A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



On the north face of the fifth pillar of the 

 arcade are coarsely executed early sixteenth century 

 paintings of St. Cornelius, King Henry VI. and 

 an archbishop, probably St. Thomas of Canter- 

 bury. 



There are not any old monuments in the 

 church, but on the sixth pillar of the arcade are 

 affixed brass inscriptions to Richard Clarke, ob. 

 1485, and his daughter Margery, wife of Richard 

 Fylder, ob. 1534, and to Christopher Walaston, 

 1563, and a small figure of a lady, circa 1 5 1 o. 

 There are also other brass inscriptions in the 

 church to Robert Fry, ' late Hedd BaillifFe of this 

 Towne,' 1620, Elizabeth Geale, 1638, Robert 

 Lamport, 1667, and Thomas Pinke, 1713, his 

 wife and children ; also the figures of three female 

 children. 



The east window of the north chancel was filled 

 with painted glass, by a Belgian artist, in 1870, in 

 memory of the Rev. Edward James, canon of 

 Winchester and vicar for twenty-two years. The 

 painted glass in the other east window was inserted 

 in 1884 in memory of Dr. Lewis Leslie. 



Externally the walls are rough cast throughout 

 and the roofs tiled. 



The tower is of three stages, with, originally, 

 two plain round-headed windows in the east and 

 west faces of the uppermost story, and three like 

 openings on the north and south sides. This last 

 has given place to a modern pseudo-fourteenth 

 century window of two lights. The tower is 

 surmounted by a wooden spire, the old lead 

 covering of which was replaced in 1873 by oak 

 shingles and has at its south-west angle a project- 

 ing turret staircase. It contains eight bells, the 

 sixth of which is inscribed: 'Thomas Janaway of 

 Chelsea made us all 1785.' The seventh was 

 recast in 1 890, as it had become cracked. There 

 are five ringers' boards in the belfry. 



The clock, which strikes the Cambridge quarters, 

 was erected in 1889 by Messrs. Benson of London. 



The communion plate consists of a silver gilt 

 flagon given in 1711 by Matthew Hawkins; a 

 silver gilt flagon left, in 1721, together with a gilt 

 paten and a woollen cloth for covering the holy 

 table on all Sundays and festivals, by the will of 

 William Turner ; a silver gilt alms dish given in 

 1722 for the use of the altar of Alton by Edward 

 Fisher ; a silver alms dish, Victorian ; a large silver 

 gilt chalice and paten with no inscription or hall 

 mark ; a small silver gilt chalice given in 1 8 1 8 by 

 Elizabeth Baker ; and a small silver paten given in 

 1859 by William Dyer, churchwarden. 



Over the south-east entrance gates to the 

 churchyard there is some fine wrought iron work 

 which may be Jacobean. 



The family of Champflour appears as holding 

 lands of the manor of Alton, 138 and, as has already 

 been mentioned, Sir Maurice Berkeley, kt., the 

 vicar of the church of St. Lawrence, Alton, and 

 several other persons received the royal licence 

 in 1473 to found a chantry of one priest to 

 celebrate daily divine service in a chapel ' then 



lately built.' It was to be called ' the Champfloure 

 Chantry.' 139 This is called in the Chantry cer- 

 tificate of 1 545 the ' Blanceflowers ' Chantry. 140 



The registers begin in 1615, and previous to 

 1 8 1 2 consist of four volumes : i. 1615-1711 ; ii. 

 1711-65 ; iii. 1754-85 ; iv. 1760-1812. 



There is a volume of churchwardens' accounts 

 which commences in 1625. The tything man 

 and constables were paid by the vestry, and con- 

 stables were appointed up to 1872. Penalties are 

 entered of 5/. for breaking the Sabbath and is. for 

 tippling in an ale house on the Sabbath day. Be- 

 sides church rates it. was paid for each seat allotted 

 in the church. Payments are mentioned for clean- 

 ing the church engine. In 1740 the expenses 

 for fifty-five weeks at the workhouse amounted to 

 174 lot. lid. 



The new church of All Saints', of the Early 

 English style, was built in 1873 and consecrated 

 in the following year. The tower and spire with 

 three bells were added in 1 88 1. In the chancel 

 is a stained glass window to the memory of Bishop 

 Samuel Wilberforce. An oak reredos and pulpit 

 were given in 1892 and a chancel screen in 1894. 



The Society of Friends has held meetings at 

 Alton since about 1 664, and the present meeting- 

 house has been in use probably since 1672. The 

 Congregationalists had a chapel there in 1696. 

 The Baptists started their meetings in 1840 and 

 the Wesleyans in 1842. 



There was a school in Alton in 1548, but the 

 present Grammar School was founded by John 

 Eggar in i638. ul 



The National Schools. The 

 CHARITIES dean and chapter of Winchester, 

 owners of the rectorial tithes of 

 Alton, by deed dated 25 January, 1841, granted 

 to the vicar of Alton and others the yard and 

 buildings belonging to the rectory in perpetuity 

 as a school for poor children. The last sur- 

 viving trustee in 1857 vested this property in 

 the vicar and churchwardens of Alton and their 

 successors. 



Mrs. Baker of Alton by her will gave 100, the 

 interest to be applied to the support of the Sunday 

 School. 



A sum of 1,000 Consols is made up as follows : 

 Richard Marshall in 1843 left a sum of 700 to 

 be applied as an endowment of the Sunday and 

 National Schools. At about the same date Jane 

 Exall of Alton added 200 to Marshall's gift. 

 William James Hawkins, son of James Hawkins of 

 Alton, added 100 to Marshall and Exall's gifts. 



Martha Hutchins by her will dated 19 January, 

 1871, left 200, the interest to be applied to in- 

 crease the salary of the headmistress of the National 

 Schools. 



The British Schools were built at the cost of 

 Frederick Crowley of Alton in 1867, and vested 

 by him in trustees for the education of boys. In 

 1877 a girls' school was added. 



We find that in 1548,91. id. of the revenues 

 of the chantry in Alton went to the relief of the 



Add. R. 27,810. 



13 Pat. 13. Edw. IV. pt. 1, m. 15. 



140 Chantry Certificate, 51, No. 14. 



482 



141 See ante, p. 367. 



