Stanton Prior

STANTON PRIOR MEMORIAL INSCRIPTIONS 2017 Stanton Prior – Memorial Inscriptions Author: P J Bendall Date: 27-Oct-2017 Status: Issue 1 Issue 1 ii Stanton Prior – Memorial Inscriptions Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Layout ............................................................................................................ 4 Churchyard ....................................................................................................... 5 Missing Inscriptions ........................................................................................... 38 Internal Memorials ............................................................................................ 40 Plaques ................................................................................................... 40 Ledger Stones ........................................................................................... 43 Windows ................................................................................................. 44 Index ............................................................................................................ 48 Issue 1 iii Stanton Prior – Memorial Inscriptions Issue 1 iv Stanton Prior – Memorial Inscriptions Introduction restored. At morning service there was a celebration of all who had helped in any way, and especially to thank the Holy Communion, the sermon being preached by the God that this good work had been brought to a successful Rector, the Rev. W. S. Browne. In the afternoon the Rev. completion. After some time spent in listening to good and J. Wood, Minister of Christ Church, Bath, delivered an pleasant words, and the interchange of friendly greetings, impressive discourse to a full and attentive congregation. the party separated, apparently much pleased with the The collections in aid of the restoration fund amounted to day, and glad of the joyful occasion which had called them £17 15s. The work has been carried out, under the together. supervision of Mr. C. E. Davis, by Messrs. R. Mann, Hunt, We have been furnished with the following and Gregory. The church fitted with open sittings for 90 architectural details :—The parish church at Stanton Prior persons, which is ample accommodation for the small consists of a western tower, nave, chancel, and north population. The chancel is handsomely paved with porch, which latter has every appearance from the encaustic tiles, which form also the characteristic feature thickness of the walls and other particulars, of formerly of the reredos. The five windows of the chancel are filled being the lower storey of an early tower. The porch is with stained glass by Messrs. Lavers and Barraud, that at entered by unrecessed pointed arch springing from square the east end representing the Agony, Crucifixion, and impost, Norman Transition in style. During the restoration Burial of our Lord. The west window has been restored in some black letter incised inscriptions were discovered, memory of the late Rector by members of his family, and and in the eastern wall was also found recess with a stone will shortly filled with stained glass by Hardman. On the slab, on which were similar inscriptions ; this recess was The church of St Lawrence, Stanton Prior following Wednesday the parishioners were regaled with evidently built to receive bread dole, possibly the weekly a plentiful tea in a fine old barn, which was tastefully gift of the former priors of Bath. Walled into the recess From the Bath Chronicle of Thu 4 Mar 1869 p8: decorated for the occasion. The entertainment was was an early benitia or stoup; this has been removed to graced by the presence of Mr. and Lady Anna Gore Langton the west wall. The doorway is plain, but above is a simple and family, who, with the parishioners generally, made up Perpendicular tabernacle, on which were found remnants a large and pleasant party. After tea Mr. Gore Langton of the original painting and which formerly enclosed congratulated the people upon the successful figure, probably the patron saint, St. Lawrence. The door accomplishment of a work that had long been needed in and tabernacle are somewhat singularly surmounted by a their parish, and hoped that they would value more and pointed arch comprising almost the whole wall. Within the more their beautiful church, and constantly resort to it. eastern jamb of the door was discovered another holy Having alluded in very kind terms to the Rector, he was water stoup, which has been retained. The architectural followed by the Rev. W. S. Browne, who thanked his features of the interior were a Perpendicular western parishioners for so kindly coming with one accord to tower and plain arch with Perpendicular nave, lighted by celebrate the event which he had been looking forward to square headed windows on the south side, and a good ever since he came to Stanton Prior. He thanked their Perpendicular tabernacle in the centre. The chancel of far good Squire, who, with his well known liberality, had so less elevation than the nave was divided from it by an substantially aided the work ; he thanked the