The Parish Church of

ST. GILES

CHALFONT ST. GILES

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A Short Guide to

THE PARISH CHURCH OF

ST. GILES

CHALFONT ST. GILES

FOREWORD

The church of St. Giles is more than just a building. It is a place where Christians have worshipped God and met him in praise and prayer for at least 800 years. I hope that all who come to this church will be inspired by the building and its history, and feel that they too have met with God in some new way.

Tim Stacey - Priest-in-Charge 1999

A Prayer for use by VISITORS TO THIS CHURCH

Heavenly Father, thank you for the work and witness of this church. May all who visit, find it a place of your lave and go out renewed in your love and faithful in your service - for Christ's sake we pray. Amen

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AROUND THE CHURCH IN TEN MINUTES

The Building. Earliest traces date from the 12th century. There was then a West Tower and a short NAVE; these would have fitted into the present Nave. There was also a small Chancel and a South Aisle.

13th Century. The Chancel was rebuilt on the present, larger scale and a small North Aisle built.

14th Century. The South Aisle was made longer and deeper. The Tower was taken down, but not replaced. The Nave was extended to its present length.

15th Century. The present Tower was built, the Clerestory added and the North Aisle enlarged.

A Walk Round the Building. Starting at the South Door, turn left and go clockwise round the building.

THE NAVE

The Font. (13th Century) of Purbeck marble, the shafts have been renewed.

South Arcade. Note the octagonal Gothic pillars set on round Norman bases.

On the wall near the tower you will see a List of the Rectors, a Description of the Wall Paintings and a Plan of the Church.

The Chancel Arch. The painted battlements are very rare (15th Century). The Ten Commandments are 17th Century.

In the North Aisle, note the six 15th Century pews, locally made, having fleur-de-lis finials.

Now go on to the Chancel, noting on the way the squints on either side of the Arch.

THE CHANCEL

The Altar Rails (late 17th Century) were given by Bishop Hare and are reputed to have come from St. Paul's Cathedral.

The Aumbry. (13th Century) for reserving the Sacrament, on the North wall of the Sanctuary.

The Brass of a Priest (15th Century) low on the N. wall below the aumbry is the oldest in the Church.

Tomb and Brass over Sir Thomas Fleetwood, Lord of the Vache, who died in 1570.

Piscina (13th Century). The double form is rare and the deep scalloped basin uncommon.

The Bishop's Chair and its pair are 17th Century.

THE SOUTH AISLE

Piscina (14th Century). Note the shelf for the cruets.

Tomb below of William Gardyner, who died in 1558.

Tomb Recess, possibly an Easter Sepulchre, built in the 14th Century by Roger Grove who founded a chantry here. The tiles are from Penn and are also 14th Century.

Wall Paintings. A fine set of 14th Century. Details given on page 19 of this history.

Mason Marks. On the arches of the Chancel and South Arcade.

For information on the publishing of similar handbooks enquiries to:

Tower Publications, 35 Tennyson Road, Cheltenham, Gloucesleshire GL51 7BX Tel: 58117E

The principal stages in the building of Chalfont St. Giles Church are indicated in the following sketch plans:

EAST WEST

('.,:fis •. Earliest Church on Present Site

~

P~xail inn.N lind 11 1:1/ h ('enhoy ('honn•l li.rlraJed. North .4 isle .added

~

Positional cod of 15th Century

Nave extended and Tower demolished (14th Century) South Aisle widened and extended (14th Century) North Aisle widened and extended (15th Century) Tower rebuilt farther west (15th Century)

INTRODUCTION

This history of Chalfont St. Giles Church represents considerable research on the part of the compiler, but it makes full use of the researches of others, the records of which, however, are to be found in many different documents having varying degrees of accessibility.

The Parish of Chalfont St. Giles is in the deanery of Amersham and has been in the diocese of Oxford since 1845, when it was transferred from the diocese of Lincoln. The parish covers an area of about 3,600 acres and the population, according to the 1971 census, was 7,120. In 1951, the population was 4,544. In 1911, it was 1,762; in 1861, it was 1,217; and it was 762 in 1801, when there were 152 families who inhabited 143 houses, with 11 houses uninhabited. A survey of the diocese of Lincoln in 1563 records that there were 45 families living in Chalfont St. Giles at that time.

