286 PROCEEDINGS COTTESWOLD CLUB 1912 



village carpenter, who is sexton and clerk of the church. Mr Miller's idea 

 was that the continuity of the services should not be broken, so the scaffolding 

 had to be pulled down every Thursday to prepare the church for Sunday 

 services. This caused the restoration to cover nearly twenty years, and only 

 one Sunday during the whole time was the church not used for divine service. 

 He destroyed every trace of the original architecture in replacing the square- 

 headed windows of the chancel (circa., 1370), and the iSth century ones of 

 the nave, which were of a debased and not good type, but still marking a 

 period of architecture, with large decorated perpendicular windows all the 

 same size and handsome. These are copied from a window in Ratley Church 

 on the Edge Hills. The parapet on the chancel is a copy of that on the church 

 at Tysoe. In 1906, some handsome additions were made to the interior. 

 A fine organ case in renaissance style, chancel screen — rercdos, and panelling 

 round the sanctuary in fumed oak, the latter with linen fold carved panels. 

 These additions were given by the members of the \\'arwickshire Hunt Club 

 and members of the Willoughby-de-Broke family as a memorial to the late 

 Nineteenth Baron Willoughby-dc-Broke. A mutilated recumbent figure of 

 a vested priest of the 14th century is in a recess at the west end of the church 

 — probably one of the monks of Ivcnilworth who ministered here, and under 

 whose guidance the church was built. The faced stonework of the windows 

 was of Kenilvvorth stone. 



On arriving at Edge Hill Battlefield, Mr Webb rapidly described the 

 operations of the eventful day, and incidentally introduced matters of a 

 more recent and topical nature. 



The battlefield is about two miles from Kineton. Two farms, about 

 1, 000 yards apart, named Battledown and Thistledon, which have been 

 built since the battle, mark the site of the battle ground. A little nearer 

 the hills than these farms, and between them, is the common grave, said to 

 contain 500 soldiers who fell. As they would not be moved far away, and 

 as in the immediate neighbourhood a great deal of debris — cannon balls, 

 bullets, coins, armour, etc. — have been found, it is likely that this was tht 

 hottest part of the field. About 500 yards X.E. is the grave of the officers who 

 fell. 



Prince Rupert's videttes first discovered the whereabouts of the Parlia- 

 ment army on the Saturday night, when they saw the smoke of their 

 camp fires from the summit of Burton Dassett Hill, where there is a well- 

 built stone beacon (14th centurj'), and from which news of the battle was 

 flashed to Ivinghoe (Northants), then to Harrow, and so to London the same 

 night. Rupert's impetuous charge was irresistible and decimated the left 

 wing of Lord Essex's forces. Had he turned and attacked the centre on its 

 flank. Edge Hill would have been a decisive victory for the Royalists, but, 

 flushed with his initial success, he allowed his followers to ride on to KinetOn, 

 where they plundered and feasted, and toward evening went on to take the 

 enemy in the rear. Crossing the ford at the bottom of Bridge Street, Kineton, 

 over the River Dene, they slew the picket guarding it. Eighty years ago, 

 when the foundations were being dug for the bridge, several skeletons were 

 dug up, some armour and other impedimenta of a warlike nature. Rupert's 

 disorganised force had now to reckon with John Hampden's baggage train, 

 which was coming up from Stratford, and was repulsed. He also learned 

 that the Parliament right wing, under Balfour, had beaten back the King's 

 left wing ; that the King's centre was pushed back towards the hill ; and 

 that the royal standard had been captured and Sir Edmund Verney slain. 



Captain Cromwell was probably fighting on the Parliament right wing, 

 the victorious one, and it was probably at this first battle that he noticed the 

 immense superiority of the King's cavalry, and made up his mind to create 

 a force that was afterwards known as his " Ironsides." Note that it was on 

 the right wing at Marston Moor and Naseby that he was so victorious. He 



