Church of All Saints, West Dean

In the 15th century West Dean consisted of two distinct parishes, each with its own church and rector. The church of All Saints was in Hampshire and part of the Diocese of Winchester. St Mary’s was in Wiltshire and therefore within the Salisbury Diocese. In 1473 the two churches were united and the villagers all worshipped at St Mary’s. There is no documentary evidence for the destruction of All Saints; presumably it was allowed to decay naturally. The site was forgotten until 1870 when a stone coffin was accidentally discovered in a field. Further investigations at the time led to the discovery of more burials and the foundations of the eastern end of the chancel. There is nothing visible on the site today.