FABRIC

Norman Period (circa 1050 to 1200) The earliest church on the present site was built between about 1150

and 1180 (Henry II, 1154-1189) and consisted of a chancel, nave and south aisle, which were enlarged at later dates, and a west tower, which was subsequently demolished and rebuilt farther west. From this period, there remain only the bases of the pillars of the south arcade, those at the east and west ends having carved foliage at the corners; also walling on each side of the chancel arch and at the west end of the nave on the south side, the latter being part of the original west tower.

Early English Period (circa 1200 to 1275) The chancel was rebuilt and extended to its present length towards

the end of this period. A north aisle, with an arcade of two bays, was added at about the same time.

The original chancel had been, no doubt, small and square, which was the characteristic Norman type. From about the thirteenth century there was a general tendency to extend the chancels of parish churches. The present chancel has a considerable inclination to the south.

There remain from this period the wall of the chancel; the double piscina and lancet window on the south side of the chancel; an aumbry on the north side of the chancel; and the arcade of the north aisle from the east up to half of the westernmost pillar, the west bay being a fifteenth century cop of the others.

Decorated Period (circa 1275 to 1350) In the early part of the fourteenth century, the nave was extended in

a westerly direction and the south aisle was rebuilt and enlarged. These alterations necessitated the destruction of the tower, which was not rebuilt until about 1425. The south doorway was built about 1330 and has a moulded two-centred arch, ornamented with a series of four-leaf ornaments and ball-flowers.

Perpendicular Period (circa 1325 to 1550) The east window of three lights in the chancel was probably inserted

in the early fourteenth century. The chancel arch of two chamfered orders with double-chamfered responds, and moulded half-octagonal capitals and bases, dates from the early fifteenth century; some of the stones of the arch are inscribed with masons marks. At about the same time other alterations were made. The north aisle was widened and lengthened, an extra bay being added. The westernmost pillar is half of thirteenth and half of fifteenth century work. The south arcade was rebuilt, leaving only the Norman bases to the pillars. The arches of the south arcade and the western bay of the north arcade, which has larger voussoirs than the eastern arches, have masons' marks similar to those on the chancel arch. The clerestory was erected and the nave roof renewed.

The tower was rebuilt about 1425, using some of the old material from the original tower. It is of two stages, with an enbattled parapet and a north-west staircase. The two-centred arch is of three chamfered orders, without responds. The doorway in the west wall has continuously moulded jambs and two-centred arch, with modern bases.

To the west of the south arcade is a short length of walling of the original tower, containing a pointed opening which was probably cut in the fourteenth century. A blocked doorway in the north aisle is late fifteenth century and contains part of a coffin slab, on which is the head of a cross in relief.

Nineteenth Century In 1861 the chancel was restored under Mr. G. E. Street, the

stonework of the east window being renewed and the angle buttresses rebuilt at the east end. At the same time a vestry was built on the north side of the chancel, replacing a vestry which had occupied the west end of the south aisle and was pulled down in April, 1863. The present doorway from the chancel to the vestry dates from 1861. In 1863 further general and extensive restoration work was carried out under Mr. Street, and hot water heating apparatus was installed. The floor was raised and boarded, except the aisles. The nave was paved with

Staffordshire tiles, and the north and south aisles with old gravestones found in different parts of the church. The tower was restored and raised, and the battlements rebuilt. The west window and the belfry windows were also restored.

In 1884 an organ chamber (together with a new organ) was added at the east end of the south aisle from the designs of Mr. J. P. Seddon as a memorial to Canon Lloyd, who had been rector for twenty-four years. In 1887 the roof of the north aisle was repaired. In 1889 the nave roof was releaded, the plaster ceiling removed, and some of the timber restored.

The south porch was erected in 1895 to the memory of Samuel Sandars of Chalfont Grove, replacing one which had fallen into disrepair and had been removed in 1760. On the front of the porch there is a wood-carving on St. Giles with a hind.

Twentieth Century In 1902-3 new heating apparatus was installed. Electric light was

provided in 1925 in replacement of hanging oil lamps. The oak screen at the west end of the nave was erected in 1929, and the glazing above the screen was added in 1933. In 1947 the electric light installation was renewed. The chancel roof was completely replaced in 1950 owing to the depredations of the death-watch beetle, and a new single-light window was inserted near the east end of the south wall of the chancel: the cost was £3,000. The stone corbels, carved by Arthur J. Ayres in 1950, are lightly coloured and gilded and represent subjects relating to St. Giles.

