Situated on the highest point in the village the church predominates and is a great attraction to visitors. Early in the thirteenth century the de Cobhams began to provide money for rebuilding the existing old church. Of this work only the splendid Chancel dating from 1220 survives. The de Cobhams seem to have regarded it as their own Chapel and place of burial and made it exceptionally large for a parish church similar perhaps to the huge endowments of the Norfolk 'wool' churches.
It is renowned for its collection of rare medieval brasses, said to be the finest in the world. Fifteen of these form a ‘pavement’ in the chancel. The Chancel also contains the 16th century Brooke Tomb, complete with effigies of the then Lord Cobham and his wife, which is a particularly high quality sculpture for Elizabethan times. About 1860 when the Chancel was re-fashioned, two small fragments of an earlier church were uncovered.
St Mary Magdalene, Cobham
The above co-ordinates take you to a tombstone in the church yard with some corn on top.
ELIZABETH HAYES died 17AB aged CD years.
Son of BONHAM HAYES died 17EF aged GH years.
The cache in the form of a film canister can be found only a short walk away at:
N51 23. B+D A-D G-B
E0 23. C+H E-C B+C
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