SPELTHORNE HUNDRED 



The church of ST. MARY 

 CHURCH MAGDALENE consists of chancel 

 39 ft. 2 in. by 17 ft. 6 in., nave 33 ft. 

 4 in. by 19 ft. 4 in., north aisle 6ft. wide, south 

 aisle 6 ft. 9 in. wide, west tower, and some build- 

 ings on the north of the chancel, which were burial- 

 places for the Wood family, built in 1705, but 

 are now transformed into vestries. 



The chancel seems to date from the 1 3th cen- 

 tury, and the plan of the nave is perhaps of the 

 1 2th, a south aisle having been added in the 1 3th 

 century, and a north aisle in the I4th ; the 

 clearstory is of red brick, and probably of the i6th 

 century ; and the west tower except for its top 

 stage, and the south porch are perhaps of the same 

 date. The walls, except those of the clearstory 

 and north aisle, are rough-cast, and the roofs are 

 red tiled, with plastered coves. 



The chancel has a modern east triplet of lan- 

 cets, two original lancets on the north, to the east 

 of which is a modern doorway into the vestries ; 

 and in the south wall three modern lancets, a 

 window of two trefoiled lights at the south-east, 

 and a south door between the first and second 

 lancets from the east. The proportions suggest 

 that it has been lengthened eastward since its first 

 setting out. 



The chancel arch is old work in two pointed 

 chamfered orders, and at the springing is a modern 

 moulded string ; to the south of it, in the angle of 

 the nave, is a lancet window inserted to give light 

 to the pulpit, which looks like old work re-used. 



The nave has a north arcade of two bays, with 

 arches of two chamfered orders with a label, and an 

 octagonal central column of 14th-century detail; the 

 responds have a moulded string on the inner order 

 only. The south arcade has two pointed cham- 

 fered orders with a large circular column, and 

 semi-octagonal responds with plain capitals, prob- 

 ably cut down, and bases which show remains of 

 1 3th-century detail. The clearstory has two 

 square-headed two-light windows on either side 

 over the arches, of cut red brick with moulded 

 labels. 



The walling of the north aisle is rough rubble 

 of stone and flint ; in the west wall is an old lancet 

 window, and to the south of it can be seen the 

 angle of the earlier aisleless nave. In the north 

 wall is a pointed 14th-century doorway with an 

 external hood ; it is now blocked, and contains a 

 small window. To the east is a window of two 

 trefoiled lights with a segmental head, the jambs 

 being probably 14th-century work, while the 

 tracery is modern. 



The south aisle has an old lancet window at the 

 west end, and a modern doorway and two-light 

 window on the south. The porch has a four- 

 centred outer order and moulded 16th-century 

 beams in the ceiling. 



The tower is in four stages ; the top stage, 

 which seems an 18th-century addition, has no 

 roof, but a quatrefoiled opening in each wall. 

 The third stage has two-light belfry windows in 



LITTLETON 



red brick, and in the ground stage is a four- 

 centred west door with a three-light window 

 over it. 



There are some simple ijth-century pews in 

 the nave, and in the vestry is an old iron-bound 

 chest of the reign of Henry VIII, ornamented 

 with leather and nail work. The pulpit is good 

 1 8th-century work, and at the west end of the nave 

 is a large organ. The font is octagonal on a round 

 stem, and is ancient but extremely plain. It 

 pierced and domed wooden cover seems to include 

 a little old woodwork. 



In the north wall of the chancel is a brass in- 

 scription taken up from the floor, 'Here lyeth 

 Lady Blanche Vaughan, sometyme wyfe of Syr 

 Hugh Vaughan, knight, who lyeth buryed at 

 Westmynst* whych Lady Blanche decessyd the 

 VIII th day of deCeber, An* Dni m 1 v c liii whose 

 soules Ihn pdon.' Below is a shield with three 

 castles and a fleur de lis, and on each side of the 

 shield a double rose, having on their centres the 

 words ' Ihu mercy.' There are several later monu- 

 ments to the family of Wood. 



In the church are eight pairs of colours of the 

 Grenadier Guards, and two red ensigns belonging 

 to the same. 



There are three bells by W. Eldridge, 1666. 



The plate consists of a chalice of 1632, 

 engraved with three fleurs de lis in a border 

 bezanty, quartering a fesse cheeky in a bor- 

 der engrailed, the whole impaling a quarterly 

 shield : ist, a bend bearing three stags' heads 

 embossed on an escutcheon between six crosslets 

 fitchy ; 2nd, three leopards passant, a label of 

 three points ; 3rd, cheeky ; 4th, a lion rampant; a 

 flagon with date mark 1734, gi yen by Mrs. Eliza- 

 beth Wood in that year ; a small cover paten of 

 1632, engraved with a goat's or bull's head breath- 

 ing fire ; a standing paten of 1680 ; a chalice of 

 the 1696 cycle ; and an embossed salver marked 



N 



I.E. 

 1677. 



The earlier registers are : (l) christenings 

 1579 to 1652, marriages 1564 to 1652, burials 

 I 562 to 165 I ; (2) woollen burials 1678 to 1715, 

 marriages 1678 to 1705, burials without affidavits 

 1698 to 1705 ; (3) printed marriages, 1754 to 

 1810 ; (4) baptisms 1664 to 1811, burials 1664 

 to 1812, and marriages 1664 to 1751. 



The church of St. Mary Mag- 

 ADVQWSQN dalene is first mentioned in 1 2O9. 98 

 The living is a rectory, the gift of 

 which appears to have been held in early times by 

 the sub-tenant of the manor. It was conveyed by 

 Robert de Leveland in 1 209 to Robert de Winton, 9 ' 

 and appears to have remained with the de Wintons 

 for over a century, Edmund de Winton presenting 

 in 1335.' It then probably passed to William de 

 Perkelee, who presented on four occasions between 

 1321 and 1336.'" Four years later, however, it 

 was conveyed by Master John de Redeswelle, parson 



98 Pipe R. 1 1 John, m. 6 d. 



100 Lysons, op. cit. v, 204, citei Stat. 

 Major Eccl. St. Paul. 



405 



101 Newcourt, Rtferl. I, 688. 



