EDWINSTREE HUNDRED 



with lead. Only six books belonged to the church ; 

 one of them, an ill-bound volume, included certain 

 offices of the saints which were proper to the use 

 neither of Sarum nor of St. Paul's. The treasure 

 consisted of a small chalice of white metal having a 

 gilded cup, a tin chrism, an old and vile pyx of bone, 

 a little censer, four tin candlesticks and as many old 

 phials, a small portable crucifix and several vestments, 

 frontals and other cloths. There was a chest for the 

 safe keeping of books and vestments. No rents of assize 

 were received for lights and the church had no rowel- 

 light. For the Easter waxlight a halfpenny was due 

 from every 1 8 acres in the parish, but this money was 

 collected fortuitously. The lights before crucifixes and 

 altars depended entirely on offerings.'^ In 1291 the 

 value of this poorly furnished church was ^^6 1 3/. 41/."'° 

 The parson in 1294 held with the benefice six 

 others.' The church was again visited by the officers 

 of the cathedral in 1297, when improved conditions 

 were discovered. It was found to be consecrated to 

 the Virgin. The graveyard was sufficiently inclosed 

 and was clean, the windows adequately glazed and 

 the nave and chancel well thatched, but the great 

 staircase in the body of the church was defective. 

 In the belfry there were two well-tuned' bells. 

 There were separate seats, having suitable forms and 

 lecterns. The altars were four or five in number, 

 but one of them, which was of stone, had not been 

 consecrated. In the nave there were images of the 

 Crucifix, of the Virgin and of St. John, of two 

 angels, St. John the Baptist, St. Michael, St. Thomas 

 of Canterbury, St. Andrew, St. James, St. Mary 

 Magdalen, St. Katherine and St. Margaret. The 

 books, which were well bound, were eleven in num- 

 ber and included an ordinal of the Sarum use and 

 a psalter, together with a legenda of the saints and a 

 statute of Fulk, presumably Fulk Bassett, Bishop of 

 London from 1244 to 1259. The treasure had 

 since 1252 been increased by a chalice of silver-gilt, 

 an ivory pyx, an enamelled portable crucifix, a copper 

 sconce and several less valuable articles, including a 

 vessel in which to burn charcoal in winter. The 

 vestments and fi-ontalswere richer and more numerous. 

 By Simon de Furneus the lights of the church had 

 been endowed ; the tenant of 5 J acres provided a 

 lamp and three candles at St. Katherine's altar ; two 

 rents of i Sd, were received, of which one maintained 

 two torches to burn daily in the chancel at the 

 elevation of the Host, and a rent of zs. paid for a 

 candle which was always kept burning in the chancel 

 when the other lights had been extinguished.' A 

 third visitation made in 1458 found that the vicar of 

 this date had in the time of his prosperity refused to 

 visit sick parishioners, that the vicarage pigs had dug 

 up the earth in the graveyard, that the chancel was 

 partly unroofed owing to defective tiling and that 

 the altar was worm-eaten. The books, far less various 

 in character than in the 13th century, were four 

 missals, three antiphoners, one ordinal, two manuals, 



FURNEUX PELHAM 



one grail, one legenda and two processionals. Vest- 

 ments and frontals were few. The treasure included 

 two alabaster tablets representing the Passion of our 

 Lord and that of St. Christopher.* In 1535 the 

 vicarage was of the annual value of ^^9." In 1552 

 the church still possessed no plate beyond a silver 

 chalice, parcel-gilt, possibly that which existed in 

 1297. It had at this time four bells." Under 

 the Commonwealth the income of Mr. Ball, 

 minister of Furneux Pelham, was increased by ^34, 

 but such augmentation ceased when he was trans- 

 ferred to another living.' The Treasurer of St. Paul's 

 continued to be patron of the vicarage' until it 

 was united in 1 771 to that of Brent Pelham." 



In 1 306 Simon de Furneus received licence to 

 grant certain lands in Brent and Furneux Pelham '" 

 to the Prior and convent of Thremhall, who should 

 in return maintain not only a chantry within their 

 house, but also a chaplain to celebrate for the souls of 

 Simon and his ancestors in Furneux Pelham Church." 

 The endowment was augmented in 1384 by a rent- 

 charge on Furneux Pelham and Hixham Manors." 

 It was established in 1406 at St. Katherine's altar 

 and its advowson was then conveyed with the manor." 

 It is the only chantry in the church mentioned by 

 the visitors of 1458, who stated that it had been 

 founded for the souls of Ralph, Simon, Alice and 

 Simon Furneus." In 1535 Furneus Chantry was 

 of the annual value of £4-.^^ No certificate of it was 

 returned in the following reign, presumably because it 

 did not survive Thremhall Priory. 



About the year 1237 William de Fauconberg, 

 Treasurer of St. Paul's, with the consent of the 

 Bishop of London and of the Dean and Chapter of 

 the cathedral, granted that Simon de Furneus might 

 build and have a chapel in his court at Furneux 

 Pelham. All rights of baptism, burial and bells were 

 safeguarded to the mother church.'" Soon afterwards 

 there is reference to the chapel as built." It is 

 probably that of which the advowson was afterwards 

 held by the Bauds of Hadham Hall. In 1324 the 

 king granted to Matthew Shanke the chantry of 

 Furneux Pelham, forfeited by the rebellion'^of 

 WiUiam Baud "; in 1327 the advowson of Furneux 

 Pelham chapel was restored to William Baud," to 

 whom, moreover, it was conveyed in 1 331 by Simon 

 Flambard, parson of Furneux Pelham, and John de 

 Baud, parson of Corringham,*" probably trustees for 

 the purpose of securing William's right. There is 

 no later reference to an advowson in Furneux Pelham 

 held by the Bauds. The chantry may be one of the 

 three all described, perhaps by an error, as situated 

 at St. Katherine's altar in Furneux Pelham Church, 

 of which the advowson was conveyed with the manor 

 in 1406." This chantry appears soon afterwards to 

 have become obsolete, if indeed it had at this date an 

 existence which was more than traditional. In 1384 

 Richard de Sutton, kt. (see manor), and others received 

 licence to found a chantry of one chaplain who should 



^ Camden Misc. (Camden Soc), ix, 

 1 8-20. 



'™ Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 18. 



' Cal. Pat, IZ9Z-1301, p. ii8. 



' Cordatis. 



' Visit, of Churches of St. FauFs (Cam- 

 den Soc.), 39-42. * Ibid. 105-6. 



' Falor Eal. (Rec. Com.), i, 453. 



" Visit, of Churches of St. Paul's (Cam- 

 den Soc), 1 20. 



' Cal.S. P. Dom. 1654, p. 209. 



8 Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



' See account of Brent Pelham. 



'" See account of Beeches Manor in 

 Brent Pelham. 



" Cal. Pat. 1301-7, p. 459. 



^ Ibid. 1381-5, p. 406, and see below. 



^ Feet of F. Herts. 8 Hen. IV, no. 49. 



" Visit, of Churches of St. Paul's (Cam- 

 den Soc), 106. 



107 



'5 Valor Eccl. (Rec Com.), i, 453. 

 " Newcourt, Refer t. i, 854. 

 " Doc. of D. and C. of St. Paul's, 

 Liber A. Pilojus, fol. i8i. 



19 Cal. Pat. 1324-7, p. 38. 



'9 Cal. Close, 1327-30, p. 22. 



20 Feet of F. Div. Co. 5 Edw. Ill, 

 no. 8. 



ai Ibid. Herts. 8 Hen. IV, no. 49. 



