Sunday 11 January 2015

Archbishop Robert Leighton, Saint of Horsted Keynes

Believe, and you shall love, believe much, and you shall love much. Robert Leighton

Saint Giles has a saint in the Churchyard. It has a Prime Minister too – Harold Macmillan – but Archbishop Robert Leighton buried there 1684 and commemorated 26th June in the church calendar has first place. Leighton’s tomb and wall plaque have been cleaned by J Gumbrill through the generous donation of church members to mark a year of celebration close to the 400th anniversary of his birth.

Called affectionately “The little bishop” Leighton devoted the last decade of his life to praying, preaching and visiting the poor and sick of Horsted Keynes having spent forty years carrying the torch of peaceable Christian faith during tumultuous times which saw both the loss and restoration of kings and bishops.   

Believe, and you shall love, he wrote. Believe much, and you shall love much. Robert Leighton’s deep rooting in Christ gave him love to help deal with church divisions in the Scotland of his day where he served as Presbyterian minister and afterwards as Anglican Bishop in Dunblane, where his library is still used, and Archbishop of Glasgow, before retiring to live with his sister in Horsted Keynes.

Seek Jesus, fear not, you will certainly find him Leighton wrote and in him all things. He described Christian life as ‘angelic’ spent between ascending in prayer to fetch blessings from above and descending to scatter them amongst those in need of help and consolation below. To Leighton prayer looks to God as the most faithful and powerful friend, the richest and most loving father.


Our spiritual New Year resolutions at St Giles will include Leighton and we’ll be looking with him at the 5 essentials of Christian life:  prayer, worship, study, service and reflection.

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