Parish Church Of The Holy Trinity

This is a parish church of early 12th-century origin, altered in the 14th and 15th centuries. It is constructed of flint and pebble rubble containing blocks of indurated conglomerate and some Roman tile. The original dressings are of 'Coggeshall' brick, with later dressings of limestone and clunch. The south porch is timber-framed and partly weatherboarded. The roofs are covered with handmade red plain tiles, and the belfry and spire are timber-framed and weatherboarded.

Structure and Development

The chancel and nave form a single cell dating from the early 12th century, raised by approximately 0.5 metres in the 14th century or earlier. The south porch is early 14th century. Apart from alterations to the windows, there have been no other extensions or substantial alterations. All the quoins are original, of 'Coggeshall' brick, with approximately 0.5 metres of Roman tiles above where the roof has been raised. A diagonal short buttress stands at the south-east corner, dating from the 18th or 19th century. Both gables have been raised with rubble of different quality from the original. The east end has a concrete stitch near the apex.

East End

Originally the east end had a line of three large windows with two small windows above them. Of the lower three, only the most southerly is now visible, with hollow-chamfered quoins of 'Coggeshall' brick, now blocked. The most northerly occurs only as an area of disturbed rubble. The upper two windows are almost complete externally, with chamfered jambs and semi-circular arches. Both are blocked externally, but internally the splays and rear-arch of the more southerly are complete and visible. Inserted centrally is a mid-15th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery in a two-centred head, its lower part blocked by a 17th-century monument.

North Wall of Chancel

In the north wall of the chancel are three windows. The eastern is mid-14th century, of two trefoiled ogee lights with tracery in a segmental-pointed head, the jambs and tracery richly moulded internally. The western window is mid-15th century, of two cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery in a two-centred head with a moulded label and headstops. Both sills have been raised and blocked with brick below. Between them is a blocked original window with chamfered jambs and semi-circular arch of brick.

South Wall of Chancel

In the south wall of the chancel are two windows, both mid-14th century, of two cinquefoiled ogee lights with tracery in distorted four-centred heads with moulded labels and chamfered rear-arches. The western window has carved flowers in two cusps of the tracery. Both sills have been raised externally and blocked with brick below. The western window has a low internal sill, approximately one metre above floor level. Between the windows is a 14th-century doorway with double-chamfered jambs, two-centred arch and chamfered rear-arch. Above it an area of disturbed rubble indicates the position of a former original window.

Chancel Roof

The 14th-century roof of the chancel has plain-chamfered wallplates and fourteen seven-canted couples, the soulaces and ashlar-pieces chase-tenoned, with minor restoration. The rafters have splayed to a lower pitch than those of the nave, so that externally the roofs are now distinct, although originally they were of the same build.

North Wall of Nave

In the north wall of the nave are two windows. The eastern is mid-14th century, of two cinquefoiled ogee lights with tracery in a segmental head, the jambs and tracery richly moulded internally. The sill is partly lowered to form a seat. The western window is original, with chamfered jambs and round arch of brick, and asymmetrical splays. Between the windows is an original doorway with jambs and semi-circular arch of rounded bricks, blocked with brick to form a 19th-century window with bottom-hinged shutter. In the east jamb is an original timber baulk with internally an auger hole for a latch. The internal jambs and rear-arch are of similar plain bricks.

South Wall of Nave

In the south wall of the nave are two windows similar to those in the north wall, except that the sill of the eastern is lowered to form a full-width seat. Immediately west of this window is a single brick jamb of an original window. Between the windows is the original south doorway, similar to the north doorway but not blocked. In the eastern jamb is an original timber baulk with an original latch attached internally. Above the doorway, protected by the porch, is an area of weathered original plaster, terminating at an incised line following the curvature of the brick arch.

South Door

The door is original, comprising five wedge-shaped planks rebated together, on a rear portcullis frame halved and nailed at the intersections and T-joints. It has two strap-hinges, shouldered at the west ends and scribed into the boards, with incised herringbone designs. There is a round scutcheon plate with quatrefoil piercings and later drop-handle, and a later stock-lock.

