The following information is provided by David Burrough,
who lived at The Hale
in Chiddingly for much of his life, as did his parents and grandparents before
him
"My great grandfather Rev. Francis Dayrell was the vicar of Rhydefelin near
Aberystwyth
and lived in Victorian splendour in the beautiful vicarage. A visit from the
Bishop of St David’s
was a very rare and special occurrence. The Vicarage was filled with victuals
and good wine
for an overnight stay and for the service in the little church a chair becoming
a bishop had to be created.
A local carpenter was given the task and an extremely heavy throne was created
that befitted
a prince of the church. This, on the death of Francis in 1913, was bequeathed to
his daughter,
Milly Dayrell, my great aunt, and it remained under the stairs in the hall at
The Hale.
Milly Dayrell besides setting up the Women’s Institute in
East Sussex becoming its President,
Treasurer and Secretary in her time and being an extraordinarily energetic
farmer , photographer,
District Councillor for Chiddingly and East Hoathly and an air-raid warden was
also churchwarden
of Chiddingly Church in the 1950s. She decided then to give the Bishops Chair to
the church
and it stayed locked to the railings of the Jefferay Monument, and unused, even
when it was moved
up to besides the altar after the old Chiddingly Bell had taken its place. That
was until 27th February 2022.
On that day Bishop Martin came from Chichester to Sunday
Benefice Eucharist. Dressed in a vivid green chasuble
and mitre, carrying his crozier, he settled onto the Bishop’s Chair placed for
him between the choir stalls
as if he belonged to the chair and it belonged to him. Probably it was the first
time in over a hundred years
that it came back into its proper use. "
David Burrough