COPTHORNE HUNDRED 



MICKLEHAM 



has on the north, south, and west two small lights, 

 one above the other, which have what seem to be 

 16th-century heads externally, but retain their 12th- 

 century rear arches. 



On the east face is one window of the same charac- 

 ter just above the nave roof. The western angles of 

 the tower are strengthened by pairs of deep buttresses, 

 which have been largely rebuilt, but their internal 

 angles have old stones ; they are probably 1 5th-cen- 

 tury additions, and the tower is finished with a low 

 pyramidal roof from which rises a slender octagonal 

 shingled spire. The roof of the nave and the west 

 porch are covered with Horsham stone slabs, while 

 the chancel and organ-chamber are tiled, and the 

 aisles have lead roofs and stone parapets. 



The fittings of the church are for the most part 

 modern. In the pulpit are five panels carved in high- 

 relief, representing scenes from the New Testament. 

 At the angles are figures in canopied niches, and the 

 moulded cornice has a form of acanthus-leaf ornament 

 in low-relief. 



In the north chapel is some panelling from 

 St. Paul's School in London, c. 1680. 



The font is of 1 3th-century date, and has a shallow 

 square bowl with tapering sides ornamented with 

 arcades in low-relief, and standing on a central and 

 four angle shafts with moulded bases. Near the font 

 is an old wooden eagle lectern fixed to a modern iron 

 stem and base ; and on the south wall of the chancel 

 is the banner and helmet of Sir Francis Stydolf, who 

 died in 1655. 



The tomb in the north chapel is a panelled Purbeck 

 marble altar-tomb in a canopied recess, the panels 

 being square with feathered quatrefoils inclosing 

 shields, once painted, but now almost plain. The 

 recess above has a four-centred head with tracery 

 spandrels, and a cornice with a vine-trail and a Tudor 

 flower cresting. On a brass plate in the recess is the 

 following inscription : ' Here lyth the body of 

 Wyllyam Wyddowsoun cytezein and mercer of londn 

 & of ye parych of Mekyllham late patorne & also here 

 lythe ye body of Jone hys wyfe the wyche dyssesyd 

 the xxvii day of septebyr the v' h yere of kyng hary the 

 VIII on whoys soullys god have mercy ame.' 



Above is the figure of a man in a long fur-trimmed 

 cloak praying at a desk. A scroll issues from his 

 mouth on which is the prayer : ' Dne deus miserere 

 sup animabs.' To his right is a woman with a long 

 head-dress and a tight-fitting dress with a loose waist- 

 belt ; on the scroll from her mouth is, ' Ihs xps 

 miserere sup animabs.' Between the two figures is a 

 brass shield on which are the arms of the Mercers' 

 Company, and above are indents for other shields 

 now lost. 



There are two floor-slabs near the east end of the 

 nave, one to Thomas Tooth, who died in 1685, and 

 the other to Peter de Lahay, 1684. Near the west 

 end of the nave is a mediaeval coffin-lid on which is 

 the indent of a long cross with foliated ends. 

 In the west porch are two marble coffin-slabs of the 

 1 4th century, with raised crosses, and edges which 

 are twice hollow-chamfered. On one of them are 



remains of an inscription in Gothic capitals. . . . ICY 



DEU DALME EIT MERCI AMEN. 



The tower contains three bells, the treble being by 

 C. and G. Mears, 1850. The second has the in- 

 scription, ' Bryanus Eldridge me fecit 1624,' and the 

 third has ' Wilhelmus Carter me fecit 1610* in 

 Gothic capitals. 



The plate is as follows : Two cups, one of 1666 

 and the other of 1870 ; two patens, one of 1701 and 

 the other a year later ; and two flagons, the first 

 being of 1614 and the other of 1702. There is also 

 an almsdish of 1700. 



There are four books of registers, the first a long 

 paper volume containing very irregular entries ; first 

 is a group of burials from 1612 to 1629, then there 

 are baptisms from 1549 to 1629, and next come 

 more burials from 1549 to 1605, and finally baptisms, 

 marriages, and burials from 1 634 to 1 660. At the other 

 end of the book are some briefs, churchwardens' accounts, 

 &c. The second book, which is mostly a copy on 

 parchment of the first, contains baptisms from 1549 

 to 1698, with a gap between 1658 and 1660 ; 

 marriages from 1549 to 1713, with a gap between 

 1647 and 1663 ; and burials from 1549 to 1712, 

 with a gap as in the baptisms. At the other end are 

 accounts and tithe rents from 1637. The third book 

 contains baptisms and burials from 1713 to 1812 

 and marriages from 1713 to 1753, and the fourth 

 book continues the marriages from 1754 to 1812. 



Mr. Samuel Woods, one of the founders of the 

 London Institution, who lived in Mickleham, made 

 an index to the registers. 



The churchyard surrounds the church, and it is 

 entered from the road at the north-west corner and 

 by a lych-gate at the south-west corner. 



A church at Mickleham is men- 

 JDyOWSON tioned in the Domesday Survey. 107 

 At the time of the taxation of Pope 

 Nicholas it was assessed at 18 13*. 4^. 108 The 

 early owners and patrons of the church were the De 

 Micklehams, John de Mickleham presenting in the 

 1 4th century. 109 He alienated the advowson in 1 344 no 

 to Reigate Priory that prayers might be daily sung 

 in the priory church for the souls of his family, and 

 the priors presented continuously until the Dissolution, 

 with two exceptions, when Laurence Doune and 

 William Wydoweson presented in the I 5th century. 111 

 Wydoweson claimed the advowson, which he said 

 John de Mickleham had alienated to John Dewey, 

 from whose descendants it had passed to himself." 1 

 The owners of Fridley Manor had claimed some 

 right in it in 1449,"* and William Wydoweson 

 presented in 1492. "' Henry VIII after the dissolu- 

 tion of Reigate Priory granted the advowson of the 

 rectory and parish church of Mickleham, with West 

 Humble Manor, to Lord William Howard and 

 Margaret his wife." 5 It passed by descent to Elizabeth, 

 Countess of Peterborough." 6 Charles, Viscount Mor- 

 daunt of Avalon, her grandson, sold the advowson 

 to John Parsons in l68l, 117 and in 1698 Sir John 

 Parsons presented to the living. 118 The next presen- 

 tation, in 1744, was made by Thomas Walton, 



V.C.H. Surr. i, 304. 



X" Paft Nich. Tax (Rec. Com.), 208. 



109 Egerton MS. 2032. 



110 Inq. p.m. 17 Edw. Ill (2nd not.), 

 no. 86. 



111 Egerton MS. 2034. 



118 De Banco, Mich. 5 Edw. IV ; 44 

 Hen. VI, m. 619. 



" Feet of F. Surr. 28 Hen. VI, no. 30. 



* 14 Vide supra under Fridley. 



lu Pat. 33 Hen. VIII, pt. vii, m. I ; 

 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cxcvii, 75. 



39 



118 Pat. 12 Chas. II, pt. xviii, no 16 ; 

 In. Bks. (P.R.O.). She presented in 

 1669. 



"7 Feet of F. Surr. Mich. 33 Chas. II. 



us Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). He levied a 

 fine in 1681 to Grace Pierpoint. 



