The parish registers commence in 1539.  Some of the more famous entries include the baptism of the herbalist Nicholas Culpeper in 1616 (and also the death of his father, the Rector of Ockley, later that same year).  The composer Charles Villiers Stanford was married at St Margaret’s in 1878.  

Many people come to seek out the church where their ancestors were baptised, married or buried.  Some of our visitors travel a long way to do so being descendants of people who emigrated to Canada, Australia or New Zealand in the 19^th Century, or of the earlier setters in America in the 17^th century.  The Steere Family Association, descendants of John Steere who emigrated to America in the mid-1600s, has always maintained close links with St Margaret’s Church. 

St Margaret’s is a much loved church which for the last 700 years has been a symbol of stability in ever-changing times.  It is hoped that it can continue to be so for future generations.