COPTHORNE HUNDRED 



FETOP4D 



The tower is of three stages, the two upper being 

 largely of 1 8th-century date, with red brick quoins and 

 battlements, but the ground stage is of late 12th- 

 century date, and opens to the aisle by a plain round- 

 headed arch, the western face of which, formerly 

 exposed to the weather, has been restored, and to the 

 chancel by a pointed arch of three chamfered orders, 

 the outer order only being ancient. 



At the south-west angle of the tower, and opening 

 from the chancel, is the lower entrance to the rood- 

 stair, the steps of which still exist, though the upper 

 doorway facing the nave is blocked up. 



The ground stage of the tower has one window 

 in the east wall and two in the south, tall narrow 

 round-headed lights of plain character, belonging to 

 the original work ; the space they light 

 is now blocked up by an organ. 



The chancel arch has plain jambs 

 in modern stone and a two-centred 

 arch, which looks like 14th-century 

 work, of two splayed orders without 

 corbels or abaci at the springing. It 

 is evidently the successor of a narrower 

 and doubtless earlier arch, for on the 

 nave side its north jamb has destroyed 

 the larger part of a small 1 3th-century 

 arched recess springing at the north- 

 east from a cone - shaped corbel set 

 across the angle. There was evidently 

 a second recess in the north wall of the 

 nave, destroyed when the present north 

 arcade was built ; the object of both 

 recesses was to give more room for the 

 north nave altar. 



The north arcade of the nave is of 

 two wide bays with a slender octagonal 

 shaft and responds to match, worked 

 with a single broad chamfer which con- 

 tinues round the two-centred arches, 

 there being no capitals or strings at the 

 springing. A moulded label of good 

 early 14th-century section is the only 

 ornamental detail of the arcade, which 

 is of very uncommon character. 



The south arcade of the nave is of 

 three bays with circular columns and 

 large flat scalloped capitals with cham- 

 fered abaci ; the arches are of one 

 plain semicircular order with chamfered 

 edges, the chamfers being a later addi- 

 tion. Above the eastern column of the 

 arcade is a window belonging to the 

 early aisleless nave, widely splayed towards the nave 

 with plastered jambs and a round arch of Roman 

 bricks set with a wide mortar joint. Towards the 

 aisle it shows as a narrow round-headed light with 

 jambs and arch of Roman bricks, originally intended 

 'to be plastered over. 



The windows lighting the nave and aisles are entirely 

 modern, except the west window in the north aisle, 

 which has old inside splays, perhaps of 13th-century 

 date. The west window of the nave is of three 

 trefoiled lights with tracery of 14th-century style. 



The north doorway is of 1 3th-century date, 

 having jambs and arch of two splayed orders with 

 a small chamfered label ; the moulded abaci at the 

 springing are modern, and all the stones have been 

 retooled. 



The nave and chancel roofs have Horsham slabs 

 near the eaves, but are covered with tiles above, and 

 the other roofs have tiles only. 



Internally the roofs are modern open timber, 

 except that to the north transept, where all the 

 timbers are hidden by plaster. The western portion 

 of the chancel roof is not quite continuous with the 

 rest, the break occurring just above the east jamb of 

 the arch to the north transept. 



All the internal fittings are modern. 



On the south wall of the chancel is a monument 

 with Corinthian pillars flanking an oval which con- 

 tains the half- figure of Henry Vincent, 1631. Above 

 the niche is a defaced shield of arms. 



On the north wall of the chancel is a black 



FETCHAM CHURCH 



SOUTH ARCADE OF THE NAVE, 

 EARLY WINDOW 



marble tablet with a round-headed recess flanked 

 by pilasters and containing an inscription to Anthony 

 Rous, who died in 1631. 



There are three bells in the tower, the treble 

 bearing the inscription ' William Eldridge made mee 

 1 665,' and the second 'Robertus Mott me fecit 1588.' 

 The third is by William Land, 1613. 



The plate is all modern, and comprises a chalice, 

 paten, and flagon. 



The registers are contained in three books. The 

 first, which is of parchment and is a copy up to about 

 1 600, has entries of baptisms, marriages, and burials 

 from 1 5 5 9 to 1 7 1 2 . The second has baptisms and burials 

 from 1 7 1 2 to 1812, and marriages from 1 7 1 1 to 1753. 

 The third book contains marriages from 1754 to 1812 

 on the usual printed forms. 



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