A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



acted a 



te for that county 

 ded by his 



eighty-hv 



for more than sixty y 



grandson Henry Hume Spence. Moor Hail subsi 



quently came into the possession of Lord Salisbury, 



and was purchased by the present owner, Miss G. 



Cotton Browne, whose father, the late Rev. j. G. 



Cotton Browne, had acquired certain land in the 



parish.- 



The church of ST. LAWRENCE, 

 CHURCHES which stands on high ground to the 

 west of the village, is built of flint 

 rubble, mostly covered with rough-cast, with s:one 

 dressings, and roofed with tile; and with lead. It 

 consists of a chancel, nave, aisles, west tower, north 

 porch and north vestry." 



In the [3th century the church probably consisted 

 of a chancel and nave only. The nave, the oldest 

 portion of the church now remaining, was in existence 

 early in the 13th century, when the old chancel was 

 rebuilt and a north aisle 'added. The south aisle was 

 not built till a century later, when the present chancel 

 arch appears to have been built, and the west tower 

 in about the fourth decade of the 14th century. 

 During the 1 jth century the clearstory was added, 

 the north porch was built," 1 the north windows of the 

 north aisle were inserted, and those of the south aisle 

 altered externally ; both aisles were partly rebuilt, the 

 windows of the bell chamber inserted, and the em- 

 battled parapets of the tower and north aisle added. 

 The church was also re-roofed and was seated with the 

 existing pews. In the 19th century the chancel 

 was almost entirely rebuilt and the north vestry was 

 added. 



The chancel has two of the original early 13th- 

 cemury lancets rebuilt into the north and south walls. 

 The east window is modern. At the north-cast is a 

 1 3th-century tomb recess with shafted jambs and dog- 

 tooth ornament, which may have been used as an 

 taster sepulchre, and at the south-east is a piscina of 

 the same date, also with shafted jambs and dog-tooth 

 ornament. The chancel arch, which is apparently of 

 the 14th century, is plain, of two chamfered orders. 

 It may have been altered when the south arcade of 

 the nave was built. The rood-loft was approached 

 by a staircase at the north-east of the nave, of which 

 remains exist, but the upper door is blocked. 



The nave, of three bays, has on the north side an 

 arcade of the early 13th century, consisting of two- 

 centred arches on octagonal columns with plain bell 

 capitals. The south arcade is similar, but more 

 massive, and is a century later in date. None of the 

 detail of the original nave now exists, but the walling 

 over the arcades is a survival from the first fabric, 

 dating from before the 13th century. The rather 

 late 1 5th-century clearstory consists of three two-light 

 windows on each side. 



The walls and north door of the north aisle are of 

 13th-century date. The east and west windows are 

 either original or not much later, but the two north 

 windows are of the late 15th century, and contain 

 fragments of I 5th-century glass, some of which occupy 



their original positions. The south aisle largely escaped 

 the 1 tjth-century alteration, for though the windows 

 are externally of that date the openings are of the same 

 date as the erection of the aisle, the 14th century. 

 The south door is modern. 



The tower arch has shafted jambs, and both it and 

 the west window are of the late 14th century. The 

 font is octagonal and the workmanship is rough, 

 dating probably from the early 15th century, while 

 the cover is of the early 1 7th century. 



The roof of both nave and aisles is a good example 

 of 15th-century woodwork. The principals are 

 moulded, and there are carved bosses at their inter- 

 sections. At the feet of the principals are carved 

 figures of angels playing upon various musical instru- 

 ments, and the nave principals have brackets containing 

 tracery. One of the beams at the east end of the 

 nave bears traces of decoration in colour, and the 

 eastern half of the fir>t bay of the roof is panelled to 

 form a canopy over the rood. The open seating, 

 with ends adorned with poppy heads, is of the same 

 date. 



There are three ancient brasses in the church. 

 The oldest, in the chancel floor, is fragmentary. It 

 consists of the lower part of a woman's figure, with an 

 inscription to John Clcrke and his wife ; the date is 

 about 1430. On the chancel wall is a brass of 

 Philip Metcalf, vicar of the parish, dated 1515, and 

 on the south jamb of the chancel arch is another of 

 Thomas Shotbolt, his wife, four sons, and two 



In the nave is a mural monument, with a bust, of 

 Mary Markham, 1673. 



Of the six bells in the tower the first is by 

 Pack & Chapman, of 1771; the second by James 

 Bartlett, 1685; the third and sixth are mediaeval, but 

 of uncertain date, inscribed " Vocor Maria ' and ' Sit 

 Xomen Domini Benedictum ' respectively; the fourth 

 is by John Dier,i 587, and the fifth, probably by Robert 

 Oldfeild, 1613. 



The plate includes two patens of 1678 and 1690. 



The registers are contained in four books : (i) 

 baptisms, burials and marriages from 1546 to 1701 ; 

 (ii) baptisms, burials and marriages from 1702 to 

 '75 3 ! ('") baptisms and burials from 1754 to 1812 ; 

 (iv) marriages from 1754 to 1812. 



The chapel of ST. ALB AN, Wood End, was built 

 in 1853, largely, it is said, of the stones picked up in 

 the fields by the children of the parish." 



The chapel of ST. JOSEPH, Cromer, was built in 

 1890. 



The right of presentation has 



ADVOWSON always belonged to the Dean and 



Chapter of St. Paul's." In March 



1290 a vicarage was ordained," and the church was 



then assessed at ^lz.™ 



From 1690 onwards meeting-places were certified 

 for Protestant Dissenters in Ardeley. The chapel at 

 Wood End was built in 1 820, as a preaching station 

 for studentj at Wymondley Academy, and was rebuilt 



