Church Plate in Kent
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Archaeologia Cantiana Vol. 25 1902 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. BT THE KEY. C. E. WOODIttJFF, M.A. ABOUT fifteen years ago the late Canon W. A. Scott Robertson printed, in the sixteenth Volume of our Society's Traiisac - tions, a chronological list of the Church Plate in the various parishes of the county, prefaced by forty pages of valuable introductory matter. This admirable piece of work, how- ever, was incomplete in two respects : the list did not include all the churches (from some parishes no returns were received); and further, no pieces of plate acquired after the year 1760 were entered. ID the following volume of Arcluno- logia Cantiana (Vol. XVII.) Canon Scott Eobertson com- menced a full inventory of the plate in each parish, taken in alphabetical order. Unfortunately, owing to failing- health he was unable to complete what he had begun so well, and his inventory—carried no further than the letter C—ends with an account of the sacred vessels belonging to Canterbury Cathedral. The present writer having been requested by the Council of our Society to continue and,, if possible, complete the list of church plate within the county, has considered it advisable to abandon the arrangement previously adopted, and to group the parishes, not alphabetically, but in their respective deaneries—a plan very generally followed by other archgeological societies, and onewhich seems to offer a better prospect of ultimatelymaking the inventory complete. The first instalment, which is now offered to our Members, comprises the church plate of the deaneries of East Charing, Ospringe, and Westbere; and the thanks of the Society are due to the incumbents of the various parishes for their obliging courtesy in making the necessary returns, and in permitting the examination of the sacred vessels in their keeping, In the Deanery of East Charing TOIi. XXT, I 114 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. great assistance has been rendered by the Eev. H. W. Russell, Rector of Hothfield, and in that of Westbere by Mr. C. H. Woodruff. The Rey. J. A. Boodlle, Rural Dean of Ospringe, has given kindly help in that deanery ; while to Mr. F. C. Jackman of Faversham we are indebted for the excellent photographs of the interesting Elizabethan cups at Faversham and Oare. The style of printing- adopted has been copied from that used by the Rev. T. S. Cooper in his Inventory of Surrey Church Plate, commenced in Vol. X., and continued in subsequent volumes of the Surrey Society's Collections, as it seemed to afford a clear and concise model. During the last fifteen years so much has been done to facilitate the reading of the marks on Old English plate (especially by Mr. Wilfrid Cripps in the later editions of his valuable work on the subject), that it seems no longer necessary, when the marks are clearly those of the London Hall, to do more than state the fact^ and give the date in accordance with Mr. Cripps's table of date-letters. The deaneries now dealt with afford no specimens of any great rarity. There are no pre-Reformation vessels; indeed, within the whole county the late Canon Scott Robertson could only discover two Mediaeval patens, and not a single chalice, but several of the pieces are of considerable interest and beauty, notably the fine standing cup at Charing, the Elizabethan cups at Hothfield and Oare, and the Elizabethan pear-shaped flagons at Westwell. Modern vessels have been added to the church plate of several parishes during the past fifteen years. Some of them are of considerable value, and good specimens of revived Mediaeval taste, while others leave not a little to be desired in this respect; but in no case have we to lament the aliena- tion of ancient vessels consecrated to sacred uses in order to make way for a pseudo-Mediaeval set from the " Church furnisher." It may not be out of place here to offer a word of advice as to the cleaning of old silver. Those who have examined many pieces of church plate are only too familiar with the scratched surface which so often mars the beauty of the hammered silver, caused by constant rubbing with plate CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. 115 powder in order to produce a polish. With the church plate of Stinsford in Dorsetshire are preserved the following instructive directions, dated 1737 : "To keep the Gilt Plate clean,, from the silversmith who made it" (the celebrated Paul Lamerie), " clean it now and then with only warm water and soap, with a sponge, and then wash it with clean water, and dry it very well with a soft Linnen Cloth, and keep it in a dry place, for the damp will spoyle it."