The south aisle roof was renewed in 1953 because of attacks by the death-watch beetle; the cost was £4,100.

A new and enlarged vestry was built in 1955, as a Victory and Peace Thanksgiving Memorial, on the site of the vestry erected in 1861; it cost £2,000.

In 1956-7 the :‘Pating apparatus was converted to burn oil fuel. In consequence of persistent flooding of the boiler house by water from the river Misbourne, a new boiler house and oil-fired boiler were erected in 1960 above ground level adjacent to the east end of the north aisle at a cost of £700.

During the early 1960's the north aisle roof was renewed. In the 1970's the whole of the wooden floor was renewed and later

the tiles in the aisles, chancel and sanctuary replaced. The Hatchments were cleaned and rehung. The blue curtains at the South door and organ chamber entrance

were made and hung. The Lady Chapel carpet was donated. Some lead on the roof had been stolen and replaced three times. Finally an alarm system was installed in the early 1980's.

The reredos was removed, cleaned and restored and the wall behind the altar damp proofed. Later the whole of the south aisle wall was damp proofed. The Vache Pew which belonged to the Lady of the Manor at the Vache was removed from the front of the nave to its present position.

WINDOWS

Chance! The east window of three trefoiled lights and tracery under a

pointed head, with jamb shafts and moulded capitals and bases, dates from the early part of the fourteenth century, but was much restored in 1861. A tablet dated 1899, on the north wall of the chancel records that the glass in the east window was given by Florence Ada Stevens, daughter of T. Newland Allen. According to the Vestry minute approving the application for a faculty, the new glass was to be placed in the "chief portion" of the east window. This supports the view that the glass in the head lights of the window at the present time is old glass. The new glass was designed by C. E. Kempe.

When the church was repaired in 1861, some small iron cannon balls were found, embedded in the stone surround of the east window. They had, no doubt, been fired from the Silsden and Stone meadows, where Cromwell's troops were encamped after the battle of Aylesbury on the 1st November, 1642. Three of the cannon balls can be seen in Milton's Cottage.

In 1848, a south window which had been stopped up for about one hundred and fifty years was re-opened. Under this window there was discovered in 1861, on removing the plaster, the traces of a low-side window.

A blocked single trefoiled light of the fourteenth century in the north wall was opened in 1861 and filled with stained glass, representing the Saviour blessing Mary, to the memory of Mrs. Emma Lloyd (mother of Canon Lloyd), who died in 1861.

On removing in 1861 a large structure erected over the vault of Bishop Hare and his descendants near the piscina in the south wall, there was disclosed a single-light window of the twelfth or thirteenth century splayed internally, the inside being four feet eight inches wide and the outside only thirteen inches wide. The rector had it filled with stained glass (by Charles Gibbs), with a mitre in the centre as a memorial to Bishop Hare, who was Chaplain-General to the Forces under the Duke of Marlborough and was present at the battles of Blenheim and Ramillies. He purchased the Vache from the Clayton family in 1734.

Nave There are three fifteenth century windows of two trefoiled lights on

each side of the clerestory. They were restored in 1863.

North Aisle The windows are late fifteenth century. The east window is of three

cinquefoiled lights with tracery under a four-centred head. The three windows in the north wall and the west window have each two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head.

There appears to be ancient glass in the heads of the first and second windows from the east in the north wall, and in the head of the west window of this aisle.

South Aisle There are two windows of two trefoiled lights in the south wall, with

tracery in pointed heads. These windows are of fourteenth century date.

The window in the west wall is similar to those in the south wall. The glass in this window is the work of C. E. Kemp. The ancient glass in the head, depicting the sun and the moon, probably came from the east window of the chancel and was part of a crucifixion scene.

Organ Chamber A fifteenth century window of two trefoiled lights under a square

head from the south wall of the chancel is at the east end of the organ chamber; and a fourteenth century window of two trefoiled lights under a traceried two-centred head from the east end of the south aisle is in the south wall of the chamber. These windows were reset in the walls of the organ chamber when it was constructed in 1884.

