STONE HUNDRED 



modern, though there are a few old bench ends of 

 simple design and I jth-ccntury date. The font is 

 a very remarkable piece of work, with a heavy circular 

 bowl on a short stem, and a spreading base ; the stem, 

 which is ornamented with interlacing patterns, is 

 modern, but the bowl is of the nth century, perhaps 

 e. 1 140, and has round the top a band of interlacing 

 ornament, and on the tides a series of knotwork 

 patterns, all most elaborately enriched with pellets 

 and small carved heads or foliage in the interstices. 

 The principal subject, however, is the figure of a man 

 standing on a serpent between a lion (or wolf) and a 

 dragon, and holding a sword over the head of the 

 former. His left hand is in the mouth of the dragon, 

 who is being attached from behind by a bird, and in 

 front by a small human figure. Behind the lion is a 

 large fish. The smaller details of carving, heads of 

 beasts, &c., worked into the knotwork patterns, are 

 so unlike ordinary I zth-century work that it must 

 be concluded that much of the carving has been 

 re-worked. In the floor of the nave is a brass to 

 William Gurney of Bishopstone, 1472, and Agnes 

 his wife, the date of whose death is left blank, with 

 their five sons and three daughters. The figures of 

 the wife and children remain, but that of the husband 

 has been lost and replaced by the mutilated early 

 15th-century figure of a lady. 



The tower contains a ring of six bells and a sanctus, 

 the latter by Richard Chandler, 1699. The treble 

 was re-cast in 1883 by Warner & Sons ; the second 

 is inscribed ' I as trebll beginn ' ; the third was cast 

 by Chandler in 1726 ; the fourth is inscribed 'I as 

 third ring ' ; the fifth is by Thomas Mears, 1839; and 

 the tenor was re-cast by Warner in 1883. The second 

 and fourth were cast by Ellis Knight in the i/th 

 century, and, as their inscriptions show, formed the 

 treble and third of a former ring. 



The plate consists of a chalice of 1805, a paten of 

 1804, and a plated standing paten and flagon. 



The first book of the registers contains all entries 

 from I 538, baptisms running to 1752, burials to 1753, 

 and marriages to 1754, wkile a separate book has 

 burials in wool between 1678 and 1730. The 

 second book contains baptisms and burials between 1753 

 and 1812, and two books of marriages by banns con- 

 tain entries between 1754 and 1771, and between 

 1771 and 1812. 



The church of Stone was held in 

 JDyOWSON the 1 2th century with the fee belong- 

 ing to the honour of Belvoir. In 

 the reign of Henry I William de Bracey granted it 

 to Oseney Abbey," and his son Gilbert confirmed the 

 grant, and himself gave a messuage and I hide of land 

 to the abbey.* This grant was confirmed in the 



STONE 



charters of Edward II and Edward III." The vicarage 

 was ordained before 1271." At the Dissolution the 

 abbey held the rectory and advowson of the church, 

 which were granted in 1542 to the Dean and Chapter 

 of Christ Church, Oxford." In 1545 they were, 

 however, given to Sir Anthony Lee, together with 

 St. Cleres Manor.** He must have alienated half 

 the rectory and advowson before his death in 1550, 

 since he then held only one moiety.* 4 In 1553 

 Sir Robert Dormer died seised of half the rectory, 

 and he probably held half the advowson as well." 

 His son and heir Sir William Dormer obtained 

 the share of the Lees in 1559," and afterwards 

 held the whole advowson.** The Lees, however, 

 obtained possession of the rectory and advowson, and 

 in 1662-3 Sir Thomas Lee, bart., obtained a quit- 

 claim from Charles, Earl of Carnarvon, of the advow- 

 son and land and tithes, for 100." 



The Lees held the advowson 100 till 1844, when 

 John Lee, LL.D., then lord of the manor, gave it to 

 the Royal Astronomical Society. He was an original 

 member of the society, and became its president in 

 1862."" The gift of the advowson was made with a 

 view to the promotion of astronomy in connexion 

 with theology. 



Colonel Lee, the present lord of the manor, has, 

 however, lately re-purchased the advowson of the 

 vicarage of Stone. 10 * The ecclesiastical parishes of 

 Stone and Hartwell were united by an Order in 

 Council, dated 18 August 1892, Little Hampdcn 

 having previously been separated from Hartwell. 



The rent from a close of land was surrendered in 

 the reign of Edward VI, having been given for the 

 keeping of an obit in Stone. The land lay in the 

 hamlet of Bishopstone, the rent being \6J. a year, 

 and the clear value being \\d. a year. 101 



A chapel at Bishopstone is mentioned in a grant 

 of Queen Elizabeth to Sir Edward Stanley. There 

 had been one close of land attached to it, and both 

 had been in the occupation of the vicar of Stone ; 

 there seems, however, to be no trace of its origin or 

 date of foundation. 104 



Bishopstone is now a large hamlet with a chapel-of- 

 ease to Stone Church. It also contains a Wesleyan 

 chapel, built in 1877. 



Sir William Plomer, kt., by will 

 CHARITIES dated 22 October 1800, bequeathed 

 100 stock, now 100 consols, with 

 the official trustees, the dividends to be applied by the 

 minister and churchwardens in the distribution of 

 bread or meat. In 1906 the sum of 2 lot. was 

 given towards tickets for meat to twenty-eight sick 

 and necessitous persons. 



The Charity of Louis XVIII, see under Hartwell. 



Cott. MS. Vit. E. IT. 



Ibid. 



' Dugdale, Mm. vi, 254.. 



y.CM. Buh. i, 284, n. 5. 



* Pat. 34 Hen. VIII, pt. 6. 



Ibid. 37 Hen. VIII, pt. 16, m. 14. 



M Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. a), re, no. i. 

 * Ibid, zcr, no. 5. 

 " Feet of F. Buck*. Mich, i Eliz. 

 " Chan. Inq. p.m. (Scr. i), clu, no. i. 

 Feet of F. Buck*. Ilil. 13 * 14 

 Chat. II. 



" P.R.O. Intt. Bk.. 1668, 1678, 1681, 

 1701, 1713, 1783, 1792, 1803, 1812. 

 101 Diet. Nat. Bag. xiutii, 36a~3. 

 1M From information given by CoL Lee. 

 X" Chant. Cert. 5, no. 64. 

 ** Pat. 31 Eli*, pt 13, m. 31. 



