Church Of St Edmund And St Mary

The Church of St Edmund and St Mary is a parish church dating from the late 11th century with additions and alterations from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, restored and extended in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The nave, the oldest part of the building, is constructed of coursed rectangular blocks of indurated conglomerate with lacing courses and quoins of Roman brick and tiles, with some pebble rubble. The chancel, north and south chapels and west tower are of red brick in various bonds. The south aisle is of pebble rubble with some reused conglomerate and Roman brick and tile salvaged from the south wall of the nave. The roof is of handmade red clay tiles.

The Chancel

The chancel was enlarged before the 16th century. Its east wall is of red brick in irregular Flemish bond, probably dating from the late 17th century, with a 19th-century window. In the north wall, opening into the north chapel, is an early 17th-century four-centred brick archway of three chamfered orders, with 19th-century jambs; further west is a 19th-century opening for the organ. On the south side is a 16th-century brick arcade of three bays with four-centred arches of three chamfered orders on octagonal pillars and semi-octagonal responds with moulded capitals and bases. The bricks have been coloured and re-pointed with cement mortar, and the west respond is partly restored. There is no chancel-arch. The roof is 19th century.

The North Chapel

The north chapel is early 17th century, repaired in the early 19th century. The east wall is of original red brick in English bond to a height of 1.5 metres, rebuilt above with early 19th-century handmade bricks in Flemish bond. The east window is early 19th century, of two four-centred transomed lights with a chamfered and mitred wooden frame and tracery with a square head. The north and west walls are of early 17th-century brick in English bond with diaper patterns of black headers. The Royal Commission on Historical Monuments reported the initials W P formed in black bricks on the west gable (for William Petre), of which the second letter is now covered by a modern stack. The north doorway is 19th century. The roof is in five cants, plastered, and is probably mainly original.

The South Chapel

The south chapel is reported to have been built as a chantry chapel in 1556. The Royal Commission on Historical Monuments reported a stone in the east wall carved with the initials W.P. and A.P. and a shield carved in relief with the Petre arms; it is now weathered beyond recognition. The chapel is of red brick in English bond, with minor 20th-century repairs. The east window is of three four-centred and transomed lights with a square head and chamfered four-centred rear-arch. In the south wall are two windows, the eastern of three and the western of two plain four-centred lights with square heads. The south-east diagonal buttress is original, the south-west buttress is 19th or 20th century. The roof is in five cants, originally plastered but now stripped, with an ovolo-moulded north wallplate.

The Nave

The late 11th-century nave has a north-west angle of Roman bricks. In the north wall are two windows, 19th century except the splays and rear-arches; the eastern has a segmental rear-arch, the western has chamfered jambs and chamfered semicircular rear-arch. Further west is the partly restored and scraped late 14th-century north doorway with moulded jambs and two-centred head and label. The label stops are much eroded; the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments reported that they were of human faces, the east of a woman with braided hair, circa 1370-80. The rear-arch is chamfered and three-centred; the doorway is blocked internally.

The south arcade is of three bays with four-centred arches of two chamfered orders carried on piers of four-shaft-four-hollow section, with half-columns as responds, all with moulded capitals and bases. East of the arcade on the south side is a blocked doorway of clunch to a former rood-stair, with chamfered jambs and a four-centred arch.

The roof is 14th or 15th century, of crownpost construction, comprising 27 rafter couples all with soulaces, three hollow-chamfered straight tie-beams, and three octagonal crownposts with moulded capitals and bases and four-way bracing. The east tie-beam and crownpost have been renewed, the middle tie-beam has been splinted with steel, and the braces of the west crownpost have been crudely reconstructed from reused timber, not matching the others in design. The wallplates are moulded, with the greater parts renewed.

The South Aisle

The 15th-century south aisle has in its south wall two windows, 19th century except the splays and chamfered segmental-pointed rear-arch of the eastern window, which are probably 15th century. Further west is the 15th-century south doorway with jambs and two-centred head in two chamfered orders, restored externally; internally the jambs and segmental rear-arch are chamfered. In the west wall is a window which is 19th century externally and plastered internally. The roof is 19th century.

The West Tower

The west tower, dating from around 1500, is of red brick in English bond with diaper patterns, crosses and similar features formed in black headers. It is of four stages externally, three internally, with a stepped and crenellated parapet having a corbel-table of trefoiled arches; at the angles are octagonal pinnacles with moulded tops. In the south-east angle is a semi-octagonal stair-turret lit by six plain rectangular loops, and a 19th-century doorway.

The brick tower-arch is two-centred and of two chamfered and two square orders; the jambs are reduced to one chamfered and two square orders, with plain bases; it has been re-pointed with cement mortar. The west window, partly restored, is of three four-centred lights and plain tracery under a four-centred arch, the jambs and arch of two moulded and two chamfered orders. The west doorway is of two moulded and two chamfered orders with a four-centred arch under a square head with recessed spandrels.

