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The Building The Churchyard
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This is one of the longest sections on this site at present, largely due to the fact that the content is reproduced from the booklet "A Guide to Stevington Church" which has been available at St Mary's for a number of years. The author of this site is grateful to those who have gone before him. The Building of The Church For over a thousand years, Christian worship has taken place on this spot. The tower, much of which was built in Saxon times, has kept watch over this beautiful stretch of the river Ouse and has seen both Danish and Norman invaders take the land around it. Its foundations were securely attached to the rock on which it was built and it has survived the test of time. The original Saxon church was built on a limestone outcrop above the river Ouse, and would have consisted of the tower, a nave without the aisle and a chancel. In the early fourteenth century, when the Decorated style of architecture was in vogue, some rebuilding of the church began. First the chancel was altered and two chapels and the North arcade were added, the Nave was altered and the South aisle built. The aisles were carried past the North and South faces of the tower and it was incorporated within the church building. In the fifteenth Century during the perpendicular period of architecture, the South Chapel was rebuilt and an upper stage was added to the tower The Nave Clerestory was also built at this time. By the mid fifteenth century the church would have the rectangular plan which can still be seen today. In 1872, the fabric of the church was restored. This restoration did not include the North Porch, nor the two chapels which were in ruins by this time. Their sites were tidied up and left as they are to be found today. At the same time battlements were added to the walls at the North side of the church. This was to make the North side similar to the south The Advowson From the year1146 the Advowson (the right of presentation to a vacant benefice) of the church was granted to the nuns of Harrold Priory by Lord Baldwin de Ardres. The gift of the Advowson also included 120 acres of arable land and 20 acres of woodland. The Priory built and maintained a range of buildings to the south of the old Vicarage, which is South West of the church. These included a tithe barn and a hostel. At the time of the dissolution of the Religious Houses in the time of Henry VIII, the church became Crown Property and later many people held the Advowson, including Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, 1738 and the Dukes of Bedford. Since 1921, the patron of the living has been the Bishop. Nobody was appointed after 1990, and services were taken by Rev Peter Jeffries the vicar from Turvey, who was Priest in charge and evensong was taken by various other ministers and Robert Evens who was a probationary minister. The vicarage was sold before 1970. The Holy Well At the foot of the limestone rock, to
the North of the church, there flows a spring of clear water called
the Holy Well. It never freezes, nor has it failed in times of
drought. Miraculous powers were attributed to the water,
particularly as cures for eye ailments which were common throughout
the Middle Ages. People made special journeys to try the
healing powers of the Holy Well. They probably found the mere bathing of the eyes soothing or the water may contain some beneficial mineral property. Visitors would worship in the church and would stay at the Priory hostel, if their treatment lasted several days. Visitors wishing to see the Holy Well should take the path which leads down the hill as you turn left out of the gate to the church. Please note that the area around the path and the well is the subject of a preservation order of the Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire Naturalist Trust. The extraordinary and interesting Petasites Hybridus, Butterbur should not be disturbed LOOKING AT THE CHURCH
The Exterior
(Starting at the South Porch and moving around the church clockwise.)
The South Porch
The church porch was most important in the later Middle Ages since much of the business of the parish was transacted there: penitents received absolution before entering the church; penances for breaking vows were performed; women were “churched” after the birth of children; marriage banns were called; public notices were displayed and so on.