West Wall

In the west wall is a mid-15th-century window of two cinquefoiled lights with tracery in a two-centred head, with moulded label and hollow-chamfered rear-arch. Above it is an original window with chamfered jambs and round arch, now blocked. Above it is a stitch of tiles, and another of concrete at the base of the spire.

All the late medieval windows of the chancel and nave have old wrought iron grills, some inside, some outside the glass.

Timber Bridging Pieces

A rare or possibly unique feature of the walls is that 27 short lengths of oak are incorporated in the original fabric, bridging over putlog holes, later blocked. These are arranged in lines parallel with the ground, which falls 0.5 metres from west to east, and in roughly vertical groups of three originally. Only one group is complete, but patches of mortar or disturbed rubble indicate the former positions of others. The wooden strips vary in length from 0.14 to 0.63 metres, and in thickness from 28 millimetres downwards. Many of them taper and end with a sharp chisel-edge; elsewhere the impression of this edge is preserved in the mortar. They are broken pieces of earlier artefacts, of unknown type.

Nave Roof

The roof of the nave is 14th century, originally of 19 scissor-braced couples like those of the chancel. A 15th-century crownpost structure has been inserted, with moulded wallplates, one moulded tiebeam and one plain, both with octagonal crownposts with respectively four-way and three-way hollow-chamfered rising braces. At the west end is a crown stud with one hollow-chamfered brace, and a hollow-chamfered collar-purlin. This structure has supported the nave roof against the strains which have distorted the roof of the chancel.

Bell-Turret and Spire

At the west end four collars and their soulaces have been removed for the intrusion of a bell-turret and spire, of complex development. The earliest part is 12th or 13th century, originally set at a lower level. The stubs of a former tiebeam project from the north and south walls immediately above the most westerly Norman windows, each with an incomplete mortice, representing the original support. It is now supported at a higher level by two posts east of these windows. The posts have been extended with butt-joints near the tops, and the arched braces from them have been raised, leaving empty mortices. The original form of the bell-turret is illustrated in C.A. Hewett, Church Carpentry, a Study based on Essex examples, 1982, page 63. It has been altered at various dates and now forms the base of an octagonal spire with central mast chamfered with step stops, probably early 16th century. It was shingled when described by the Royal Commission, but is now weatherboarded overall.

South Porch

The early 14th-century south porch has been altered in the late 16th century and sparingly restored in the 19th century. It comprises one bay with a seven-light window in each side wall. The window sills are original (though covered by 19th-century boarding). They and the chamfered studs below are grooved for original infill of boards, now missing and replaced by external weatherboarding. The original ogee tracery is complete, trefoiled on the east side and quatrefoiled on the west, but the mullions have been replaced by turned balusters, late 16th century on the east side and 19th century (except for one half-baluster) on the west side. The wallplates are richly moulded. The two south posts and arched braces have been renewed in the 19th century, but the cranked tiebeam and cusped bargeboards are original. The north tiebeam has solid knees. The roof is original, comprising six scissor-braced couples, chase-tenoned without collars (C.A. Hewett, Church Carpentry, a Study based on Essex examples, 1982, page 47).

Fittings

The piscina in the chancel is 15th century, with chamfered jambs carved with flowers, a cinquefoiled arch in a square head with foliated spandrels and moulded label having the base of a central pinnacle, a projecting moulded basin supported on a defaced head, and a quatrefoil drain with defaced central ornament.

The 15th-century timber screen forming the only division between chancel and nave is in four bays with moulded posts, rail and head, with mortices for a jettied loft to the west, now removed. The post between the north bay and doorway has a mortice for a former parclose. The north bay has the traceried heads of seven lights, the mullions removed. The second bay forming the present central doorway has part of a former traceried head. The third bay has traceried heads of five former lights. The south bay is open, as the doorway to a former pulpit. The lower panels are plain with inscribed Roman numerals, except two with traceried heads in the third bay. Above the beam is chamfered studding with original board infill, forming the east side of the former loft, with two rough trefoil piercings, the east face painted with diapered ornament, pink on green.

The font has a 12th-century limestone bowl, originally square with a fine chevron design round the rim, cut to an octagon in the early 16th century. The early 16th-century stem is of brick, octagonal with moulded base and top, with a sunk quatrefoil in each face. The oak cover is 17th century, pyramidal with panelled sides, ball finial and iron ring, hung from a 17th-century pulley on the tiebeam of the bell-turret.

