FLITT HUNDRED 



LUTON 



Roland Stap, 'late cetezin and clothworker of 

 London,' 1558, and Dorothy his wife, 1565. 



In the north transept is a slab with a small brass 

 figure of a woman with a pointed head dress, a close 

 gown clasped by a girdle and fur cuffs ; there is also 

 the matrix of a man's figure, and between them that 

 of their two children, while below is the space for the 

 inscription which is also missing. A rubbing in the 

 collection of the Society of Antiquaries shows it to be 

 that of John Barbar, 141 5, and his wife Agnes and 

 their children. The date on the brass is probably a 

 mistake for 1 5 1 5. It was formerly in the nave. There 

 are also the slabs, removed from the Wenlock Chapel, 

 of Thomas Crawley, 1629, Sir Francis Crawley, 

 judge of Common Pleas, 1649, and Francis Crawley, 

 baron of the Exchequer, l68z, with other members 

 of the family of later date. There is also the brass of 

 John Acworth represented in armour between his 

 two wives, his head resting on his helmet ; below the 

 figures is the inscription : ' Pray for the soules of 

 John Acworth, Squyer and Alys and Amy his wyfes, 

 whiche John deceased the XVII day of Marche the 

 yer of or Lord M°V'^XIII on whose soules J'hu have 

 m'cy,' and below the inscription are figures of eight 

 sons and nine daughters. In the corners are shields, 

 three of them bearing quarterly I and 4 on a chief 

 indented three crowns ; 2 and 3 three roses ; the 

 fourth bears a dragon ; around the edge is the remains 

 of a brass inscription ' . . . . thow be, Timor mortis 

 shulde trowble the, For when thow leest wenyst 

 veniet te mors superare and so ... . grave grevys : 



ergo mortis memoraris ' At the corners 



were the symbols of the Evangelists, but only one 

 now remains. Near this slab is one to Daniel Knight 

 with the following inscription : — 



Here lyeth the body of Daniel Knight 

 Who all my lifetime lived in apite. 

 Base flatterer! sought me to undoe 

 And made me sign what was not true. 

 Reader take care whene'er you venture 

 To trust a canting false dissenter. 

 Who died June nth, in the 6 1st 

 Year of his age, 1756. 



In the south transept is a slab with the brass of a 

 priest wearing an almuce and albe, and a doctor's 

 cap, c. 1 500. The inscription below the figure is now 

 missing but was in place in 1889 and read : 'Hie 

 jacet Edwardus Sheffeld utriusq' juris doctor, Canoni- 

 cus eccl'ie Cathedralis leichfelden' et Vicarius istius 

 eccl'ie, ac Rector eccl'ie p'och'is de Camborne in Com. 

 Cornub, et yatt in Com.' Glocestr' qui obiit . . . 

 die, mes' .... Anno D'ni M'v'. . . . cuj' a'ie 

 p'picietur Deus.' From his mouth issues a label with 

 the words ' Miserere mei Deus.' 



At the corners of the slab are small shields bearing 

 the arms quarterly I, a cheveron between three 

 sheaves, 2 and 3 fretty, 4 a cheveron, between two 

 tau crosses fitchy in the chief, and a sheaf in the 

 foot. The slab has been removed here from the 

 chancel in modern times. North of this is the brass, 

 also removed from the chancel, of a man in armour 

 and two ladies with the inscription : ' Off yo' charite 

 pray for the sowUis of John Sylam, Elizabeth and 

 Jone his wyvis, the whych John decesyd the X day of 

 Juin in the yere of owre lord MCCCCC and XIII 

 on whos sowUis Jh'u have m'cy. Ame.' There are 

 also other slabs of modern date removed from the 

 chancel and set here. 



In the Hoo chapel is a small brass with an in- 

 scription in Latin to Penelope Countess of Bridge- 

 water, and wife of Sir Robert Napier, of Luton Hoo, 

 1658. 



In the eastern part of the south aisle wall between 

 the first and second windows is a fourteenth-century 

 tomb recess with a pointed segmental arch of two 

 hollow-chamfered orders. Its original occupant is 

 unknown, and it now contains an ancient coffin 

 slab found in the churchyard some years ago ; the 

 slab is broken in two, and part of its lower end is 

 missing ; it is slightly coped and has a roll edge and 

 a foliate cross in relief; it is evidently of early thir- 

 teenth-century date. With it is a piece of an ancient 

 white stone coffin, with a hollow for the head. 



At the west end of the same wall is another four- 

 teenth-century recess with a low pointed arch with 

 feather cusps, partly broken. In it lies the effigy of 

 a priest in mass vestments, probably of late fifteenth- 

 century date ; Mr. Cobbe *" suggests that it is that of 

 Richard Barnard, removed from his chapel in the 

 chancel. 



In the nave is a slab with small brass figures of a 

 man and woman under a shield bearing the Merchant 

 Taylors' arms — a royal tent between two Parliament 

 robes, in chief an agnus dei — and the inscription 

 below, partly destroyed, as follows : ' Of yo' charite 

 pray for y° soule of Anne Waren, dowg' [later] unto 

 Thomas Waren gentylman and siityme wyfe [unto] 

 Robert Colshill marchawnt taylo' of London the 

 [whiche] Anne decessed the XIIII day of Maye in the 

 yere [of our] lord god M V^ XXIIII on whose soule 

 Jhu hav [e mercy Amen].' 



Other brasses of which rubbings exist in the collec- 

 tion of the Society of Antiquaries are those of John 

 Lamar and Elinor his wife, 1 5 1 2, John Hay and two 

 wives, 1455, John Penthelyn, priest, 1449, and Robert 

 Sw . . . and two wives, 15... 



There are eight bells, the first seven of which are 

 by Pack and Chapman, of London, 1775, and the 

 eighth by Joseph Eayre, ofSt. Neots, 1 76 1. The 

 priest's bell bears the stamp and initials of Robert 

 Oldfield, of Nottingham. 



The plate includes a fine cup of 16 10, inscribed 

 ' Given this cupe to the church of Lutoone by Thomas 

 Attwood of Castel Street for a Cummunyan cupe, 

 1610.' An engraved band runs round the bowl, with 

 knots in three places. There is a modern copy of 

 this cup, a large straight-sided flagon of 1 669, a modern 

 copy of the flagon, a standing paten of 1 8 1 5, and a 

 large almsdish, 1 8 in. across, of the same date. The 

 border is worked with a lozenge pattern inclosing 

 raised floral patterns, and the centre is engine-turned. 

 The registers date from 1603, the first book con- 

 taining baptisms from that date to 1726, marriages to 

 1 71 5, and burials to 1708. The second book con- 

 tains baptisms and burials from 1 73 1 to 1733, and 

 marriages 1 73 1 to 1 7 56. The third book has 

 burials 1772-79, and baptisms 1778-86, and the 

 fourth burials 1787-98, and baptisms to 1797. 



Luton Church is mentioned in 

 ADFOWSON Domesday when it was held by 

 William the king's chamberlain, 

 having been held by Morcar the priest during 

 the Confessor's reign."* The history of its trans- 

 ference to St. Albans Abbey has been given under 

 Dallow manor (q.v.) and a charter of confirmation 



<" Op. cit. 328. 



"< y.CH. Beds, i, 222*. 



373 