In earlier times, this porch had a gabled roof, as can be seen from the lines of the gable which are visible in the front face of the building. On the right of the entrance, about seven feet up from the ground, can be seen a ‘scratch’ or ‘Mass’ Dial. This form of sundial was used to mark the times of church services before mechanical clocks began to be more commonly used in the Fifteenth Century. A metal pin would have projected from the central hole and this would have cast the shadow. Inside the porch over the church door can be seen a stone bracket on which a statue of the Virgin Mary once stood. West End of the South Aisle It is interesting to note that the window to the West of the South Porch retains the characteristics of the Decorated style but has a pointed arch in lieu of a square head. The West End The three Fourteenth
Century windows at the West end of the church have been carefully
restored. The buttresses are contemporary with the building of the
North and South aisles.3 The oldest part of the tower is the base which dates from about AD900. The typical Saxon long and short quoins at the corners of the tower and the walls at this stage are built of large roughly shaped stones. The West window, inserted in the Fourteenth Century was restored in the Nineteenth. The top section of the Tower was added in the Fifteenth Century. It is surmounted by a plain parapet, and has a two-light Fifteenth Century window with quatrefoil heads on each side of the belfry stage. The tower is overlapped by the aisles. The North Porch This porch was added at the same time as the North aisle, during the Fourteenth Century and was not rebuilt in the Nineteenth Century restoration. The North Aisle This aisle was built in the Fourteenth Century but the windows were restored in the Perpendicular style in the Nineteenth Century. The small Fourteenth Century trefoiled opening under the eastern window in the aisle is a ‘low side window’. Most authorities agree that it is here that the Sanctus bell was rung to remind all those both inside and outside the church, that the most solemn moment of the mass was at hand when the Host was elevated to the altar. The North Chapel This was probably allowed to fall into disrepair after the reformation in the Sixteenth Century. The Piscina, with trefoiled head is of interest as is the stone alter and various Thirteenth Century grave slabs. The East End This has been much
altered. The present East Window was inserted in the 1872
restoration. It is in the Perpendicular style and is partly a copy
of its predecessor but is not as wide as the original. The curious
semi-circular pattern of stones under the window seems to have been
placed in this manner for decorative purposes only. The view of the
East end of the church, across the valley of the Ouse reveals rural
England in all its calm beauty.4 The fine East window of this chapel was of three lights with Perpendicular tracery. It has a Priest’s door on its South side. The line of the original roof can be seen just below the battlements at the end of the South aisle. The South Aisle Projecting from the wall of the aisle is the outer wall of the Rood Stair which was added in the Fifteenth Century. It is lit by the small cruciform window. When building this addition, the masons found it necessary to intrude on the East window of the aisle. Both aisle windows are now in the Perpendicular style and were restored in1872. The Interior It’s a good idea to look at the parts of the interior in the order in which they were built: the Tower, Nave, Chancel, North Aisle and South Aisle. The Tower On approaching the tower from the South Aisle one sees a tall narrow arch with a semicircular head and square jambs. Long and short work is visible. This was the original entry through the thick walls of the Saxon tower. Above the doorway can be seen a double splayed window containing its original mid wall wooden window board. On entering the tower one can see two broken headstones. These are fixed to the South wall and commemorate Henry Negous and John Latton who were church wardens in 1654 when the bells were cast or re-cast. A late Fifteenth Century screen divides the tower from the Nave. The door in the screen has a Seventeenth Century arched top. The Nave
The arcades of the three bays, dividing it from the aisles are very high in proportion to the length of the Nave and with the clerestry, they create an impression of graceful proportions and an appearance of stateliness. They contain eight trefoiled lights(windows) in square headed compartments inserted in 1872. There are few small churches which have such a beautiful and striking arcade. The oak roof is interesting. It dates from the Fifteenth Century and has four bays. In the middle of each bay on either side, there is a carved figure holding a shield. On the shields(from East to West)are: cushions, the trade mark of wool merchants; Eucharistic symbols; symbols of Our Lord’s Passion. The initials N.T. and R>T> under the woolsacks are those of Nicholas and Robert Taylor, wool merchants. See the marble slab in the North Aisle which commemorates descendants of the family. Before entering the Chancel, turn and look at the graceful lines of the tower arch inserted in the Fourteenth Century. The Chancel The Fourteenth Century arch is a fine one. Note the shafted responds with the small rolls between the shafts. The corbels are interesting Near to these can be seen the place where the rood screen was fixed. This screen, which was used to divide the area reserved for the priest and his assistants from his congregation in the nave was made of wood and had on top of it the Rood, a carving of Christ on the Cross, with images of the Virgin Mary on