All Saints Church is a small church, located on Sutton Road, in Sutton. Sutton is a civil parish in the District of Rochford in Essex, England, located between the River Roach and the adjoining Borough of Southend on Sea, and includes the Hamlet of Shopland. The population is the smallest in the District of only 127 people, although at the time of the Domesday Book it had a flourishing village with its own market and fair.
The area is known locally as Sutton with Shopland. The civil parish of Shopland was amalgamated with Sutton in 1943, when Shopland Church was demolished following bomb damage, artifacts were removed and went to Sutton Church and others. Shopland churchyard is rededicated every year.
The church is of Norman origin and boasts a medieval coffin lid and brass of Sir Thomas Stapel dated 1371, Sergeant at Arms to Edward III, in armour such as he would have worn at the Battle of Crecy. This was from the demolished ancient church at Shopland.
All Saints church was heavily restored in 1868/9 by Slater and Carpenter. The porch has a round-headed doorway dated 1633.
Sutton with Shopland is rural with large farms, and is bordered by industrial estates on its northern (Purdeys Industrial Estate) and southern (Chandlers Way/Temple Farm Industrial Estate) borders.
East of the church is Sutton Hall which dates back to the 14th centuary although much altered in the 16th centuary.
I hope you enjoy finding this cache.
Happy Caching.
John.
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
To view the church micro stats page, please click here