The third stage has in the north and south walls a single round-headed light of three square orders; in the west wall is a window, partly restored, of two four-centred lights with jambs and arch of two square orders. The bell-chamber has in the east, north and west walls a window of two four-centred lights under a four-centred head; in the south wall is a similar window of one light; all have jambs and arches of two square orders. The tower has an original floor of heavy joists of horizontal section with a framed bell-trap.

Other Structures

A 19th-century north organ chamber and a 20th-century attached church hall to the north complete the complex.

Fittings

In the south wall of the south aisle is a 15th-century piscina of clunch with a round basin and chamfered two-centred head. Under the arch of the north chapel is a wrought-iron screen of plain pointed strikes with three stanchions surmounted by urns, gate towards the west end, late 17th or early 18th century. On the north wall of the nave, west of the 19th-century pulpit, is a wrought-iron holder for an hour-glass, early 18th century. There are five bells, the third by Peter Hawkins, 1610, the fifth by Miles Graye, 1660. In the chancel is a small brass of a shield of arms, with indent for missing figure, probably of Eustace Bernard, early 16th century, and two other indents for inscription-plates.

Monuments

The church contains an exceptional collection of monuments, predominantly to members of the Petre family.

In the chancel on the south side is the monument to Sir William Petre, Privy Councillor to Edward VI, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, Chancellor of the Order of the Garter, 1571-2, and Anne (Browne) his second wife. The monument comprises an altar-tomb with alabaster effigies of a man in plate armour, head against helmet, feet against crest, and of a lady with close head-dress, brocaded skirt, cloak and fur stole, feet on lozenge of arms. Both effigies rest on a rush mattress. The altar-tomb stands on two steps, its sides divided into three panels by Doric columns of Purbeck and veined marble, each panel enriched with a shell-head and elaborate cartouche of arms; a similar panel appears at each end. In the head of the arch over the tomb, ornamental ironwork supports an alabaster oval plaque with achievement of arms surrounded by a chain with rose pendant encircled by a Garter, attributed to Cornelius Cure, Crown Mason.

In the north chapel is a monument to Mary, widow of Robert, Lord Petre, 1684-5, a plain grey marble altar-tomb with panelled sides and a top of polished touch with lozenge of arms. Also in the north chapel is an elaborate wall-monument of alabaster and marble to John, Lord Petre of Writtle, 1613, Mary (Waldegrave) his wife, and Katherine, daughter of Edward Somerset, Earl of Worcester and wife of William, second Lord Petre, 1624. The monument was erected by William, second Lord Petre. It is of three bays with plinth and canopy. Against the plinth are kneeling figures in high relief of four daughters and eight sons. The three bays are divided by black marble Corinthian columns, the centre bay with a round arch and the side bays with flat arches, all with coffered soffits. In the centre bay on a raised base are figures of a man in armour and a woman, both with fur-lined cloaks and kneeling at a prayer-desk. In the side bays at a lower level are kneeling figures of a woman on the north and a man on the south, similar to those of the centre bay, with a shield of arms behind each. Above is a panelled attic with cornice supporting obelisks and three cartouches of arms.

In the south chapel on the east wall is a monument of various marbles to Robert Petre, 1593, with kneeling figure of man in plate armour under a round arch and flanked by Corinthian columns supporting an entablature with achievement of arms, painted and gilt. Also in the south chapel is a monument to Captain John Troughton, 1621, a marble tablet with oval panel carved in high relief with bust of man in enriched armour with diagonal sash. On each side is a panelled pilaster and over all a broken pediment and oval medallion, attributed to Epiphanius Evesham. A further monument in the south chapel is to Thomas Walmesley, 1775, James Walmesley, 1777, and his sister Mrs Margaret Colegrave 1768, a white marble tablet.

On the north wall of the nave is a monument to Thomas Pease, 1781, and Elizabeth his wife, 1785, a black and white marble tablet with pediment, with three medallions now missing.

Floor Slabs

In the chancel are floor-slabs to Gertrude (Tyrell), first wife of Sir William Petre (1541), in black marble; to Frances, wife of James Austin, 1698, and James Austin, 1699, in black marble with moulded edge and achievement of arms; to Pierce Lloyd, Rector, 1770, in black marble; and to Thomas Brand-Hollis, 1804, in black marble.

In the north chapel are floor-slabs to John Petre, 1669, in black marble with shield of arms; to Brigite (Pynchon), widow of William, Lord Petre, 1694, in black marble with shield of arms; and to Mary, daughter of Thomas, Lord Petre, 1713, in white marble, with lozenge of arms.

In the south chapel are floor-slabs to Robert Manning of Amsterdam, 1730; and to Matthew Fogarty, 1702, with achievement of arms.

Other Features

In the north chapel is a painted royal arms of Charles II dated 1673, and two 18th-century benefactions boards.