On offer: an original (i.e. not a later reproduction) antique print "St John's Church, Sussex.", at Lewes. A view of the old church which was replaced in the 19th century.
DATE PRINTED: 1787, from a plate engraved in 1785, dated on the print.
SIZE: The printed area of the view is approximately 16 x 11.5 cm (6.25 x 4.5 inches) plus margins with a blank back (medium).
ARTIST/CARTOGRAPHER/ENGRAVER: Published by Samuel Hooper, Ludgate Hill, London. Engraved by Richard Bernard Godfrey (1728-c.1795).
PROVENANCE: This print was published in an 1787 edition of "The Antiquities of England and Wales", by Francis Grose. Francis Grose (1731–1791) was an antiquary and lexicographer, of Swiss extraction. He published Antiquities of England and Wales (1773–87), which was well received, and thereafter, in 1789, set out on an antiquarian tour through Scotland, the fruit of which was Antiquity of Scotland (1789–91). He afterwards undertook a similar expedition to Ireland, but died suddenly at Dublin.
TYPE: Antique copper block engraving printed on paper.
VERSO: There is nothing printed on the reverse side which is blank.
CONDITION: Good; suitable for framing. Please check the scan for any blemishes prior to making your purchase. Virtually all antiquarian maps and prints are subject to some normal aging due to use and time which is not significant unless otherwise stated. I offer a no questions asked return policy.
AUTHENTICITY: This is an authentic antique print, published at the date stated above. I do not offer reproductions. It is not a modern copy. The term 'original' when applied to a print means that it was printed at the first or original date of publication; it does not imply that the item is unique.
RETURNS POLICY: I offer a no questions returns policy. All I ask is that you pay return shipping and mail back to me in original condition.
POSTAGE / SHIPPING COSTS: I only charge postage for the first print ordered. There is no additional postage charge if you order more than one print.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Church of St John sub Castro is an Anglican church in Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, England. It was built in 1839 on the site of an 11th-century Saxon church. In the early 11th century, a church was built on the site of a Roman fort erected to guard a crossing over the Ouse, below which the river was navigable. The site was in the north-west corner of the walled town, on "the brink of an abrupt cliff of chalk", and contained two conical mounds, one of which was later found to contain remains of human burials. The church came into the possession of the Cluniac Priory of St Pancras in 1121, and the earliest known reference to its relation to Lewes Castle (Latin: sub castro), presumably to distinguish it from the priory chapel at Southover, also dedicated to St John the Baptist, dates from 1190. William Camden's Britannia of 1586 reported the building "all desolate and beset with briers and brambles". Around that time the chancel was demolished, and a major restoration in 1635 left the church comprising just nave and tower. In the early 19th century, there was significant housing development in the St John's area of the town. The church had only 260 seats, totally inadequate for a parish whose population had trebled over a 30-year period to more than 2,300 and continued to grow. Concluding that it was impractical to extend the old church, the rector, Peter Guerin Crofts the Younger, had it demolished and a new one built on the site.
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