Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This is a medieval parish church of 13th and 15th-century origin, located in Easton Neston Park. The building was enlarged with the addition of a north chancel chapel in the mid-18th century, and underwent restoration in 1863 by E.F. Law, with further 20th-century works.

The church is constructed of coursed limestone rubble with limestone and ironstone dressings, and has lead roofs. It comprises a two-bay chancel, north chancel chapel, aisled nave, vestry, south porch, and west tower.

The chancel contains a three-light east window with 19th-century geometrical tracery, a two-light north window with pointed trefoil-headed lights and quatrefoil to the head, and three-light Perpendicular windows to the south with four-centred heads. All windows have hood moulds with label stops. A blocked, roll-moulded south door is set within a massive offset buttress with a pointed arched opening. The chancel has diagonal buttresses, a chamfered plinth, and string course.

The north chapel features a round-arched window to the east with a moulded stone surround and keyblock. Its walls are of ironstone ashlar with limestone angle pilasters and moulded stone eaves. The chapel is raised on a burial vault.

The north aisle has three-light windows to the north with four-centred heads and hood moulds, and a larger similar window to the west. The vestry to the north-west has a three-light hollow-chamfered stone mullion window to the north and a lean-to roof.

The south aisle contains three-light windows to the east and south with straight heads and ogee-arched lights, and a three-light west window with a cinquefoil-headed central light flanked by pointed trefoil-headed lights and three quatrefoils to the head; all have hood moulds. The south doorway is many-moulded with hood mould and label stops, contained within a porch with a continuous chamfered doorway featuring sunk quadrant moulding and hood mould. Above the porch doorway is a niche with a triangular cinquefoiled head, and a small rectangular window to the north side with a stone lintel.

The three-stage west tower has a two-light west window with quatrefoil to the head, similar bell-chamber openings, and one-light windows to the north and south of the middle stage, all with hood moulds. A south door has a four-centred head, with a 20th-century one-light window to the north side of the first stage. A polygonal stair turret to the north-east has cruciform slit windows. The tower has diagonal offset buttresses and a battlemented parapet.

The nave, aisles, and chancel have plain stone-coped parapets.

Interior features include chamfered pointed arched niches in the chancel flanking the east windows, with traces of medieval wall-painting. A piscina with shafts, cusped head, shelf, and drain is present, along with a sedile with similar head and shafts. The round-headed arch to the chapel has moulded abaci and keyblock. A squint connects the chancel and south aisle.

The nave has a chamfered chancel arch and three-bay arcades with octagonal piers, moulded bases and capitals, polygonal responds, and chamfered arches. The Perpendicular roof, much restored, rests on painted head corbels.

The north aisle contains a piscina with a cusped head and traces of medieval wall-painting on the jambs of a former east window, overlaid by 16th and 17th-century texts. A window is partly blocked and filled by an arch to the 18th-century chancel chapel, similar to that in the chancel.

The south aisle has a many-moulded piscina.

An octagonal font with stiff-leaf foliage is present. The church contains a complete set of 18th-century box pews and a double-decker pulpit with marquetry to the panels and sounding board. A communion rail with twisted balusters and a communion table, both dating to around 1700, are also preserved.

A Royal Arms of George IV, dated 1825, is painted in oil on board. Five Fermor hatchments in oil on canvas are displayed.

The east window's stained glass is said to have been designed by Sir F. Shuckburgh and made by F and C. Crace. Other windows are signed by T. Crace, dated 1841.

The church contains numerous monuments of significance. A chest tomb with brasses commemorates Richard Fermor, a merchant of the Staple of Calais and purchaser of the manor (died 1552), and his wife Anne. The brasses are a palimpsest of earlier brasses dating to around 1480–1525. A wall monument to Sir John Farmer (died 1577) and his wife Dame Maude features small figures kneeling at a prayer desk facing each other, executed in limestone and alabaster with an apron and cartouche of arms above.

A large alabaster monument to Sir George Farmer (died 1612) and Dame Mary (died 1628) displays two recumbent effigies, with children kneeling in relief at the front of the tomb chest. An arch behind is supported by Corinthian columns, its head filled by a scalloped fan with pennons. Strapwork appears in the spandrels, with obelisks and an achievement of arms flanked by allegorical figures. This monument is attributed to Jasper Hollemans.

A marble wall monument of similar size to Sir Hatton Fermor, erected in 1662, features life-size standing figures of Sir Hatton and his wife with a bust between them, flanked by black marble Corinthian pillars. Three female half-figures at prayer appear on the cornice with obelisk finials. This is attributed to Pierre Besnier.

A marble wall monument in the chapel commemorates Anne Fermor (died 1740) and has an obelisk background.

A white marble wall monument by Chantry in the style of a Greek stele, erected in 1819, commemorates the 2nd Earl of Pomfret (died 1785) and his wife Anne Marie (died 1787), with relief figures bidding farewell.

A white marble wall monument to the 3rd Earl of Pomfret (died 1830) features a life-size male figure seated by an urn.

A large monument in Grecian style commemorates Peter Denys (died 1816) and Lady Charlotte Denys (died 1835), with relief of three female genii hovering over a draped urn and sarcophagus, with acroteria and an urn on top. This and the preceding monuments are by E.H. Baily.

Other 19th and 20th-century monuments to members of the Fermor and Fermor-Hesketh families are also present.