one side and St. John on the other. Often the Rood was fixed to the top of the Chancel arch in order to give it greater support. Note the metal pin at the top of the arch. The figures on the screen would probably have been destroyed during the Reformation. The screen itself was removed in part in 1826 and the remainder was dismantled in 1872. Before 1872, the floor of the Chancel was raised. On the South wall of the Chancel can be seen the blocked up arch which led to the South Chapel. This Fourteenth Century window has shafted jambs and has a trefoiled piscina recess in its East jamb. To the West there is a squint from the South Chapel. At the right of the restored East window, there is the base of a shaft which belonged to the original Fourteenth Century window.6 On the North side of the Chancel is the blocked up arch leading to the North chapel. The roof was replaced in1872. The North Aisle This arcade of three bays and aisle were built in the Fourteenth Century soon after the Chancel and are in the same style (Decorated). The detail of the work here is clearly better than that in the South arcade. This aisle seems to have been altered at an early period for it is wider than the South aisle and the string course which runs at the foot of its West window suddenly drops soon after passing under this window. It is fortunate that the arches, which formerly led to the ruined chapels, were built up on the outside so that they form recesses in the interior. This adds considerably to the interesting appearance of the arches on the inside and allows for the full appreciation of their architectural style. The blocked arch which formerly led to the North chapel has foliated capitals, the only instance of this type of decoration in the church. There are traces of painting on the arch. To the North is a doorway, now blocked, of the same date as the arch. The lintel of this doorway is cambered and made of oak. It still bears traces of paint. The windows East of the porch in this aisle were altered during the rebuilding in 1872. They are in the Perpendicular style and replace two plainer windows. Note the ‘low side’ window under the most Eastern window in the aisle. For details of this, see the information on the exterior of the church. The North porch is contemporary with the North aisle; it is of simple design and protects a good doorway. The window to the West of the porch was carefully restored in its original, Decorated style. The roof was renewed in the 1872 restoration. The South Aisle The south arcade, of three bays, is of a slightly later date than the North. Note the wave-moulded orders. The blocked arch formerly leading into the South Chapel is of the same date as the South Aisle, about the mid Fourteenth Century. The capitals of the arch rest on corbels. Holes in the pillars of the arch show where a wooden screen was once attached to the arch. Its height would have been on a level with the exit from the rood stairs which lead up from the door in the South-East wall of the aisle. This stair is a Fifteenth Century addition. To the East of the porch was formerly one four-light window, but in the 1872 restoration it was replaced by two, three-light Perpendicular style windows to match those placed in the North Aisle. The window to the West of the porch is in the Decorated style but has a painted arch instead of a square head. Near the South door is a holy-water stoup. The roof was replaced in 1872. The Bells There are five bells. Four of these were cast in 1654 and a fifth was added later. The first, second and third were recast and all were re-hung in 1872. The bells bear the following inscriptions:- 1. ‘John Hodson made me - 1654 I.L. H.N. C.W.W- ‘ 2. ‘John Hodson made me - 1654 John Latton, Henry Negous, Churchwardens’ 3. John Hodson made me -IL HN. 1654 - CWW -‘ 4. John Hodson made me - 1654 John Latton, Henry Negous, Churchwardens’ 5. John Hodson made me - 1654 John Latton, Henry Negous, Churchwardens’ John Hodson’s foundry is said to have been in London from 1653. Monuments The brass of Thomas Salle:- This fine brass is to be found at the East end of the South aisle. Before the rebuilding of 1872, it was in the Nave aisle. The figure, about three feet in length, is of a knight in plate armour. At each corner of the stone slab on which the brass is placed are shields bearing the same coat of arms on each, i.e. two salamanders salient in attire. This is most probably an example of allusive arms which were very common in the Middle Ages when there was much fondness for punning. The detail of the brass is very fine. The details of the brass are so fine that indiscriminate brass rubbing would no doubt result in damage over the years. It was restored during the Nineteenth Century when the plumes and part of the mantling which lie at right angles to the head, the part of the sword which extends beyond the figure and the inscription were renewed. The inscription reads: “Orate pro aia Thome Salle armigi q’obiit xxi die mens Ap’lis Anno Dni MCCCCXXII” (Pray for the soul of Thomas Salle, Armiger, who died on 21st day of the month of April in the year of Our Lord 1422) Please do not walk on the brass. Memorial to Robert Taylor: this memorial consisting of an inscription cut into a slab of Purbeck marble is to be found at the East end of the North aisle. It is a good example of its type. The inscription reads as follows:- ‘Under this Stone lyeth ye body of Rot of this parish Gent he exchanged this life for a better ye 16th of Octobr 1618, he Marryed Eleza; ye eldest Daughter of Robrt Bromhall of this parish Gent & had issue of her 5 Daughters & one Son; viz: Elez; Dorethy; Vraley; Margarett; Ann; & Robrt ; Here also lyeth ye body of Margarett Anstey ye 4th Daughter of ye abovesaid Robrt Taylor relict of John Anstey Gent, who departed this life in ye true faith of ye Church of England. Died ye 20th of febry & was att ye sole Cost & Charge of this Stone, 1668.’ The crest shows the Arms of Taylor impaling those of Bromhall and this is surmounted by Taylor’s crest on a helmet. The Front pews:- the finials of the front pews are carvings in wood of men and animals. These date from the Fifteenth Century and were cut off their original benches and later attached to these pews. There remain seven filials; two men kneeling and drinking from a bowl; two men lying on their sides; one man seated; another writing; and three animals. The detail of the figures is very good. It is thought that the reference to drinking is connected with a church ale for the maintenance of which seven acres of land were given to the church during the Fifteenth Century. The Parish Chest: this dates from at least the Fifteenth Century and is a good example of its type. The iron work is worthy of inspection. The Font: the bowl, which is quatrefoil in plan rests on an octagonal shaft with four detached shafts around it. This work is of the early Fourteenth Century, but it was probably moved and rebuilt in the general restoration of 1872. The Marjorie Wesley Memorial Organ was installed in 1968. It was rebuilt by Messrs. Henry Groves and Son Ltd. of Nottingham, and commemorates Marjorie Wesley who was organist and choirmaster from 1955 to 1965. The Churchyard Beside the pathway leading to the South Porch from the entrance can be seen several gravestones of the early Eighteenth Century. These are particularly interesting since many of the descendants of the people commemorated here still live in the village. Near the South East corner of the church may be seen the gravestone of SAMUEL WHITE reputedly groom to Napoleon on St Helena. There is an interesting group of conifers in the North West corner of the churchyard and several very fine yew trees. The view across the Great Ouse from the East end of the church is one of rural tranquillity Church Plate The church plate consists of a cup and paten cover date-marked 1569and a silver-plated flagon. These are kept at the bank for security reasons and brought out for village occasions and exhibitions. The Registers All, up to 1813, have been transcribed and are to be found at the Bedfordshire County Record Office and at the Library. Fresco In 1872 removal of plaster revealed an ancient stoup on the Eastern side of the South porch door. Over the door, a fresco representing a distinguished person in a sitting posture and a procession passing before him, with an elaborately designed medallion bearing the words: ‘1633 James v 9: Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye bee condemned: behold the judge standeth before the door’. The fresco was again covered after the restoration. The 1872 Restoration The work was carried
out by Mr Robert Tooley of Bury St Edmunds under the supervision of
Mr Clutton and Mr Usher of Bedford. The cost was borne by the
landowners, parishioners and particularly by the Duke of Bedford.11 10th and 11th Centuries AD Details not known c1136 ‘G’ c1150 Williemus Sacerdos de Stevinton c1192 Baldwin III Canon de Therouanne 1227 -1282 Nicholas de Richeford Chaplain dead by 20 Feb. 1283 Nicholas de Bristowe c1282 Walter son of Guy de Brayfield 20 Feb. 1282 - 1299 John son of Roger de Wotton Chaplain 10 Feb. 1300 - 1310 Nicholas de Harrold Chaplain 7 Oct. 1310 -1334 Robert de Hattele Chaplain
22 Sep. 1334 - 1354 Simon de Kaso Priest 15 Jan. 1354 - 1405 Nicholas Hayward Priest c1390/1392 John Taylor 30 Aug. 1405 - 1453 John Mody de Welton Priest 21 Mar. 1453 - 1455 John Smart Chaplain 30 Jan. 1455 - 1458 William Skipwith Priest 18 Jan. 1458 -1459 John Kyngden Chaplain 3 Aug. 1459 - 1476 Thomas Boghton Priest 7 Feb. 1476 - 1524 Richard Grene Priest 30 Apr. 1524 - 1540 Thomas Bothall Chaplain 1540 - 1561 George Butman Chaplain resigned 11 Feb.1552 William Tatham 13 Jun. 1561 - 1573 Richard Harris Clerk 1571 John Kynge Curate 17 Jul. 1573 - 1578 Robert Griffyn Clerk 27 Oct. 1579 - 1588/9 Raphael Culchith Priest 12 Aug. 1588 - 1604 Henry King B.A.. Vicar 30 Oct. 1604 Nicholas Barton Clerk 31 Aug. 1608 George Daniel M.A. 17 Dec. 1612 - 1663 Henry Gale 30 Sep. 1663 - 1677 Andrew Cater Clerk 12 Mar. 1677 Joshua Bedford 14 Sep. 1677 - 1712 John Draper B.A. Clerk 14 Oct. 1712 - 1716 George Fern B.A. Clerk 10 Nov. 1716 - 1722 Peter Barker B.A. Clerk 13 Jun. 1722 - 1751 John Veneer B.A.12 28 Jun. 1751 - 1776 William Sanderson M.A. 19 Mar. 1776 - 1832 Thomas Orlebar Marsh Clerk 27 Jan. 1832 - 1849 John Wing M.A. 18 May 1849 - 1862 William Henry Bond B.A. 12 Sep. 1862 Edward Wilson Cook M.A. 1882 Thomas William Gibson M.A. Vicar 1886 John Robert Hare Duke M.A. 1903 Leonard Matson M.A. 1912 - 1954 Arthur Henry Sproule B.A. 1954 - 1957 Oscar Stephen Vickers 13 Jan. 1958 - 1967 Edward John Bennett M.A. 1968 - 1976 Robert Donald Macrory M.A., B.D.
Note: The list is not complete, in Particular during the Twelth and Thirteeenth Centuries. Many of the Incumbents were also priest of neighbouring parishes.
This is not a museum preserving something of the dead past. Every Sunday the purpose for which this church was built hundreds of years ago is still being carried out - the worship of God. Perhaps you may like to join us in this either at the times displayed in the porch or by saying a prayer here and now for the parish and people of Stevington. Perhaps you may like to help towards the ever increasing costs of the upkeep of this building by putting an offering in the box near the door.
May the blessing of God go with you.
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