There is some old glass in the head of the window at the east end.

Tower The window over the west doorway is of two trefoiled lights with

tracery in a two-centred head. The lower stage of the tower has small rectangular windows on the south and north sides; on the west side there is a single-light window with a trefoiled head. The bell chamber has a pointed window of two trefoiled lights and tracery on each of the four sides of the tower. Above the tower arch at the end of the nave, there is a small rectangular window. The windows were restored in 1867.

The

Na

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ast

BRASSES

Chance! (1) Thomas Fleetwood, Lord of the Vache, Treasurer of the Mint,

who died in 1570; his first wife Barbara (Francis), with two sons and two daughters; his second wife Bridget (Springe), with eight sons and six daughters.

This brass is on a mural tablet in the north-east corner of the chancel, above the Fleetwood tomb. Thomas Fleetwood kneels at a prayer desk and kneeling behind him, each at a prayer desk, are his two wives, with their respective children behind them. He is in armour and wears a ruff, a helmet resting of the ground beside his prayer desk.

There are also on the tablet two brass shields and a rectangular plate which show, from left to right, the arms of Fleetwood impaling Springe; Fleetwood impaling Francis; and Fleetwood: they are placed above the appropriate sections of the main brass. There is a large brass shield showing the arms of Fleetwood on the west side of the tomb, also a smaller brass shield showing Fleetwood impaling Springe on the front of the tomb.

(2) A priest in mass vestments, probably John Seymour a late fifteenth century rector of the parish, on the north wall beneath the aumbry.

The indent of this brass is in a stone in the floor towards the east end of the north aisle.

North Aisle (3) Inscription to John and Elizabeth Salter, 1523, on the floor. This is a palimpsest. The hinged frame on the wall shows the

reverse, which is inscribed to Thomas and Anne Bredham, 1521.

South Aisle (4) William Gardyner, who died in 1558, and his wife Anne, who

died in or after 1560; also separate brasses to five sons and to four daughters.

These brasses are on the covering slab of an altar tomb at the east end of the south aisle. William Gardyner is bareheaded and in armour. The inscription in brass on the tomb is inverted as the result of a mistake by the workmen who restored the church in 1863.

There is also a shield with the arms of Gardyner impaling Newdigate. On the base are two shields; one with the arms of Newdigate (this is a palimpsest), and the other showing Gardyner impaling Newdigate.

The brasses showing the children of William Gardyner are palimpest. They have been engraved on pieces of Flemish brass c. 1375, which show the start and end of a marginal inscription and canopy work, and part of the evangelistic symbol of St. John in the corner. Portions of the same brass are used for the brass to William Saunderes, 1563, at Pottesgrove, Beds.; also for the wife of Lord Edward Seymour, c. 1565, at Fivehead, Somerset; and for Francis Lee, 1558, at Dinton, Bucks. The Gardyner children are from the north-west corner of the original brass, which would have been a large one—say, 8' 0" x 4' 0"—and was probably erected in Spain.

(5) A woman with pointed head-dress and lappets; early sixteenth century. This may be the brass of Joan (Grove), who was wife of William Fermour and died about 1525.

(6) A civilian in furred gown, with his two wives; about mid-sixteenth century. These brasses may represent William Gardyner, who died 1541, and his two wives, Elizabeth (Grove) and Cecily.

(7) Group of three boys; early sixteenth century.

WALL PAINTINGS

The wall paintings date from the early part of the fourteenth century, and were probably first covered with whitewash or plaster in the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries, at one of the periods when there was an obliteration of images, such as was ordered in the Injuctions issued by Edward VI in 1547. They were discovered during the restoration of 1863. A report on this restoration stated that the whole of the south wall of the south aisle was found to be covered with paintings, some of which being in good condition would be preserved, while there were others which were not thought to be in a good enough state of preservation to be left.

In February, 1929 the work of cleaning and preserving the then existing paintings in the south aisle was carried out under the direction of the late Professor E. W. Tristram of the Royal CollegF of Art. Extensive traces of further decoration in colour were revealed and the paintings which had been covered up again in 1863 were exposed to view by the removal of the plaster with which they had been covered. The paintings are probably contemporary with the rebuilding of the south aisle in about the second quarter of the fourteenth century.