Monuments and Floor Slabs

In the chancel are floor-slabs: (1) lower part of priest, incised figure in mass vestments with marginal inscription in Lombardic capitals with date 1349, black marble; (2) to Edward Beaucock, M.D., 1665, with shield of arms, black marble; (3) defaced and partly covered, 17th century.

In the chancel are indents: (1) of figures and canopy, two shields, group of figures, and inscription-plate, partly concealed below base of altar; (2) of inscription-plate.

On the east wall of the chancel, partly blocking the east window, is a monument (1) of Anthony Maxey (1592) and Dorothy (Basset) (1602), his wife, marble and alabaster, erected by their son, Sir Henry Maxey, with two round-headed recesses flanked and divided by Corinthian columns and containing kneeling figures of two men in plate armour and wives at prayer-desks, with gadrooning below, entablature with foliate cresting and quartered shield of Maxey, with four smaller shields below.

Also on the east wall are monuments: (2) of Martin Carter, 1754, and Anne (Feake) his second wife, 1756, erected by his brother Milbourn Carter, 1766, grey and white marble with scrolled open and broken pediment with shield of arms; (3) of Milbourn Carter, 1773, of similar design, the shield of arms not in place but present nearby; and (4) of Michael Nolan, 1827, white marble sarcophagus, draped urn and arms on black marble.

On the north wall of the chancel is a monument of Sir William Maxey, 1645, Helena (Grevill), his wife, 1653, and Grevill, 1648, and William, 1659, their sons, black and white marble with scrolled broken pediment and achievement of arms. Above it is a funeral helm and crest, partly of the late 16th century.

On the south wall of the chancel is a monument to the Reverend Peter Milbourn Carter, 1813, white marble tablet with shield of arms, scrolled quadrants and guttae on black marble.

Glass

In the north-east window of the chancel are fragments of glass in the tracery, with dog in roundel, 14th century. In the north-west window are fragments of figures and tabernacle work, 15th century. In the south-west window are part of an angel holding a shield and fragments of tabernacle work, 15th century.

In the north-east window of the nave are fragments of 14th-century glass, grisaille and foliage, mostly in situ. In the south-east window are white trefoils on black roundels surrounded by blue foliage and gold borders, mostly in situ, 14th century.

Wall Paintings

On the east wall of the chancel are paintings: remains of the figure of an angel with lozengy background, with foliated lower border north of the east window, and south of it part of an arcade with foliate cresting; and on the splays and rear-arch of the blocked Norman window, ashlar-work and part of a capital.

On the east splay of the north-east window is a Trinity, the Dove obliterated. On the west splay is a full-length Resurrection figure of Christ with cross-staff. On the soffit of the rear-arch is a Majesty in a vesica, flanked by angels, one holding a cross and crown of thorns, all 14th century.

In the nave there are paintings: on the soffit of the rear-arch of the north-east window, central circular panel with bird and scrolled foliage border and indistinct continuation on the west splay; on the north wall, west of the doorway, a small head, probably of the Infant Christ, part of a large figure subject; on the east splay of the south-east window, the Incredulity of St Thomas; on the west splay, figure, probably of St James the Great, with book, staff and scrip; on the soffit of the rear-arch, central circular panel with Agnus Dei and flowing foliage each side, all circa 1320.

Other Features

At the west end of the nave are 238 medieval tiles, some plain, some with slip patterns glazed. Others are set in the sill of the south-west window of the chancel, and others are loose in a chest.

On the west wall of the nave is a Royal Arms of Charles II, painted and later re-painted.

On the north wall of the nave is a funeral helm with crest (dog's head razed), 17th century, on a plain wrought iron bracket.

There are two bells by Miles Graye, 1609 and 1621.

Historical Significance

The church is of the utmost importance since it is the only substantial example of Norman brick-building in England (Warwick Rodwell, Historic Churches - a Wasting Asset, CBA Research Report 19, 1977, pages 68 and 98; P.J. Drury, The production of Brick and Tile in Medieval England, Medieval Industry, CBA Research Report 40, editor D.W. Crossley, pages 126-7).