AYOT ST. LAWRENCE 



BROADWATER HUNDRED OK great ayot 



,d a tower was added at the 

 of 





jsmantled the old church of Ayot St. Lawrence and 

 milt a new one." 



Lionel Lyde, who was created a baronet in 

 177a, died in 1791 »» d was ">«« ded b / 

 Samuel Lyde, his brother, who presented to the 

 rectory in 1799,^ after which it passed to his nephew 

 Lionel Poole, 69 who assumed the surname ol Lyde. 

 From this Sir Lionel it passed through hu sister 

 Anna Maria, the wife of Levi 

 Ames, to their son Lionel,™ 

 who assumed the surname of 

 Lyde and died unmarried in 

 1851. He had five brothers, 

 through whom it descended 

 to the youngest George 

 Henry, whose grandson 

 Lionel Neville Frederick also 

 assumed the surname of Lyde. 

 He died in 1883 and Ayot 

 St. Lawrence passed to his 

 brother Lieut. -Col. Gerard 

 Vivian Ames, who died in 

 1 899,* leaving a son and heir "£"•> - «< •**»■ 

 Lionel Gerard Ames. Ei 



A fair was granted to William de Ayot in 1257, 

 to be held on the vigil, day and morrow of St. 

 Lawrence* 1 (g-il August). It is mentioned m 

 1617," but has since been discontinued. 



Free warren was also granted to William de Ayot in 

 1257." A park is mentioned in 126S when the same 

 William sued Henry, son of Thomas de la Leye, for 

 trespass in it. M At the present day it has an area of 

 200 acres. 



In 1274-5 the lord of the manor claimed view of 

 frankpledge, amendment of the assize of bread and ale. 

 and gallows, 67 and in 1277-8 a tumbrel in addition. 61 

 m 1278-9 he is said to have claimed a trebuschet 

 the meaning of which is doubtful. 



A water mill is mentioned at Ayot 

 Si. Lawrence in 1354, when it was said 

 to be in a bad state " ; it was ruinous in 

 i 375» 7 ' and probably fell into disuse, as 

 it is not again mentioned. 



The old church of 

 CHURCHES ST. LAWRENCE," 

 which stands to the west 

 of the village, is built of flint with stone 

 dressings. It has now fallen into dis- 

 repair, having been somewhat unneces- 

 sarily superseded in 1779 by the present 

 parish church. It consisted originally 

 of a chancel and nave built probably in 

 the I2th century. Early in the 13th 

 century a north aisle was added, with an 

 arcade of two bays. A century later the 

 nave was partly rebuilt, the chancel was 

 rebuilt from the foundations, and a north chapel was 

 added. At the beginning of the 15th century the 

 north arcade was destroyed, and one of its arches was 

 reset in the west end of the chapel. The aisle was 

 rebuilt a little further to the north, increasing the 



width of the nave, : 



north-west. . . 



The church is now roofless, with the exception 

 the tower, which retains the flooring of the upper 

 ag with moulded wall plates. The walls are bemg 

 torn to pieces by ivy, and the north wall of the chancel 

 is badly out of the perpendicular. The chancel, 

 of which the south and east walls are now almost 

 completely destroyed, has at the south-west the 

 western jambs of an internal wall recess and of a 

 window set in it. The chancel opens into the north 

 chapel by a two-centred chamfered arch of the early 

 14th century with shafted jambs and moulded abaci, 

 which is now leaning badly. 



The chancel arch, now destroyed, was of the same 

 character and date. The shafted jambs remain. 



The north chapel has an east window of three 

 lights, and in the north wall are two two-light pointed 

 windows with hollow-moulded jambs ; very little oi 

 the tracery remains in the heads. The south wall is 

 mainly occupied by the opening of the arch into the 

 chancel already described. On the west the chapel 

 communicates with the north aisle through a 13th- 

 century arch, reset, which was formerly one of the 

 arches of the north arcade. The arch, which is of 

 two moulded orders, is very badly out of true. The 

 responds consist of circular shafts with foliate capitals. 

 A small much defaced figure is inserted in the wall 

 over the north jamb of the arch, and at the north- 

 east of the chapel are a large moulded image bracket 

 and an ogee-headed piscina now blocked. At the 

 north-west is a rough recess, with what appear to be 

 the remains of a flue. 



The nave is not separated structurally from the 

 aisle, and the north-western bay is covered by the 

 tower. The windows, two in the south wall and one 

 in the west wall, are all isth-century insertions, and 



■ 12 T CENT^14™C 



QHI]I3 th cent^!5 th c 



scale or feet □ flODERN 



Plan of Ayot St. Lawrence Old Church 



s very little of their tracery and none of the mullions 

 ; remain. The south door retains work of the 12th 

 s century in the lower part of the internal jambs, but 

 s the rest of it is of the 14th century. There is a 

 blocked door at the west end. The aisle has one 



57 See below. 



« but, Bks. (P.R.O.). 



M Clutteibuck, op. cit. ii, 25;. 



^Rccov. R. Mich. 2 Will. IV, 



0! Walford, County Families (1907). 

 a Cat. Chart. R. 1226-57, ?■ 474- 

 B * Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2), cedx 

 204 (2). 

 os Cat. Chart. R. 1226-57, ¥■ 474- 

 66 Abbrt-v. Plat. (Rec. Com.), 163. 

 87 Rtn. Hund. (Rec, Com.), i, 192. 



6l 



Ibid 



1. 25. 



chancel, 30 ft. 6 in. by 

 north chapel, 30 ft 6 in. by 

 nave, 29 ft. by 18 ft.; aisle, 



