Arthur Mee, Mortlock and others record a delightful laxity in religious observance in this parish after the Reformation, the entire parish being hauled before a church court in 1597. Perhaps the villagers were encouraged by their local Lord of the Manor, Ralph Cantrell, who was a recusant Catholic, as many such were. There is a story about him which may even be true, and it explains the apparent pair of porches on the north side, one now used as a vestry.
The story goes that, wary of the monstrous fines imposed for failure to toe the Anglican line, and the prison sentence that would follow for a second offence, Cantrell built himself a little chapel on the side of the parish church. Here, he would repair with his family and servants during divine service, presumably saying their devotions quietly while the Word was preached in the main body of the Church. A squint enabled him to see what was going on, which rather gives the lie to the story, but it is a spendid one nonetheless. And the vestry is known as 'Ralph's Hole' to this very day.
You go in through the north porch, past the WWI Roll of Honour proudly bolted to the wall. You step into a light, airy, entirely rural interior. There are a series of texts in neat little panels around the walls. The one by the south door is dated 1753, pointing to a restoration of the church at that time by a pious churchwarden (a rare thing at that date, one imagines). These Biblical texts are chosen to point out the significance of features and furnishings of the church, which is rather good.
There are plenty of medieval remains. The font is 15th century, and the rood beam survives to delineate the transition from nave to chancel. And, intriguingly on the north side of the nave, William Cantrell's tomb of 1585, looking alarmingly like an altar; although this is quite impossible at such a date (and yet, given what else we know about the history of this parish...) There are loads of interesting memorials on the south walls, and three hatchments, and a piscina - this is really a fascinating church.
The church is always open
All information is from Simon Knotts excellent Suffolk Churches website.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list.
Thanks to Mr. Paul Robinson, church warden, for granting permission to place this cache in the church grounds and to Mrs. Robinson for helping to place it!