The lovely Village of Barling Magna, and nestling at the end of Church Lane is the splendid All Saints Church. The following is a piece from Arthur Mee's book on Essex from 1940. Barling. A very old place on a creek at the mouth of the Roache, its church belongs to St Paul's Cathedral, given to it by Edward the Confessor. The Bishops had a prison in this remote corner of England, and 15 feet of rubble wall on Jail Farm is said to have been part of it. Not far away is the massive medieval tower with slender shingle spire. We come into the church by a modern doorway set in a Norman arch; the other old doorway has been blocked up but still keeps two quaint heads five or six centuries old. The Jacobean pulpit has a great sounding-board, and among the things that are treasured here are ancient pewter plates, a 14th century coffin lid, and fragments of alabaster figures from a medieval reredos with traces of colour still on them./ To present day, whether this was the original site or not for the first holy place in Barling, is not known: many records were lost in the fire of London and so our Knowledge of the earliest church here is scant. The first church in the village was probably made of wood but the present building, is thought to date from the 12th century has seen many additions over the last 900 years. The inhabitants of Barling from every century have left their mark on their place of worship. In 1846, the parish was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester, then to St Albans in 1877. Barling is now in the Diocese of Chelmsford. The Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's however, are still our patrons. In 1933, Barling and Little Wakering became a united benefice. The united benefice came to an end in February 2008 when they became one parish. You are looking for a film pot here, don't forget your scribbler, and Oh! good luck to you. Congrats to BTL on a excellent ftf.🚜
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