St John the Baptist's Church, Clayton

St John the Baptist's Church
The church from the north
50°54′38″N 0°09′12″W / 50.9105°N 0.1534°W / 50.9105; -0.1534Coordinates: 50°54′38″N 0°09′12″W / 50.9105°N 0.1534°W / 50.9105; -0.1534
Location	Underhill Lane, Clayton, West Sussex BN6 9PJ
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
History
Founded	11th century
Dedication	John the Baptist
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	28 October 1957
Style	Anglo-Saxon
Administration
Parish	Clayton with Keymer
Deanery	Rural Deanery of Hurst
Archdeaconry	Horsham
Diocese	Chichester
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Rev. Christopher Powell

St John the Baptist's Church is the Church of England parish church of the village of Clayton in the district of Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. The small and simple Anglo-Saxon building is distinguished by its "remarkable" and extensive set of wall paintings, dating from the early 12th century and rediscovered more than 700 years later. Much of the structural work of the church is 11th-century and has had little alteration. The church, which stands in the middle of a large churchyard and serves the hamlet of Clayton at the foot of the South Downs, is part of a joint parish with the neighbouring village of Keymer—an arrangement which has existed informally for centuries and which was legally recognised in the 20th century. English Heritage has listed the church at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.

The ancient village of Clayton, situated where the main route from London to Brighton crossed an east–west track at the foot of the South Downs, existed at the time of the Domesday survey in 1086, when it was called Claitune or Claitona. It was at the southern end of the parish of the same name, which covered 1,414 acres (572 ha) of mostly rural land running north (and downhill) from the summit of the South Downs. The manor of Clayton was held at that time by William de Watevile for William de Warenne, who built the nearby Lewes Castle. The church was in the possession of Lewes Priory, which had been given it by de Warenne in 1093. The manor and church in the neighbouring parish of Keymer had the same ownership. The original dedication of St John the Baptist's Church was All Saints—a common dedication during the Anglo-Saxon era.