Church of St Mary

St Mary-the-Virgin stands in the ancient town of Rye in East Sussex. A Grade I listed building, it began as a large cruciform church built between 1150 and 1180. The chancel, crossing, transepts and nave were completed first, with aisles added later in the 12th century. In the 15th century flying buttresses were added to the chancel and perpendicular windows installed at the east end. The church once earned the nickname ‘Cathedral of East Sussex’ because its size and wealth came from lands held by the Abbey of Fécamp before 1247. The building survived a French raid in the Middle Ages that left it badly damaged. Repairs stretched into the 19th century, and the Huguenot Lewys Billiard made the turret clock in 1561–62, still working today. During the Reformation parts of the church were used as a gaol and butcher’s shop before being restored in the 17th and 19th centuries. A stained glass window by Sir Edward Burne-Jones from 1891 can be seen in the north aisle. The mayor’s seat, installed in 1547, remains in place for civic services. Inside, the church shows layers of history from medieval stonework to Victorian glass. The pulpit dates from the 16th century and is used alongside the older mayor’s seat. Outside, the churchyard holds the skull of John Breeds, hanged in 1742 after a mistaken murder. Both he and his victim are said to haunt the graves. The clock’s pendulum swings deep into the body of the church, and the Quarter Boys chime the hours.