ECCLESIOLOGICAL NOTES

RESPECTING

THE DEANERY OF SHOREHAM, KENT.

BY LELAND L. DUNCAN, F.S.A.

IN the Proceedings of the St. Paul's Ecclesiological Society, vol. iii., pp. 241-298, will be found a Paper entitled "The Parish Churches of West Kent, their Dedications, Altars, Images and Lights," and under that heading is collected together the evidence from wills and other documents respecting those subjects. Excepted from treatment were the parishes formerly in the Deanery of Shoreham, which was a Peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury; and in order to complete the information to be derived from early wills, etc., on the interior arrangements of our West Kent churches prior to the changes in the sixteenth century, I propose to here set out all the materials at our disposal respecting the churches in that deanery.

It should, however, be borne in mind that nearly all the early wills of persons formerly resident in the deanery have been lost, and that those wills which are now extant are the few to be found in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury* and in the Archiepiscopal Registers at Lambeth. The information is, as will be seen, extremely scanty for most of the parishes, and in some cases none at all is available: a matter for much regret, since the dedication of at least two churches-Keston and Sundridge-is doubtful, whilst that of Downe cannot be said to be certain.

* References to these in the following notes are as follows:-(21, Milles), (24, Fetiplace), etc. References to the Lambeth Registers are shewn as(Reg. Abp. Chicheley), (Reg. Abp. Stafford), etc.; and to the books of the Rochester Consistory Wills, now at Somerset House, as-(Roch., vii., 202), (Roch., vii., 276), etc.

In the following pages then will be found the whole of the information to be derived from wills respecting the above parish churches in the mediæval period, arranged, as in the Paper in the St. Paul's Ecclesiological Society's Proceedings referred to above, under the headings-"Dedication," "Lights, etc." Under the latter are included bequests to lights before images in the churches and references to altars dedicated in honour of particular Saints.

It will not be out of place here to state briefly some of the results arrived at by means of the West Kent church notes in the present Paper, and in that to which allusion has already been made. In every church prior to 1536 there was over the entrance to the chancel a large crucifix called the "High Rood," with the figures of St. Mary and St. John on either side. Within the chancel there was a figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Saint in whose honour the church was dedicated, and who was called the Head Hallow by our forefathers. Besides these there were in every church images of other Saints, which varied according to the locality, occupations of the inhabitants, etc. In the churches of West Kent, after the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Katherine seems to have been most honoured; then (in order) St. Christopher, St. Nicholas, The Holy Trinity, St. James, St. John Baptist, etc.

In addition to the foregoing particulars, mediæval wills yield valuable evidence as to the dedication not only of the churches themselves, but also of the chapels within them (we learn for instance that of the aisles at Northfleet one

was dedicated in honour of Our Lady, the other of St. Andrew); of altars other than the high altar, and of many of the medieval arrangements for Divine Service, all of which are of very great interest. A lack of knowledge respecting these last has too often led in recent times to the destruction of many features in our parish churches, each precious for the history it contained.

Few of the Saints whose images are referred to in the following extracts call for any special remarks, since the names are familiar ones for the most part. St. Blaise, patron of woolcombers, was fairly popular in West Kent, and images of him occur at East Peckham and Crayford in this deanery. St. Loy or Eligius, the patron of blacksmiths, was to be found at Gillingham, where also existed an image of St. Joseph of Arimathea (not St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin, who does not appear to have been held in any honour in England in the middle ages). The images of Our Lady varied occasionally. The simple figure existed, as before remarked, in every church, but that known as Our Lady of Pity, a representation of the Mother of our Lord weeping over the dead body of her Divine Son, was extremely popular. Instances are here recorded at Hunton, Otford, Penshurst, Sevenoaks, and East Peckham. At this last there was also an image of Our Lady of Grace, the exact form of which is still a matter of doubt.

The Easter Sepulchre, which played such an important part in the proceedings of Holy Week and Easter Week, is frequently alluded to in mediæval wills. Richard Bery of St. Mary Cray in 1508 wished to be buried "before the sepulcre," and also desired that his tomb might be so raised that it could be used to lay ornaments on for the altar. The desire for burial in this sacred spot was very general, some persons directing that their tomb should be so constructed that it might be used for the sepulchre itself (see under "Sundridge ").

If a corresponding series of notes could be extracted from the early wills in the Probate Registry at Canterbury for the eastern half of the county, an interesting comparison might be made, and it is much to be desired that some member of the Kent Archæological Society would undertake this work.

Dedication.
OUR LADY.

Lights, etc.
OUR LADY.

ST. NICHOLAS.

Dedication.
ST. MARTIN.

Lights, etc.
SEPULCHRE.

Dedication.

ST. BOTOLPH by local tradition.

Lights, etc.

OUR LADY.

Dedication.
OUR LADY.

Lights, etc.

ST. JOHN BAPTIST.

BEXLEY.

Ad summum altare beate Marie de Bixle xxd. Robt Wodeford, 1488. (21, Milles.)*

To be buried in the churche of our lady at Bexley. Thomas Lamendby al's Sparrowe, 1513. (24, Fetiplace.)

To be buried a fore the Image of oure lady in the quere of the churche of Bexley. 1494. Syr Thos Hardyng, vicary. (14, Vox.)

To maynteyne the light befor Saint Nicolas x to kepe a light for euer. Thomas Lamendby al's Sparrowe, 1513.

To be buried in Saint Nicholas Chapell against Sainte Nicolas aulter wt in the parish church of Bexley. John Shelley, 1531. (5, Hogen.)

BRASTED.

Sep. in ecclesia Sci Martini de Brasted. John Rouland, tanner, 1464. (5, Godyn.)

Lego fabrice ecclesie Sancti Martini de Brasted in Kanc' xx. Robert Pemberton, clerk, 1502. (38, Holgrave.)

Sep. infra cancellum ecclesie mee loco scilicet vbi sepulcrum dominicum. tempore pascali stare consuetum est. John Chaundeler, Rector of Bradested, 1431. (Reg. Abp. Chichele, part i., 425a.) CHEVENING.

[No evidence from wills.]

To be buried in o' lady ile w in the church of Cheuenyng. 1506. (13, Adeane.)

CHIDDINGSTONE.

Sep. in cancello beate Marie de Chedingstone coram summo altare. John Woode, rector, 1486. (3, Milles.) Sep. in corpore ecclesie beate Marie Virginis de Chedingstone in australi

* These and similar references are to the Registers of the Prerogative Court

of Canterbury, now at Somerset House.

This abbreviation stands for "Corpus meum ad sepeliendum."

EARD alias CRAYFORD.