History of St Mary's, Hayling Island
Introduction
In country churches of medieval origin, records are often fragmentary and inadequate. Changes take place regularly through their lives and are not recorded, or perhaps, in the case of the Anglo-Saxon "font", the origins and original use have not been known for hundreds of years. It is therefore inevitable that positive proof does not exist for some statements about the history of these old buildings and use must be made of the best available professional advice.
Origins
After William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England in 1066 and became William I, he gave Hayling Island to the Abbey of Jumiegès on the River Seine. The abbey was clearly favoured by the King: his mother was buried there and Edward the Confessor, upon whom he based his claim to the throne of England, was brought up there. The abbot established a daughter priory on Hayling Island, which would have been attached to the existing Saxon parish church of All Saints, located some distance inland on the south coast of the Island.
When, as a result of coastal erosion, this church together with the priory buildings around it, were inundated by the sea, it was decided to build a new church and priory further inland and on the highest point of the Island. This became the Parish and Priory Church of St Mary the Virgin.
The precise location of the priory buildings is not known. The 19th century theory, based on the names of the fields in the area, that they were at Tournerbury is not supported because priory buildings were normally clustered around the church to which the priory was attached. It is disappointing that no archeological evidence for this has been found either in the churchyard or in nearby Katrina Gardens but, since no evidence has been found for the buildings being elsewhere on the Island, the possibility still remains that they were situated adjacent to St Mary's.
The Prior's Tomb
It is reasonably certain that, underneath a memorial stone in the floor of St Mary's chancel lies the body of one of the early Priors. His identity is not known, but it seems likely that if he died and was buried contemporaneously with the building of the present church, he was John de Ousqueto, who was Prior circa 1250. Originally the memorial stone was laid at the same level as the floor; over the years it suffered as a result of being walked upon by worshippers, and for some years had been covered with a carpet supported by hardboard. This was not good for the stone, which, additionally, was being adversely affected by the salt in the soil. A decision was taken to restore the tomb by lifting the stone slab, removing some of the earth, lining the cavity with lead to inhibit the saline corrosion and replacing the stone at a lower level. This has been done, and the slab is now covered by a piece of armoured glass, so that people can walk upon it in safety, at the same time being able to observe and inspect the memorial stone with ease.This restoration represents a major activity during the year of the 750th anniversary celebrations of the building of St. Mary's Church.
To be continued .......