poor for opening in the wall of no particular form with the their offering of a new Bible for the church ; and he was remnants of what appeared to be tie mullions of a screen. From the Bath Chronicle of Thu 21 Oct 1869 p7: glad to have the opportunity of thanking Mrs. Taylor (wife Four very small windows lighted the chancel with a very On Sunday, Oct. 10, the church of St. Lawrence, of the churchwarden) for having voluntarily collected poor late decorated east window. The font is octagonal Stanton Prior, was re-opened, after having been closed for amongst her friends and neighbours between and £60 upon an earlier base. The restorations are—an entire four months, during which time it has been thoroughly towards the restoration fund. In short he desired to thank recasing of the whole of the walls with the local lias stone Issue 1 1 Stanton Prior – Memorial Inscriptions with bands of freestone, the erection of a new Norman at display or extravagance, and is good keeping with the From the Bath Chronicle of Sat 23 Jul 1932 p21: Transition chancel arch, three-light Early English east simplicity of the original edifice and the requirements of The hope that Stanton Prior would be allowed to window, and the restoration of the other windows of the the proper celebration of our services. A simple stone preserve it ancient name, and that the suggestion of the chancel as well as those of the nave. In removing the wall pulpit is the nave of similar character, with an oak lectern County Council that it should in future be known as Lower work of the nave it was discovered that the walls were The seats are open and the font is raised upon steps at the Marksbury “or some equally inappropriate term,” would originally of the same height as the chancel, and as upon entrance. never come to pass, was expressed by Countess Temple in removing the chancel opening it was clear that the walls opening a garden fete at Stanton Prior Rectory on July were plastered behind that work, it appears that the The earliest register dates from 1572. On the first 16th in aid of the Church Repair Fund. church had formerly no distinct marking of chancel, nave, page is written: The Rector (the Rev. F. W. Cresswell) explained the &c. Might it not, therefore, have been the mere object of the fund which was to defray the cost of urgent conventual church of the Priory rather than the parish Stanton Prior repairs to the church. church ? In Perpendicular times the whole of the present Stanton Prior Church, he said, was an ancient and Regyster Booke windows of the nave were inserted, the walls raised and beautiful building, but like others of similar age was in the open timber roof, now throw open, erected* the roof Anno dni 1572, tempore Johannes constant need of repairs. During the last year the church are two shields, one the arms of the Bath Abbey, the other Prymer Rectoris ibidem had had to be completely re-floored, and now they were those of Hungerford—the latter gives the date of the roof faced with the need of considerable repairs to the fabric. ; this family formerly possessed this manor with that of At the end of this register under a title ‘Briefes’ is a . Newton St. Loe adjoining. In removing the western wall of list of collections for various causes. One dated 10 the chancel to enable the erection of the chancel arch, no Aug 1670 was for ‘captured seamen by the Turkes’ From Primitive Sun Dials or Scratch Dials ― trace of original arch was discovered, or any, except a few with 10s. 5d. collected. Raids by Barbary pirates on Containing a list of those in Somerset by Dom fragments, of the Perpendicular screen which has been the southern coast of England to capture slaves was Ethelbert Horne (1858-1952), (The Wessex Press, preserved - but resting on this wall were the fillings of the Taunton 1917) p52: panels of the roof, which from their decoration originally prevalent in the mid-1600s. A petition to King surmounted the rood. There could, therefore, have Charles I in 1641 referred to ‘the violence of the STANTON PRIOR CHURCH originally been no chancel arch, although there must have Turkish pirates . thousands of His Majesty's 66. This dial is on the first buttress from the W. end, on been some work to fill up the space between the subjects have been taken by them, and do still the S. side. It is 5 feet above the ground. The diameter of difference of height between the chancel and nave - this remain in miserable slavery’. Despite various the outer circle is 7¾ inches, the next circle ¾ of an inch less. Inside this, a circle of ⅝ of an inch less, and the may have been filled with shinglings to be substituted by treaties, it was only in 1816 that an attack by the more permanent work, which from circumstances was innermost one ⁵/₁₆ of an inch less. The stylehole is 1¾ Dutch and British on Algiers led to the freeing of inches deep, and a portion of the style seems to be never commenced. In restoring chancel the jamb of one 3,000 Christian slaves and the reduction in this window was found to the portion of column, and in that remaining in it.

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