Cuthman name to be added to Steyning Church in rededication on Sunday

THE Cuthman's name is to be restored after centuries to Steyning Parish Church '“ known for many years as St Andrew's Church.Appropriately, the rededication will take place on St Cuthman's Day '“ this coming on Sunday '“ when the Bishop of Chichester, the Rt Rev John Hind, will be there for the 9.30am eucharist.

The church will be known in future as the Parish Church of Saint Andrew and Saint Cuthman, Steyning.

George Cockman, lay reader at the church, said: "A lot of dates are lost in history but we can say that shortly before the existing church was built the earlier church was known as 'Saint Cuthman's Church'.

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The restoration of Saint Cuthman into Steyning life has been gathering momentum. In the 1983 reordering of the church a chapel was created in his name, historians have written about his legends and there have been plays, poems and the 1994 Saint Cuthman Cantata.

In 2001, Penny Reeve's statue was unveiled and as part of the dedication celebrations Wired Theatre performed a new work entitled A House In Your Name: The Journey of Saint Cuthman.

For full story see West Sussex Gazette February 9