A Walk Around the Interior of St Edward, King and Martyr Church
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A Walk Around the Interior of St Edward, King and Martyr Church. Goathurst Church is an ancient, possibly Saxon foundation. Until 2004 it was part of a United Benefice that included Spaxton, Aisholt, Enmore and Goathurst. This Benefice is now united with Nether Stowey and Over Stowey to form a new United Benefice – the Quantocks Villages Benefice. The Church is referred to in "England's Thousand Best Churches" by Simon Jenkins Foreword Our Village Church is well loved and cared for and we welcome you as visitors. This booklet is intended as a ‘walk-around’ document. Please carry it around the building with you as you explore. Eventually we hope to have finalised versions available for visitors to take away but this copy is unique so please return it to the bookcase where you found it as you leave. There is an electronic version available to download on our website Goathurst Church has possessed a guidebook written by Richard Ansell and updated by Ken Howison for at least 25 years. There was a wealth of well- researched information within that document. This document uses much of their text but reorders it and adds further or updated information so that visitors can meander through the church, access their scholarship and read extra information as they please. We apologise for this plagiarism – italicised passages are taken directly from this source. In addition the splendid black and white line drawings by Ken Howison have also been retained whilst further photos have also been included. Here is his drawing of the church from twenty years or so back. Overleaf is a diagram of the church with some of the features of interest noted. 2 The Church of St Edward, King and Martyr Notable features as described in the guidebook 14th Century Piscina Must see ! Pulpit (1630) and Tester (1690) Nollekens monument to Sir Charles Kemys Tynte (Pevsner comments on this) Tudor Painting showing assassination of the patron saint 15th Century Font Early 18th Century panelling Hatchments th Unique 18 Century Clock (outside the Church). Single hand. 3 Welcome then to St Edwards – we hope you find God’s House in Goathurst both rewarding and relaxing. If you find a church member here they will be pleased to show you round. However if you are relying on this booklet then… Please stand with your back to the door through which you entered and look straight across the aisle. Between the two vast monuments you will see a small picture – painted by Andsell - which explains the dedication of the church. It is not to St Edward the Confessor but to St Edward, King and Martyr. This dedication is unusual: ours is one of only a few churches dedicated to this young Saxon King, believed to have been murdered on the orders of his step-mother, Elfrida, in 978, at Corfe in Dorset. The dedication could suggest a tenth century foundation for Goathurst Church, and the simple rectangular nave and chancel plan reflects a basic pre-conquest arrangement of a probably smaller building.The visitor’s eyes are drawn immediately to the those two vast monuments. The north wall of the nave is dominated by two cathedral- sized mural monuments. That on the left is the monument to THE REVEREND SIR JOHN TYNTE who was the Rector from 1731- 1740: he died unmarried in 1742. The monument bears a bust of Sir John and is in the baroque style. It was designed by J.M. Rysbrack (1696- 1770) and erected by his brother Sir Charles Kemeys Tynte. To the right stands the enormous monument to SIR CHARLES KEMEYS TYNTE who died in 1785. Sir Charles was the younger brother to Sir John and a great benefactor to the church, and founder of the nearby Almshouses. As the beautiful italic inscription announces he "served his country in five parliaments" being a Member first for Monmouth, then Somerset. An allegorical figure, probably representing Fame, is extinguishing a torch. She leans, mourning, upon a pedestal from which is hung a cameo-like portrait of Sir Charles who appears to be gazing across the nave to his pew. 4 The monument was designed by Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823), one of the founder members of the Royal Academy-.' It is signed on the bottom right- hand corner. Those interested in the monuments will be able to refer to another document detailing those both within and without the church. In this walk-about we simply ‘draw the eye’. So now turn to your left and look upwards. Above the arch of the tower will be seen a painting often missed by visitors since that area is dark. This is the ROYAL ARMS. The accounts for 1707mention payment of £3 -5s -0d to a Mr. Wist for painting the "King's" arms. NB The "King" at that date was Queen Anne so perhaps this is a mistake! The arms are those of the Stuarts, but one of the lions has been altered into a lion of Nassau, part of the arms of Hanover, as if it had been made to keep up with the times on the accession of King George I. Below, is the font itself. Howison’s line drawing THE FONT Octagonal and carved with Quatrefoils, it is in the Perpendicular style and dates from about 1450. There are indications that the cover was originally fitted with a hinge and lock, a medieval practice to prevent witches from stealing holy water. Now walk past the font into the tower belfry. The tower itself is best viewed from the outside of the church but here are its details. 5 The Tower, plain for Somerset, belongs to an older church of the fourteenth century; there is stylistic evidence for this in the rich mouldings of the tower archway, which are distinctly of the Decorated period. There are also slight clues on the north side of the exterior of the tower which is not bonded in to the nave walls. The windows in the tower are fifteenth century and were probably added when the Perpendicular nave was built. The massive buttresses may also have been constructed at this time. Now look up to the fine West Window. If you are visiting in the later afternoon the sun may be streaming through this window. The west window glass dates from 1885 and is in memory of the Rev. Francis Crane Parsons MA., Rector 1845- 1871. It shows St. Edward in the centre flanked by St. Peter and St.Paul: scenes of their martyrdoms occur at the base of the window. Once in the belfry the most noticeable feature are the large square boards on the north and south walls. As described below, these are Hatchments On the walls of the belfry under the tower are to be seen a fine collection of Hatchments commemorating the Kemeys Tynte family of Halswell House, created Lords Wharton in 1545. When a death took place in the family it was the custom to hang one of these heraldic achievements above the front door of Halswell House: there it remained for a month after the funeral,after which it was removed into the church. The deceased's side of the coat of arms was painted black. The Hatchments, which are of eighteenth century date, and interesting heraldically, came to be stored in the Almshouses next to the church and were arranged here under the tower in 1910. For those interested in heraldry details are displayed by the hatchments. 6 The next feature to strike one’s eyes are the panels on the North wall (on the right) Painted Panelling lines the north wall of the Belfry. Figures of King David, the Four Evangelists and a female with a harp can be made out although the paintings have suffered much from damp and damage. They date from the first half of the eighteenth century. We know that they too were discovered in the "Poor House", and were placed here in 1902. There is documentary evidence for a western gallery for the "Quior" and instrumentalists and these panels probably formed part of this. On the south wall of the belfry there is a board detailing the setting up of the Goathurst Charity whilst opposite there are details of payments made. The Board with the list of Charities cost £8 -5s -2d in 1832. (£8.26 in current coinage!) Some clue as to the instrumentalists can be gained by the costs and nature of their instruments. Church bands were a common feature of the period but were also a cause of great friction in many churches with the incumbent. Sometimes today organist and bell ringers and incumbents have similar disagreements. From the Church Warden's accounts: one violincello purchased in February 1826 for three guineas, togetherwith a green baize bag in which to keep it, costing 6s -2d. Two flutes and a type of clarinet were also purchased. Mr William Parker, who also did carpentry repairs, played the 'cello for thirty- three years, receiving 5sh a year for new strings; he received 7sh for a new bow in 1846. His wife or daughter, Elizabeth, had already made a new bag for the instrument in December 1842, costing only 3d. Note the bell ringers ‘instructions’ also on the wall with penalties for dereliction of duty. 7 The Tower contains a ring of six bell whose ropes may be seen in the far corners of the south and north west corners of the belfry. At present the bells are silenced because of a cracked bell awaiting repair. We await grants and donations. The bells were repaired in 1928 when one bell was recast by John Taylor of Loughborough.