Church Dedicated to St Thomas a Becket

c. 1170-1200

Following the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, Pagham's parish church was dedicated to the martyred saint. The connection was natural, given that Pagham had been held by the Archbishops of Canterbury for centuries. The church that stands today is substantially a twelfth-century building, with later medieval alterations. Its flint walls, lancet windows and sturdy tower are characteristic of the rural churches of the Sussex coastal plain. The dedication to Becket reinforced the link between the parish and its powerful ecclesiastical overlord, and the church has remained the spiritual and architectural centrepiece of the village for over eight hundred years.