St Mary's Church, Elsing
Encyclopedia
St Mary's is an Anglican parish church in Elsing
, a small village and civil parish in the Breckland
district of Norfolk
, England. The 14th-century church was built to a single plan in Decorated Gothic style by a local knight
and has remained largely unaltered to the present day. The church contains a brass monument of national importance, a tall medieval font cover and rood screen paintings. The chancel retains some stained glass contemporary with the construction of the building.
of 1087. The church was rebuilt by Sir Hugh de Hastings, and his wife Margaret in around 1330 to a single uniform plan. Sir Hugh, whose maternal grandfather was the powerful earl Hugh le Despenser
, was summoned to parliament by King Edward III
with whom he was on good terms and who seems to have been a mourner at Hugh's funeral, as shown on his memorial brass. Some masonry from an earlier church survives in the west wall of the nave. Wall paintings discovered around 1860 and subsequently plastered over showed four scenes in the story of John the Baptist
in 14th-century style. The first scene, which seems to have been hastily plastered over, was said by the rector to have shown Herodias
dancing before Herod with her attitude "rolicking and bent to the ground, so that her auburn hair touched the very ground." Of the other scenes which were traced and recorded at the time scene two showed John the Baptist preaching before Herod and Herodias and scene three John coming from the prison watched by Herodias wearing 14th-century style shoes. Scene four was described as the best preserved, showing John about to be decapitated.
Lying on a medieval pilgrimage route to Walsingham
the church also venerated St Anne, who is shown teaching the Virgin in a painted rood screen panel. Another panel shows the Visitation, with Elizabeth shown in nun's habit.
In the 20th century a small organ built by Norman and Beard in 1901 was installed in the north-east corner of the nave.
with stone dressings and stands at the centre of a rectangular churchyard. The tower at the western end has battlements with an early example of flushwork panelling. The bell openings have reticulated tracery, with two minor reticulation units within the major one. The nave, without pillars or aisles, is nearly 40 feet (12.2 m) wide, the widest among Norfolk’s parish churches, giving a large preaching space as pioneered by the mendicants. The nave and chancel have battlemented parapets and a pantiled roof built in 1781, supported by kingposts on arched ties, which solved earlier problems caused by the width of the nave. The nave has three large three-light windows on each side with Curvilinear tracery based on the petal motif. The west door is of Perpendicular style opening into the nave through a tall narrow tower arch. There are both north and south doors with porches, all having boldly cusped ogee arches. The floor is of buff pamment stone.
The chancel has a five-light east window with intricate Curvilinear tracery and three other two-light windows. Now with mostly plain glass the east window was recorded in the 1860s as having figures of Sir Hugh and Lady de Hastings holding a model of the church. The south-east window contains a small stained glass figure of the Virgin from a Coronation dating from the building of the church and a slightly later apostle in red and brown of about 1375. The south-west window has two complete apostles, one in green and yellow and the other in brown and lilac. The plain sedilia and piscina niche have ogee arches. In the southeast corner is a vestry with a Y-tracery window. Against the south wall is the tomb-chest of Dame Anne Browne (died 1623) with a black marble lid and an inscription in black lettering on the wall.The brass of Sir Hugh Hastings has been lifted from the church floor and mounted on a plinth at the centre of the chancel.
as “the most sumptuous of all English church brasses”. With some parts missing it shows a 5 in 6 in (1.68 m) long figure in armour with hands together in prayer while two angels hold his pillows. In the cusped arch above tiny angels receive his soul. In a gable above this is a mounted St George spearing a devil in an octofoiled circle. Above this are two plaques with the Coronation of the Virgin between two angels in the corners. To the left and right four tiers of mourning figures represent Edward III, Thomas Beauchamp Earl of Warwick, Lord Grey of Ruthyn, Henry Plantagenet Earl of Lancaster, the Earl of Pembroke, Edward Despenser, Ralph de Stafford, and Almeric, Lord St Amand. Pembroke and Despenser are now missing.
Originally decorated with coloured glass and coloured pastes the brass is now mounted on a low plinth at the centre of the chancel and kept covered for protection. A replica which can be used for brass rubbings is displayed in the north-west corner of the nave.
, hung for change ringing
, however the bells are not ringable. The second, third and fifth bells were cast in 1622 by William and Alice Brend, the fourth in 1660 by Elias Brend and the treble in 1705 by Thomas Newman. The second, third and fourth are listed by the Church of England as being of historical significance as good examples of their respective founders' work, and the frame in which the bells hang is also regarded as being historically important.
Elsing
Elsing is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some 6 miles north-east of the town of East Dereham and 12 miles north-west of the city of Norwich....
, a small village and civil parish in the Breckland
Breckland (district)
Breckland District is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in East Dereham.Breckland District derives its name from the Breckland landscape region, a gorse covered sandy heath of south Norfolk and north Suffolk...
district of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England. The 14th-century church was built to a single plan in Decorated Gothic style by a local knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
and has remained largely unaltered to the present day. The church contains a brass monument of national importance, a tall medieval font cover and rood screen paintings. The chancel retains some stained glass contemporary with the construction of the building.