* With which we may compare the instruction given by the silver- smith who made the church plate for Carlisle Cathedral in 1679: "Be careful to wipe with a clean soft linnen cloath, and if there chance to be any stains or spotts that will not easily come off with a little water, the cloath being dipped therein, and so rub the Chalice and flagons from the topp to the Bottome, not crosswise, but the Bason and Patens are to be rubba roundwise, not acrosse, and by no means use either chalhe, sand, or salt."^ " These simple directions" (says Mr. Cripps) " are still as good a guide as those can wish for who value their old silver and silver-gilt plate." The weights, unless otherwise stated, are given in avoir- dupois. As the object in giving the weight is merely to facilitate identification, it has not been thought necessary to reduce to troy weight. O.E.P. = Old English Plate, Sixth Edition, by W. J. Cripps, P.S.A. G-.A. = Grilda Awrifabrorum, 1890, by W. Chaffers. * CliurcU Plate of Dorset. 1889. Nightingale, t Cripps's Old English Plate, Sixth Edition, p. 15. 116 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. EAST CHARING DEANERY. ASHFORU, CHRIST CHURCH. EGERTON. „ ST. MART. GREAT CHART. BOUGHTON ALUPH, HOTHFIELD. BOUGHTON MALHERBE. KENNINGTON. CHARING. LITTLE CHART. CHARING HEATH. PLITCKLEY. EASTWELL. WESTWELL. ASHJFOKD, CHEIST CHTJECH (CHAPEL OF BASE). 1. A Chalice of Silver. Height, 8f inches; diameter, 3-^- inches mouth, 4| inches foot; weight, 14 ozs. London Hall Marks of 1844. Maker's mark, E.H. The sacred monogram within rays appears on the bowl. The stem is of baluster shape. 2. A Paten of Silver. Diameter, 9£ inches; weight, 16^ ozs. London Hall Marks of 1835. Maker's mark, P.S. (Paul Storr). Sacred monogram in the centre. 3. A Flagon of Silver. Height, 11 inches; diameter, 3^ inches ; weight, 50^ ozs. Marks as on No. 2. A tankard-shaped vessel with spout and lid, surmounted by a Latin cross. The Plate was presented by the South-Eastern Eailway Company, and " S.E.E." has been roughly scratched on the pieces." CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. 117 ASHFORD, ST. MARY.* 1. A Chalice of Silver. Height, 7f inches; diameter of mouth 4>\ inches, of foot 4£ inches; weight, 15-fV ozs. No Hall Marks. Maker's mark, C.B. (circa 1620). Plain bell-shaped bowl, plain collar; a simple moulding between the collar and the bowl. 2. A Ohalice of Silver. Height, 7f inches; diameter of mouth 4£ inches, of foot 4£ inches; weight, 14-*- ozs. London Hall Marks of 1632. Maker's mark, an escallop shell in a shaped stamp. Bound the inside of the foot is inscribed " Ashford, An0 Dom. 1633, 13 oz. 12 dwts., Cost £3 :16s/*." Of similar shape to No. 1. 3. A Flagon of Silver. Height, 14 inches; diameter of mouth 44 inches, of foot 7£ inches; weight, 55f ozs. London Hall Marks of 1710 (new sterling). Maker's mark, Bo., a mitre above and a mullet below the letters, in a shaped stamp (John Bodington). Tankard-shaped with domed lid surmounted by a round knob. On the front of the drum is inscribed " Ashford, March 27, 1711," with the sacred monogram surrounded by rays. Beneath the foot is engraved "51 . 13." 4. A Flagon of Silver. Weight, 57f ozs. Measurements, marks, and inscription as on No. 3. 5. A Paten of Silver. Diameter, 6 inches; weight, 5f ozs. London Hall Marks of 1784. Maker's mark, H.B. (Hester Bateman). Plain, with a beaded rim. 6. A Paten of Silver. Marks and measurements as No. 5. 7. A Paten of Silver. Marks and measurements as No. 5. * The Churoh Plate of this parish was fully described by the late Canon 80066 Bobertson in Arckceologia, Oantiana, Vol. XVII., p. 2S2. 118 CHURCH 1>LATE IN KENT. 8. A Chalice of Silver, gilt.* Height, 8| inches; diameter of mouth 4£inches, of foot 6| inches; weight, 25| ozs. London Hall Marks of 1896. Makers' mark, W.K. (Keith and Co.). This is a very handsome Chalice of Mediaeval shape. The plain conical bowl, which is set in a small engrailed calix, is supported by a hexagonal stem having traceried openings both above and below the knop, which is jewelled with six amethysts. The spread of the foot has six compartments, upon one of which is a Crucifix in relief, and on the others circular bosses set with amethysts. There is a cresting at the junction of the stein and foot, and the spread of the latter terminates in a vertical edge pierced with quatrefoils, below which is a sexfoil with mullet points between the convex lobes. Under the foot is the name of the makers, " Keith and Co., London," and the following inscription: " Presented by the Vicar to the Parish Church of Ashford, Kent, in memory of his uncle Thomas Walker, September 1896.