120 BOROUGH OF LEWISHAM. 
had anything to give, and the bequests cover the period from 1471 
to 1498. In that year a Robert Cheseman, who owned Sydenham, 
desired his executors to ‘‘ glaze the grete new wyndowe in the 
belfraye with the picture of the passion of our Lord,” and in 1512 
the little newel stairway, or ‘‘ vice,” was built, William Batt giving 
26s. 8d. towards it. This tower still stands, and was carefully 
repaired in 1907. 
When the tower was finished the parishioners commenced to 
furnish it with bells. In 1517 John Francis left £3 6s. Sd.—a 
large sum in those days—to buy a bell. Other bequests also occur 
for the same purpose, Thomas Gryme, husbondman, in 1529 leaving 
6s. 8d. ‘‘ to the belles of Leuysham,” and in 1552, when an inven- 
tory of the church goods was taken, there were ‘‘ four great bells 
of brass"’ in the steeple. There is now a ring of eight, varying in 
dates from 1766 (No. 7) to 1819. No. 5, which was cast in 1777, 
has the lines :-— 
‘* Ye people all who hear me ring, 
Be faithful to your God and King.” 
To return to the old church. From a description printed in 
1790, we learn that the entrance then, as now, was by a large 
porch descending one step, and into the church two steps more, 
thus the floor was level with the vaults under the present church. 
The church consisted, as we have said above, of a nave and south 
aisle, each with a separate roof, and at the east end was a large 
central pillar, from which sprang the arches of the roof and aisle. 
The ceiling was painted, rudely representing clouds, stars, etc. 
The floor was paved with small square tiles. In the body of the 
church were four rows of pews: the two middle rows joined, the 
side rows being separated by an aisle or passage-way round the 
church. The pulpit and reading-desk were against the north wall. 
Such is the picture drawn for us by one who had seen the building, 
and many a village church will help us to imagine fairly correctly 
what the church was like. 
From the Parish Registers we gather that as late as 1759, the 
aisles were known as the ‘‘ men’s aisle’’ and the ‘‘ women’s aisle”’ 
respectively, recalling the time when the sexes were separated in 
church, and the custom may have obtained even at that date, since 
it lingers yet in part in some country places. 
In medieval times the chancel at the east end of the south 
aisle was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and two chantries (sup- 
pressed by Edward VI) were founded therein, one by Richard 
Walker, citizen and grocer of London, in 1494, and the other by 
Roger Fitz, of Rushey Green, in 1504. In this chancel was an 
image of St. John Baptist... In the high chancel, z.e., that at the 
east end of the nave, was an image of the Patron Saint, St. Mary, 
and there was another image of her in a little niche in a pillar in 
the nave. Arother image was that of the unfortunate king, 
Henry VI, who was regarded as a saint by the people, and images 
of him were set up in several churches. As his father, the gallant 
Pe aw 
ere a ee a ee ve 
