A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



porch, and west tower. It is of red brick with plaster 

 dressings. Its special interest lies in the fact that it 

 dates from the single period i6i 1-14 and has had few 

 alterations. One or two early renaissance details have 

 been used but the main structure is of late gothic style 

 and arrangement (see plate facing p. 270). 



Externally the window and door openings are of 

 moulded brick covered with plaster to simulate stone. 

 The windows on the north and south sides and in the 

 upper stages of the tower have four-centred heads. 

 The larger east and west windows have interlacing 

 tracery and may date from the i8th century. 



The square tower is of three stages with a castellated 

 parapet and a small shingled spire. The stair turret on 

 the north side reaches to the belfry and has splayed 

 angles. Near the top these are corbelled out to give a 

 square section, a feature which is also found on a stair 

 turret at Hill Hall. The parapet is of moulded brick 

 and has a segmental pediment. The stair is lighted by 

 pierced quatrefoil openings. 



The south porch has a curvilinear gable with a 

 heavily moulded brick coping. The archway is four- 

 centred with classical imposts from which rise flanking 

 pilasters supporting an entablature and pediment. This 

 entrance feature is plaster covered and is the only 

 typically renaissance detail to be found externally. 



Inside the church the chancel and tower arches are 

 pointed and the general impression is gothic. Many 

 of the fittings are of the original date. The marble font, 

 which stands against the west splay of the south door- 

 way, is of most unusual design and may be by the same 

 hand as some of the family monuments which are 

 described below. The stem consists of a square pillar 

 supporting a moulded bowl of black marble. Above 

 the bowl is a bearded mask set in a shell-headed niche. 



In the west window are several pieces of heraldic 

 glass of the i6th century and later, all of which have 

 been moved from Hill Hall. They include a Tudor 

 royal arms, crowned badges of Henry VIII and 

 Elizabeth I, the arms of Sir Thomas Smyth, and a 

 damaged achievement of arms that has not been identi- 

 fied. On the south wall of the nave the Lord's Prayer 

 and the Creed are painted in black letter of the 

 original date. The Ten Commandments in similar 

 script are visible above the chancel arch.'* The oak 

 benches in the nave are apparently original. The 

 reredos, which has coupled and fluted Corinthian 

 pilasters, dates from about 1700. The black and white 

 floor paving is of the same period. 



In 1762 the spire was reshingled, the gutters re- 

 leaded, the windows reglazed, and the flooring of the 

 seats made good at a total cost of £-}2.^'' In 1837 the 

 church was restored and a gallery was erected under 

 the west tower. This was for the use of the musicians 

 and for the servants at Hill Hall.ss The communion 

 rails and those of the gallery at that period were of cast 

 iron. 59 The oak pulpit, reading-desk, and credence 

 table were presented in 1888 by the Revd. L. N. 

 Prance.*" The stained glass in the east window was 

 given as a memorial to Major Charles Hunter (d. 

 1917). In 1926 another restoration took place during 

 which the rafters of the roof were exposed, the gallery 

 removed, and the iron communion rails replaced by 



" Hilt, Mon. Com. Essex, ii, 234; inf. 

 from the Revd. E. B. Rees. 



" E.R.O., D/P 142/8/1. 



" Howard and Burke, Theydon Mount, 

 X. For repairs to the bass viol, 1796,866 

 E.R.O., D/P 142/12/1. 



5' Hist. Mon. Com. Recs. (photographs). 



*" Howard and Burke, Theydon Mount, 

 xi. i>> E.R. XXXV, 224. 



'2 Ck. Plate Essex, 105-6. 



65 John Strype, Life of Sir Tho. Smyth 

 (ed. 1820), 154. 



oak.*' The square pew belonging to Hill Hall was 

 removed in 1953. 



There is one bell cast by John Clifton in 1653. The 

 church plate, all of silver, consists of cup and paten 

 cover dated 1587, paten given in 1714 by Dame Jane 

 Smyth, flagon given in 1824 by the rector, the Revd. 

 Edward Smijth, and a salver of 1780. In 1683 there 

 was some pewter plate*^ but none of this now remains. 



There is a fine series of monuments to the Smyth 

 family. The first of these, that of Sir Thomas Smyth 

 (d. 1577) and 'Philip' his wife (d. 1578), was pre- 

 served from the earlier church. It was put in hand 

 during the lifetime of Sir Thomas and there is a sug- 

 gestion that it was of his own design.*-) It is of alabaster 

 and black marble and stands against the north wall of 

 the chancel. The reclining effigy of Sir Thomas is in 

 armour and Garter robes and has a salamander at its 

 feet. Below is an inscribed altar tomb and above an 

 arched canopy under which are a long inscription and 

 symbolic carving. There are flanking Ionic pilasters 

 supporting an entablature. Above the cornice are two 

 black marble obelisks and an achievement of arms. 



Opposite is a monument of similar proportions to 

 Sir William Smyth (d. 1626) and Bridget his wife. 

 A crested helmet and part of a surcoat, said to have 

 belonged to Sir William Smyth,** hang near by 

 together with a painted cartouche shield. 



Against the north wall of the chancel is the alabaster 

 tomb of the second Sir William Smyth (d. 1632). The 

 carving is of fine quality and the costumes are of great 

 interest. Opposite this monument is an alabaster and 

 black marble tomb enriched with consoles and cherubs' 

 heads. On it is the recumbent effigy of Sir Thomas 

 Smyth, bt. (d. 1668), in armour and with a curled wig. 



On the walls of the chancel are many tablets to 

 members of the Smyth family dating from the i8th 

 and 19th centuries, and several painted hatchments of 

 the same family. The two black-letter inscriptions on 

 the south wall of the nave have been adapted as 

 memorials. One serves as a memorial for the First 

 World War and the other is in memory of Sir Robert 

 Hudson (d. 1927). 



Vestry minute-books of Theydon Mount survive 



for the period 17 15- 

 PARISH GOVERNMENT I942.*5 Apart from the 

 AND POOR RELIEF nomination of the sur- 



veyors of highways for 

 1719-92 at vestries held first in December and at a 

 later period in September, the books have very icvf 

 entries other than those for the annual Easter vestry 

 for the passing of accounts and the nomination of new 

 officers. It is therefore not possible to obtain a com- 

 plete picture of the administration of the parish. The 

 attendance at the Easter vestry was usually about five. 



In 171 5 the rateable value of the parish was £<)0(), 

 a penny rate thus producing ^3 1 5/. 9^'. In that year 

 there was a churchwardens' rate of l/, a constable's 

 rate of 2j<j'., and two overseers' rates totalling 5 Ji/. The 

 churchwardens' rate was usually !</. until 1766, when 

 it was merged in a general rate. The constable's rate 

 was also iJ. for most of the period 172 1-2 to 1756-57, 

 when it was merged with that of the overseers. The 

 overseers' rate had slowly increased, apparently to 



'* Howard and Burke, Theydon Mount, 



65 E.R.O., D/P 142/8/1, 2. Unless 

 otherwise stated all the following informa- 

 tion is derived from these vestry books. 



282 



