St Cosmas and St Damian Church is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church in the village of

Keymer Keymer is a village in the civil parish of Hassocks, in the Mid Sussex District, Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2116 road south of Burgess Hill. In 1971 the parish had a population of 5303. On 1 April 2000 the p ...

, in the Mid Sussex district of

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Rebuilt in 1866 in a style similar to the

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

building it replaced, it is the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of Keymer and now lies within a combined parish serving three villages in Mid Sussex. The church bears a very rare dedication to the twin

Saints Cosmas and Damian Cosmas and Damian ( – or AD) were two Arabs, Arab physicians and early Christian martyrs. They practised their profession in the seaport of Yumurtalık, Aegeae, then in the Roman province of Cilicia (Roman province), Cilicia. Cosmas and ...

, Christian martyrs of the 4th century. It is a grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

The medieval manor of Keymer was recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

in 1086 as being held by William de Watevile for William de Warenne, who built the nearby

Lewes Castle Lewes Castle is a medieval castle in the town of Lewes in East Sussex, England. Originally called Bray Castle, it occupies a commanding position guarding the gap in the South Downs cut by the River Ouse and occupied by the towns of Lewes and Cl ...

. A church existed on the present site at that time; it was associated with

Lewes Priory Lewes Priory is a part-demolished medieval Cluniac priory in Lewes, East Sussex in the United Kingdom. The ruins have been designated a Grade I listed building. History The Priory of St Pancras was the first Cluniac house in England and had ...

, which had been given it by a successor of de Watevile in 1093. The present building incorporates some 12th-century structural elements: the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

walls and

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

date from that time. Until the rebuilding in 1866, there had been little change to the structure since the 14th century. The reconstruction was undertaken by Brighton-based architect Edmund Scott, who was responsible for several churches in his home town; he matched the church's largely 14th-century style rather than redesigning the building significantly. Six bells were added at various times: one in 1791, another in 1866 and a peal of four in 1911. Hassocks Burial Ground

The church has a large graveyard with several

war grave A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...

s and a

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

. The

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

identifies five soldiers—three from the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and two from the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

—who are buried there. There is no longer enough space for burials to take place in the original churchyard, so a new burial ground has been established in a field opposite the church. Mid Sussex District Council acquired the land on behalf of the Parish of Keymer and Clayton, and transferred ownership to Hassocks Parish Council. The latter now manages the area, which is called the Hassocks Burial Ground and Garden of Remembrance. The names on the War Memorial have been researched and details of the men's stories have been published. This adds depth to the bare names and gives details that would otherwise be forgotten. The patron of the church, and holder of the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...

, is

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Dedication

The dedication of the church, to the twin

, is extremely rare in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

. Only three other extant churches in England bear their names: at

Challock Challock is a mostly wooded, large village and civil parish in the Borough of Ashford, Kent, England. The village name derives from the old English 'Cealfloca' – calf enclosure. A clear nucleus of the village is centred south of the port ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

; Blean, two miles to the north of Canterbury, Kent; and

Sherrington Sherrington is a small village and civil parish on the River Wylye in Wiltshire, England. The part of the Great Ridge Wood known as Snailcreep Hanging lies entirely within Sherrington. Location Sherrington is near the larger village of Cod ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

. A redundant church with the same name exists near

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

. The saints are believed to have been twin brothers who worked as doctors in the

Roman province of Syria Roman Syria was an early Roman province annexed to the Roman Republic in 64 BC by Pompey in the Third Mithridatic War following the defeat of King of Armenia Tigranes the Great, who had become the protector of the Hellenistic kingdom of Syria. ...

. They were well-educated in science and medicine, and treated people without expecting any payment. They were known to have been put to death in 303 during the Diocletianic Persecution.

Architecture

The church walls are built of

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

in an irregular style reminiscent of

crazy paving Crazy paving is a means of Pavement (material), hard-surfacing used outdoors, most frequently in gardens. Paving stone (flooring), Paving stones of irregular size and shape are laid in a haphazard manner sometimes with Mortar (masonry), mortar f ...

. There is a small tower and

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a relig ...

topped with a small, two-stage

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

at the southwest corner. The plan consists of a chancel with Norman-era apse, nave,

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s, and a porch at the south end. The south aisle was built in the 1866 reconstruction, but its counterpart on the north side was added in 1890. The ancient stone dressings in the east window were preserved during the rebuilding. The remains of what may be an original

piscina A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Lutherans and Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a pisci ...

, which lacks its basin, is in the apse.

The church today

Although the churches at Clayton and Keymer have been connected since their founding, the parishes were not officially united until 25 July 1978 by means of an

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

. St Cosmas and Damian Church is now one of three churches in thi
parish
which includes the 11th-century, Grade I-listed St John the Baptist's Church—Clayton's parish church—and St Francis of Assisi's Church in

Hassocks Hassocks is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. Its name is believed to derive from the tufts of grass found in the surrounding fields. Located approximately north of Brighton, with a population of 8 ...

, built in 1975. The parish covers the three villages and the surrounding rural area; its eastern boundary follows the border between West Sussex and

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

granted the church

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

status on 21 June 2007. There are two Sunday services most weeks (the first Sunday of the month has no early-morning service). Other services take place on Wednesdays and alternate Saturdays. The church is always open during daylight hours. The area around the church was designated a

Conservation Area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

in January 1989. Mid Sussex District Council, which was responsible for granting this status, stated that "the church eingsited on higher land which can be seen from all approaches" was one of the character-giving features of the area, which covers the old central area of Keymer village.

Gallery

Image:Keymer War Memorial.jpg, War Memorial to the south of the church. Image:St Cosmas and St Damian Church (main entrance).jpg, The church from the main entrance.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian Church Keymer Churches completed in 1866 19th-century Church of England church buildings Grade II listed churches in West Sussex Church of England church buildings in Mid Sussex District 1866 establishments in England Anglo-Catholic church buildings in West Sussex