The church of St.
Faith has lost whatever historical interest it may have had in the
early days of the Gothic revival. It has a chancel with north
vestry and north chapel, nave with north and south aisles and south
porch and what remains of the west tower. The exterior is covered
with Roman cement, with low-pitched roofs and plain parapets. The
chancel has an arched stucco ceiling and windows of the late Gothic
detail in vogue at the date of its remodelling, and the nave has
arcades of two bays, with a west gallery under which is a third
bay.
The arches of the
arcades have stucco mouldings which appear to be founded on early
thirteenth century detail, but whether they are in any way
reminiscent of what formerly existed is not known. The middle
column of the north arcade is formed of four engaged shafts and
that of the south is circular. The roof of the nave is of
fifteenth-century date with moulded beams and carved bosses at the
intersections, and at the ends of the intermediate
rafters half figures of angels with
shields.
The only monument
of interest is one on the east wall of the north chapel to Peter
Taverner, lord of the manor, 1601, and
his wife Frances, 1636. The inscription is on an arched
Purbeck marble panel, into which are
inset two brass shields of the arms of
Taverner and
Docwra.
Ralph bishop of
Rochester (1108–14) dedicated the church of
Hexton in honour of St. Faith, Virgin
and Martyr, and about a century later Abbot John II of St. Albans
(1235–60) appropriated this church for the celebration of his
anniversary.
The Cache
At the above
coordinates you will find a long cruciform grave with
A iron posts surrounding it. Nearby is
the grave of Thomas Fitzgerald, gardener at
Hexton House, who died on
BCth February 18DE aged 58 years.
The cache is at N51
57.A(D-1)(2*B) W000 23.(C-D)(C-1)B
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.