Eadric, King of Kent, which would date the inscription to around 685-686. Others propose he was an earl, a priest, or the church's first incumbent. The mystery persists, adding to the site's sense of reaching beyond certain knowledge into the deep past.