114 History of the Parish of Stockton, Wilts. 



ments were parts of a border of earlier date than the coat of arms, 

 and bunches of fruit. These last were placed in the corners of one 

 of the windows of the south aisle in 1844. When Sir Richard 

 Hoare visited the church, he observed hanging in the nave an iron 

 frame, with some pieces of tattered ribbon attached to it. This 

 lie says, is one of the last memorials of a custom now disused in 

 this part of England ; viz., that of carrying a garland decorated 

 with ribbons at the funeral of a young unmarried woman. It was 

 afterwards suspended in the church. Sir Richard says, "in this 

 case the custom which had long become obsolete, was revived at 

 the particular request of a person buried 30 years before, and the 

 remains of the garland still exist." The remains have since dis- 

 appeared ; but some of the old parishioners remember the garland 

 in tolerable preservation. Until the year 1833, the pulpit was 

 covered with what had been a splendid pulpit cloth of rich purple 

 velvet, edged with narrow gold fringe. In front of it were the 

 initials of the donor, and the date of the gift (J. T., 1681), in 

 massive gold embroidery. It was the gift of one of the Topp 

 family who were liberal benefactors to their parish church. This 

 pulpit cloth was removed in 1833, it being so much decayed as to 

 be no longer a decent ornament. The gold letters and date were 

 placed on a piece of the velvet which retained some of its colour, 

 and hung up in a frame in the church as a frail memorial of 

 the donor. He has no other monument. The velvet cover of the 

 cushion had long disappeared, and a new cover of handsome 

 crimson cloth, was presented by Mr. St. Barbe, who at the same 

 time gave a crimson cloth for the communion table. 



The church is indebted to the piety of the Topp family for a 

 very beautiful altar-cloth, and for a massive service of communion 

 plate. Few village churches can boast of such an ornament as this 

 altar-cloth, which is still in good preservation. It is of large size, 

 and covers, not only the table, but the wall behind it, being sus- 

 pended from brass hooks in the string course below the cill of 

 the east window. The ground of the cloth is a kind of rich yellow 

 satin, on which is a pattern of purple and red velvet. It is joined 

 together in broad stripes, the pattern being alternately red and 



