All Saints, Theydon Garnon
When I set this cache the church
wasn’t open, but I called the number listed in the porch and the
lady kindly came and opened the church up for me. It was decked out
for Christmas and was very pretty. There is a nice historical guide
to the church and a facsimile of a Charter dated 1305 sealed with
the great seal of Edward the First in which he granted to Hugh
Gernoun “and his heirs for ever” various privileges included the
right to have a market every week on Thursday “at his manor of
Theydon Gernoun in the County of Essex.” The original is now held
in the Essex Records office in
Chelmsford
. Amazingly, the charter was (re)discovered by a firm of London
Chartered Accountents when they opened an ancient chest in their
offices in 1979.
The
church
of
All Saints
consists of nave and chancel, north
aisle, north porch, south porch, north vestry, and west tower. The
walls of nave and chancel are of flint rubble and those of the
tower, aisle, and north porch are of brick. The chancel probably
dates from the 13th century. The nave appears to have been rebuilt
in the 15th century. The tower was built about 1520. In 1644 the
north aisle and north porch were added and a north arcade of timber
built. The south porch was built in the 18th century, and in the
19th century there were numerous alterations including the addition
of a north vestry and organ chamber. The church is of special
interest from its dated tower of 1520 and dated north aisle of
1644.
The chancel, which was
probably built in the 13th century, has in its south wall a 13th
century lancet window, and on the north side a niche of uncertain
date. There is no structural division between chancel and
nave.
About 1520 the west
tower was added. It is of red brick, with some blue brick, of three
stages with an embattled parapet. The date is recorded on a stone
panel on the outside of the south wall, where it is stated that Sir
John Crosbe, late alderman and grocer of London, and his wives Anne
and Annes gave £50 towards the building of the tower. A portion of
this inscription has been cut out and it is believed that this
happened during Puritain times.
Note on the south east buttress
of the tower is a scratch dial and above it a larger
sundial.
During the 17th century
several other new windows were added. In the chancel are two
windows, one on the north wall and one on the south, both having
two pointed lights, and the west window of the tower is also
probably of the same century.
The communion rails
were set up in 1683-4 at a cost of £4, in obedience to the orders
of the archdeacon at his visitation of 1683. There is still an
annual visit by the Archdeacon to ensure that all is in order with
the Church. In the vestry is a large oak chest with iron bands
given in 1668 by Sir John Archer. In it are some manorial records.
At the west end of the nave is an oak door-frame taken from
the Priest's House.
There are five bells.
The first four were cast by Miles Graye in 1628 and the fifth by
Robert Phelps in 1732. In 1733 the parish vestry agreed to borrow
£22 at 5 per cent. interest to pay for the casting and hanging of
this last bell.
On the north wall of the chancel
is a brass to William Kirkeby, rector, 1458 with a figure of a
priest in cope with shield of arms. This was formerly in the nave
and was set up in its present position with a modern inscription
between 1812 and 1835. In the chancel are a brass to Ellen
(Hampden), wife of John Branch, 1567, and monuments to Lady Anne
(Sidney
), wife of Sir William Fitzwilliam, 1602; Sir Daniel Dun, 1617 and
his wife Joan, 1640; James Meggs, rector, 1672; Sir John Archer,
1681; and Sir William Eyre Archer, 1739. The last is a large
standing wall monument with grey sarcophagus and obelisk and
medallion of the deceased flanked by three cherubs. Set into the
north wall of the chancel is a grey marble altar-tomb with a
flat-arched canopy resting on small side-shafts and having a frieze
of quatrefoil panels. At the back of the recess is a brass of a
kneeling man in armour, his wife, two sons, and three daughters,
with indents of two inscription plates, two shields, a Trinity and
another group, of about 1520. Opposite is another similar
altar-tomb of slightly later date with the canopy set on twisted
shafts, also with indents for brasses at the back of the recess.
There are floor slabs in the chancel to Henry and Thomas Meggs,
1670, Margaret wife of James Meggs, 1681, and Richard Butler,
1688.
In the nave is a wall
monument to Denton Nicholas, M.D., 1714, moved there from the
chancel in 1934. There is a floor slab in the nave to Jane, widow
of John Wormlayton, 1725, and their daughters Jane, 1705, and Anne,
1712. Other later monuments include plaques to Charles B. Abdy,
1843, Joseph Kemsley, churchwarden, 1897, and William S.
ChisenhaleMarsh, 1929. There is a stained-glass window in memory of
the Revd. Sir Cavendish Foster, Bt.
The cache
You’re looking for a small clip
lock style box. The cache has a log sheet but no pen so please
bring one with you.
Church Micro Series
If any body would like to expand
to this series please do, could you please let sadexploration know
first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid
duplication.