History
Elsing is recorded as having a church, endowed with 18 acres (7.3 ha) of land, in the Domesday SurveyDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1087. The church was rebuilt by Sir Hugh de Hastings, and his wife Margaret in around 1330 to a single uniform plan. Sir Hugh, whose maternal grandfather was the powerful earl Hugh le Despenser
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
Hugh le Despenser , sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England....
, was summoned to parliament by King Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
with whom he was on good terms and who seems to have been a mourner at Hugh's funeral, as shown on his memorial brass. Some masonry from an earlier church survives in the west wall of the nave. Wall paintings discovered around 1860 and subsequently plastered over showed four scenes in the story of John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
in 14th-century style. The first scene, which seems to have been hastily plastered over, was said by the rector to have shown Herodias
Herodias
Herodias was a Jewish princess of the Herodian Dynasty. Asteroid 546 Herodias is named after her.-Family relationships:*Daughter of Aristobulus IV...
dancing before Herod with her attitude "rolicking and bent to the ground, so that her auburn hair touched the very ground." Of the other scenes which were traced and recorded at the time scene two showed John the Baptist preaching before Herod and Herodias and scene three John coming from the prison watched by Herodias wearing 14th-century style shoes. Scene four was described as the best preserved, showing John about to be decapitated.
Lying on a medieval pilgrimage route to Walsingham
Walsingham
Walsingham is a village in the English county of Norfolk. The village is famed for its religious shrines in honour of the Virgin Mary and as a major pilgrimage centre...
the church also venerated St Anne, who is shown teaching the Virgin in a painted rood screen panel. Another panel shows the Visitation, with Elizabeth shown in nun's habit.
In the 20th century a small organ built by Norman and Beard in 1901 was installed in the north-east corner of the nave.
Architecture
The church is built of flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
with stone dressings and stands at the centre of a rectangular churchyard. The tower at the western end has battlements with an early example of flushwork panelling. The bell openings have reticulated tracery, with two minor reticulation units within the major one. The nave, without pillars or aisles, is nearly 40 feet (12.2 m) wide, the widest among Norfolk’s parish churches, giving a large preaching space as pioneered by the mendicants. The nave and chancel have battlemented parapets and a pantiled roof built in 1781, supported by kingposts on arched ties, which solved earlier problems caused by the width of the nave. The nave has three large three-light windows on each side with Curvilinear tracery based on the petal motif. The west door is of Perpendicular style opening into the nave through a tall narrow tower arch. There are both north and south doors with porches, all having boldly cusped ogee arches. The floor is of buff pamment stone.
The chancel has a five-light east window with intricate Curvilinear tracery and three other two-light windows. Now with mostly plain glass the east window was recorded in the 1860s as having figures of Sir Hugh and Lady de Hastings holding a model of the church. The south-east window contains a small stained glass figure of the Virgin from a Coronation dating from the building of the church and a slightly later apostle in red and brown of about 1375. The south-west window has two complete apostles, one in green and yellow and the other in brown and lilac. The plain sedilia and piscina niche have ogee arches. In the southeast corner is a vestry with a Y-tracery window. Against the south wall is the tomb-chest of Dame Anne Browne (died 1623) with a black marble lid and an inscription in black lettering on the wall.The brass of Sir Hugh Hastings has been lifted from the church floor and mounted on a plinth at the centre of the chancel.
Hastings brass
The brass memorial to Sir Hugh Hastings (died 1347), the largest of all English church brasses, has been described by Nikolaus PevsnerNikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
as “the most sumptuous of all English church brasses”. With some parts missing it shows a 5 in 6 in (1.68 m) long figure in armour with hands together in prayer while two angels hold his pillows. In the cusped arch above tiny angels receive his soul. In a gable above this is a mounted St George spearing a devil in an octofoiled circle. Above this are two plaques with the Coronation of the Virgin between two angels in the corners. To the left and right four tiers of mourning figures represent Edward III, Thomas Beauchamp Earl of Warwick, Lord Grey of Ruthyn, Henry Plantagenet Earl of Lancaster, the Earl of Pembroke, Edward Despenser, Ralph de Stafford, and Almeric, Lord St Amand. Pembroke and Despenser are now missing.
Originally decorated with coloured glass and coloured pastes the brass is now mounted on a low plinth at the centre of the chancel and kept covered for protection. A replica which can be used for brass rubbings is displayed in the north-west corner of the nave.
Font and font cover
The single stemmed Decorated style octagonal font has each wave of a frieze filled with an ogee trefoil and with battlements above. Suspended by a rope from the roof above is a tall and highly ornate font cover in Perpendicular Gothic style with carved figures, some original, in niches between diagonal pierced vanes with rich crocheting topped by a spire and winged angel.Bells
The tower contains a ring of five bellsRing of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
, hung for change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
, however the bells are not ringable. The second, third and fifth bells were cast in 1622 by William and Alice Brend, the fourth in 1660 by Elias Brend and the treble in 1705 by Thomas Newman. The second, third and fourth are listed by the Church of England as being of historical significance as good examples of their respective founders' work, and the frame in which the bells hang is also regarded as being historically important.