A HISTORY OF SURREY 



structed in the rudiments of learning from the age of 

 four years by one Frier by name in the porch of Wotton 

 Church, applies in all likelihood, not to the prede- 

 cessor of this porch, but to the tower, which is spacious, 

 and forms a sort of porticus, or lobby, to the nave. 



In the south wall of the tower, within the porch, 

 is a very remarkable doorway. It is wide, with a 

 pointed head of somewhat distorted shape, and of two 

 orders with a hood-moulding and shafts to the jambs. 

 The hood-moulding has a member of pear-shaped 

 section, and there is another such member in the 

 outer order, flanked by quirked hollows. The inner 

 order has a chamfer on the edge, but projecting from 

 its angle, worked on the face of the chamfer are a 

 series of minutely-carved little busts, each only about 

 3 in. in height, representing laymen and ecclesiastics, 

 four on either side of the arch. The bottom one on 

 each side is a modern restoration ; the others appear 

 to represent a pope (with the tall extinguisher-shaped 

 head-dress of the period), a king, a priest, a nobleman, 

 a queen (with crown and wimple), and a pilgrim. The 

 voussoirs on which these are carved are of green fire- 

 stone, and the alternate voussoirs are chalk, the sand- 

 stones alternating in the outer order. The impost 

 moulding is carried round the chamfer, and forms the 

 abacus of the shaft capital. This is circular with 

 moulded upper part and necking, the intervening 

 space being filled with vertical concave flutings, in 

 this detail and the alternation of the arch stones 

 recalling the south arcade of the nave at Alding- 

 bourne Church, Sussex work of the same date 

 c. 11901210. The shafts have moulded annulets 

 and bases. 86 The inner jambs and arch of the door- 

 way appear to have belonged to an earlier opening, 

 the arch being semicircular and a good deal worn, 

 but it is possibly of the same date as the outer arch. 

 A hideous cast-iron gate, apparently put here at the 

 restoration of 1858, disfigures this curious and 

 beautiful doorway, and every time it is opened cuts 

 into its arch-stones. 



Of the original chancel arch, destroyed in the 

 same disastrous period to make way for the present 

 wide and lofty arch, no very full information is attain- 

 able, but it would appear to have been a narrow, 

 square-edged opening, perhaps not more than 6 ft. in 

 width, and, flanking it on either side, tall pointed- 

 arched altar recesses were found, of which the outline 

 of half of the arches can still be seen. They were 

 then blocked up so that the original depth, which 

 was probably not more than a foot, can only be 

 guessed. 



The church seems to have been largely remodelled, 

 the chancel practically rebuilt, and the aisle with its 

 chancel or chapel added on the north side about 

 1210. The existing triplet of lancets in the east 

 wall of the chancel is entirely modern, replacing a 

 three-light probably of the 141)1 or 1 5th century, but 

 portions of the original group of three lancets that 

 preceded this were found in the wall at the 1858 

 restoration. In the south wall of the chancel is a 

 small sedile under a plain, pointed arm, and in the 

 southern part of the east wall a simple piscina, both 

 of c. 1 2 10. Above the sedile is a two-light window, 

 a pair, of lancets, under one arch internally, worked 



in firestone, and now opening into the modern 

 vestry. These are shown in an old engraving of the 

 church prior to 1858. Beyond them, to the west, is 

 a single lancet, shown in the same engraving, beneath 

 which, and divided from it by a sill transom, is a 

 wider square or oblong opening rebated for a shutter, 

 which is one of the best instances in Surrey of the 

 low side window. Unfortunately the firestone of 

 this and the lancet window over it was exchanged for 

 Bath stone at the ' restoration," at which time the low 

 side window was brought to light and unblocked. 67 

 There is now no iron grate in the opening, and the 

 present shutter is modern and fanciful in design. 



The chancel of c. 1210 opened to the north chapel 

 by a wide pointed arch, which, since about the 

 beginning of the I yth century, has been blocked up 

 and used as a screen for displaying the monuments of 

 the Evelyn family within the chapel. This arch is 

 of two orders, with narrow chamfers to arch and piers, 

 and with an impost moulding of very peculiar section 

 carried round the chamfers, the piers standing upon a 

 moulded plinth similarly treated. In the restoration 

 of 1858 the blank wall within the arch was filled with 

 tracery in stone and marbles of very inappropriate 

 character. The arch that opens from the nave into the 

 aisle is of the same date and character, and its imposts 

 are of the same sec. ion. There was a third arch of 

 this period between the aisle and the eastern chapel 

 of which the outlines are still traceable in the wall. 

 Possibly it showed signs of failure or was inconveniently 

 large, for at about the same time that the arch in the 

 chancel was blocked up this was partly filled in, and a 

 small arch, preserving something of the character of 

 the original, but clumsily imitated, was inserted within 

 it, the older imposts redressed, or copies of them, being 

 used. 



The chapel beyond has two blocked lancets in its 

 northern wall and three in the east, all of c. 1210, 

 and the latter are particularly good and well-preserved 

 examples of the period. They are rebated externally 

 for a wooden frame, and have obtusely pointed external 

 heads, with the internal splays radiating equally round 

 the jambs and heads a mark of early date. The 

 central lancet is slightly higher than the others. In 

 the western part of the north wall of this chapel is a 

 small square recess, perhaps an aumbry, but it is 

 simply chamfered without any rebate. There is above 

 this, and beneath the sill of the lancets, a string- 

 course of semicircular section, which is also carried 

 along the walls of the aisle. Instead of being mitred 

 where it jumps to a higher level here, the horizontal 

 portion of the string-course is butted up against the 

 vertical strip in a very unusual manner. In both the 

 north and west walls of this aisle is a lancet of similar 

 character to the foregoing, and, in the western part 

 of the north wall, a nicely-proportioned doorway of 

 two chamfered orders. All the masonry in this 

 chapel and aisle is in the original firestone, delicately 

 tooled with a broad chisel, and with extremely fine 

 joints. 



The nave, prior to 1858, had in its south wall a 

 window of two lancets under one pointed internal 

 arch, which still remains, towards the western end. 

 Eastward of this was a three-light opening of ijth or 



66 For an illustration of this doorway 

 see y.C.H. Surr, ii, 432. The resem- 

 blance to the work at Aldingbourne is so 

 marked, even to the use of firestone and 



chalk in the alternate voussoirs, that the 

 tame masons must have been employed. 



6 ' See a contemporary woodcut and 

 account of the church in the Illus. Land. 



160 



News for 1858. For a drawing of the 

 low side window, see Surr. Arch. Coll, 

 xiv, 96. 



