Church Of St Bartholomew

The Church of St. Bartholomew is a parish church dating back to the 14th century, with earlier fragments and a restoration in 1863 by R.C. Hussey. The church is constructed of flint with ashlar dressings, and features a plain tile roof. It comprises a nave and chancel, a continuous north aisle, a south porch, and a western tower.

The three-stage tower has a plinth, a C19 board west door within a double hollow-chamfered surround, a two-light window with sexfoil in the head above the door, and single-light belfry openings in the top stage. The restored south porch has C20 board doors set within a double chamfered and roll moulded surround. The chancel roof steps down, while the nave and chancel incorporate three offset buttresses and C19 restored Decorated-style windows, including a small sacristy bell window. The restored east window is a three-light reticulated design. The north aisle contains a series of windows dating from around 1320, with cusped 'Y'-tracery at the east end, three two-light windows on the north wall featuring mouchettes over, and split-cusped trefoils and linking bars to the west windows.

Internally, the tower arch is plain and unmoulded. A three-bay arcade with double chamfered arches spans to the north aisle, supported by octagonal piers. The ceiling is plastered with two tall crown posts. The north aisle extends along the entire north side of the church, with three short octagonal crown posts. A double chamfered chancel arch rests on octagonal piers. The chancel has an arch leading to the aisle, with carved head stops to the hood mould, and features a crown post and plastered roof. There’s a chamfered piscina in the chancel, and an ogee-headed piscina in the north aisle, accompanied by two stone brackets that likely once held statues. Triple sedilia, partially restored, are present in the chancel, featuring shafted arches from around 1300. The west respond displays Romanesque carving from around 1190, depicting St. Martial ordaining a deacon, with an accompanying inscription: SANCTUS MARCIALIS PIUS PATRONCUS.

Notable fittings include two brasses, now located at the west end, dating from around 1420 and commemorating Sir Arnold (d. 1410) and Lady Joan Savage, and Sir Arnold Savage (d. 1420), both of which are damaged. A brass to Joan Bourne (d. 1496) is found on the south nave wall. A hanging monument commemorates Charles and Francis Tufton (d. 1657) on the south nave wall, featuring busts within a segmented pediment supported by Corinthian pillars and a frieze. The north aisle features a black and white wall monument to Henry Sandford of Bobbing Court (d. 1660) and his wife Elizabeth, with busts and a coved, inscribed plaque. A white marble plaque in Latin commemorates William Tyndale (d. 1748) on the chancel south wall; he was responsible for demolishing the main residence in the parish, Bobbing Court. Fragments of early 14th-century stained glass depicting plants are visible in the north-east window of the aisle. Historical records indicate that in 1672, the minister, Titus Oates, fled to sea, later fabricating the Popish Plot of 1678.