A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



south-east corner of the aisle, with its doorway to- 

 wards the east, and at the eastward of the aisle are 

 laid two mediaeval coffin-lids of Purbeck marble. 

 The north wall of the aisle, as already noted, is six- 

 teenth-century work on a thirteenth-century base, and 

 is lighted by two sixteenth-century square-headed 

 north windows, one of three uncusped lights and one 

 of two. Between them, and about mid-way in the 

 aisle, is the north doorway, its jambs being of the 

 thirteenth century with an edge-roll, while its head is 

 four-centred and of the later period. The west 

 window of two lights is also of the sixteenth century, 

 its south jamb being widely splayed to light the 

 western aisle. The south aisle wall has been raised 

 in the fifteenth century, the weathering of the former 

 roof showing on the west wall of the transept, and 

 a three-light window of that date is inserted near the 

 east end ; the west window is of two lights and 

 perhaps the same date. The south door, as already 

 noted, is unusually wide, and plain work of the thir- 

 teenth century ; over it is a modern porch. 



The south transept, known at various times as the 

 Curll or Minchin Chapel, and formerly the Lady 

 Chapel, is of late thirteenth-century date, and has in 

 its east wall a tall central recess with a pointed head 

 containing pierced tracery, and shafts in the jambs, 

 between two trefoiled lights with cinquefoiled rear 

 arches. The central recess has a flat sill, below which 

 is a narrower recess with splayed sides, in which is a 

 shaft carrying a large carved corbel in the form of 

 three human heads among foliage beneath a moulded 

 shelf. The top of the shelf is level with the floor of 

 the upper recess, and has pin-holes in its upper side. 

 The carving of the corbel is very good, and the foli- 

 age suggests a somewhat earlier date in the thirteenth 

 century than that of the transept, and from the way 

 in which part of the carved work, which shows traces 

 of colour, is buried in the wall, it would seem to have 

 been intended for some other position. There was 

 doubtless an altar here, the mensa of which, however 

 placed, would have hidden the corbel completely if it 

 had then occupied its present position. In the upper 

 recess is now the monument of Sir Walter Curll, bart., 

 1678. A good deal of mediaeval wall decoration 

 remains, both bands of scrolled foliage and masonry 

 patterns, and on the splays of the windows are figures 

 of female saints, St. Anne with our Lady and St. 

 Katherine in the northern of the two east windows, 

 and St. Margaret and another saint in the southern. 

 In the south-east angle of the transept is a large stone 

 aumbry set diagonally across the angle, with a piscina 

 drain in its sill, and a shelf above. Its head is made 

 of slabs with moulded edges turned inwards. The 

 south window is an eighteenth-century insertion, as is 

 the west doorway of the transept, and the south wall 

 is faced outside with eighteenth-century brickwork. 

 Near the south-west angle of the transept is a marble 

 tomb of sixteenth-century type, with panelled base 

 and shallow canopied recess over it, in the back of 

 which are pin-holes for brasses. This is doubtless the 

 tomb of John Newport, 152 1, and his wife Elizabeth, 

 1527, the will of the latter providing for her burial 

 in the church of Soberton in the Lady Chapel beside 

 her husband. 



In this transept is now kept a large stone coffin of 

 Roman date, dug up in the parish. 



At the west end of the nave is an arcade of three 

 arches, c. 1230, with octagonal columns and moulded 



capitals and bases, the centra! arch being wider than 

 the others. Above on the east are seen the quoins of 

 the east wall of a small thirteenth-century tower, and 

 on the west side the springing of the arches which 

 spanned the passage through its north and south walls. 

 The present tower, built round the other, was prob- 

 ably begun about 1520, its details, though still Gothic, 

 being of the latest character. Its side walls are like- 

 wise in part pierced with arches, so as to leave a pro- 

 cession path at the west, and it has a west doorway, 

 and a newel stair in an octagonal turret at the north- 

 west. The west window is of three uncusped four- 

 centred lights, and over it is a two-light window in 

 the second stage, while the three-light belfry windows 

 have the same late details, but are filled in with pierced 

 stone slabs with excellent effect. The cornice below 

 the battlements is enriched with carved bosses and 

 shields which give valuable evidence as to the date 

 of the work. On the south side is a rose parted with 

 a pomegranate, between the arms of Newport and 

 Kingsmill, and on the east face a pelican between the 

 arms of Newport impaling a maunch, and a second 

 impaled coat which is much 

 weathered, but seems to have 

 a fesse nebuly on the sinister 

 half. The central bosses of 

 these two sides, referring to 

 Katherine of Aragon and 

 Bishop Fox of Winchester, 

 give the limits of date as 

 between 1501-2, the time of 

 Katherine's marriage with 

 Prince Arthur (or more prob- 

 ably 1509, the date of her 

 marriage to Henry VIII), and 

 1528, that of Fox's death. 

 The Newport arms point to 

 a share at least in the building 



being due to John Newport, ob. 1521, and two of the 

 bells mention his name and that of his wife. On the 

 west side of the tower is a curious central carving of 

 a skull between a bucket (or purse) and a key and 

 two human heads, which has given rise to a legend 

 that the tower was built by the dairymaids and 

 butlers of the neighbourhood, and on the strength 

 of this many subscriptions were obtained at a late 

 repair of the tower from domestic servants in the 

 county. 



The nave and south aisle retain their old roof 

 timbers with arched braces, and the chancel roof, 

 which has an arched plaster ceiling, may be old. All 

 roofs are covered with red tiles, except that of the 

 north aisle, which is leaded. The south transept has 

 a flat plaster ceiling, probably eighteenth-century, and 

 retains some cut-down pews of that date, said to have 

 been used by Lord Anson when he lived here. 



The altar rails are good seventeenth-century work, 

 with heavy posts, moulded top rail, and balusters, and 

 in the vestry is a seventeenth-century altar table with 

 turned baluster legs. 



In the south-west window of the chancel is a shield 

 with the arms of England of early sixteenth-century 

 date. 



The font, near the south doorway, is octagonal and 

 of recent date. 



There are eight bells, the first four by Warner, 

 1878, the fifth of 1640, inscribed 'In God is my 

 hope,' and the tenor is by Ellis Knight, 1623, 



KINGSMILL. Argent 

 crusillyjitchy sable with a 

 theveron ermine between 

 three mill-rinds sable and 

 a chief ermine. 



266 