The sequence of subjects is as follows, and their description is based on articles by Mr. E. Clive Rouse in the "Records of Buckinghamshire." On the north side of the east wall is St. Anne teaching the Virgin. On the south side of this wall the remains of the

paintings are fragmentary, but probably represent scenes relating to the life and miracles of the Virgin. On the south wall from the east, there is first a representation of the Virgin protecting and receiving a Jewish boy of Bourges from an oven into which his father had put him for having received Communion with his Christian playmates. Next is the Virgin restoring to the repentant Theophilus the deed by which he had sold his soul to the Devil. He had done so in order that he might be reinstated in his office in a church in Cilicia. He afterwards regretted his evil bargain and prayed to the Virgin for forgiveness, as he is shown doing, kneeling before the altar on which is an image of the Virgin and Child, until she miraculously appears and restores the bond. This painting is followed by an Old Testament series starting with various scenes relating to the Creation and ending with the Fall and Expulsion from Eden, including a panel, showing various birds, animals and foliage. The panel is partly obliterated by the Lord's Prayer in Elizabethan lettering.

Proceeding westwards, there is a representation of the Crucifixion, with figures of St. Mary and St. John. In Professor Tristram's opinion, this is one of the finest paintings of its type in the country. Beneath this is a representation of one of the post-Resurrection appearances of Christ, probably with one of the Marys. The scenes on the right of this panel relate to John the Baptist and include the beheading, with Salome waiting with the charger; Salome appearing with the Baptist's head on the charger at the feast of Herod; and Salome dancing before Herod in front of the banqueting table. Above the south door two crowned figures and part of a third with a scroll, and what may be a portion of the ox and the ass in the stable, can be made out. The subject may represent the Adoration, or the visit of the Magi. The space between the south door and the end of the aisle was found to have contained a Tree of Jesse, which must have measured about twelve feet by eight feet and is a rare subject for a mural painting.

There are hung on the south wall framed cartoons, prepared by Professor Tristram, of the principal sections of the paintings. The paintings were cleaned and some portions re-treated by Mr. Clive Rouse, who has also done some cartoons, in 1948.

HATCHMENTS

An Achievement of Arms, or Hatchment (the term commonly used), consists of a coat of arms painted on wood of a large lozenge

shape. A hatchment was hung up on the front of the house in which a person possessing a coat of arms died or, if he died away from home, where he ordinarily lived. The hatchment continued to be exhibited for about three months, after which it was hung on a wall in the church. The practice of exhibiting hatchments appears to have been introduced about the middle of the seventeenth century.

There are four hatchments on the north side of the south aisle, and five hatchments on the south side of the north aisle:-

South Aisle, west to east-

1. Radcliffe. The Radcliffe family lived in Chalfont St. Giles from 1632 to 1718.

The hatchment appears to be that of Anthony Radcliffe, who was buried on 9th December, 1718 at Chalfont St. Giles.

2. Molloy. The hatchment probably relates to Charles Molloy of Stone Dean

who died on 9th April, 1805.

3. Jones. The hatchment may relate to the Rev. William Jones who was

curate of Chalfont St. Giles from 1792 to 1816. He married Mary, the only daughter of Charles Molloy, and died on 4th February, 1837.

4. Priestley. The Priestley family owned the Grove from 1837 to 1871. The

hatchment probably relates to George Priestley, who was born on 8th March, 1786.

North Aisle, west to east.

1. Hare. The Hare family owned the Vache from 1734 to 1777. The

hatchment probably relates to the Rev. Robert Hare, Canon of Winchester Cathedral from 1777 to 1797, who was buried at Chalfont St. Giles on 22nd March, 1797.

2. Pomeroy. This hatchment is probably that of Henry William Pomeroy who

lived at Hill House in Bowstridge Lane and died in 1825.

3. Palliser. The Palliser family owned the Vache from 1777 to 1826. The

hatchment no doubt relates to Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, baronet, who died on 19th March, 1796 and to whom there is a memorial tablet in the chancel.

4. Allen.

5. Allen. The Allen family owned the Vache from 1829 to 1902. They also

owned Newlands from 1809 to 1903. Thomas Allen died in 1829 and the hatchment (No. 5) was probably his. No. 4 hatchment probably relates to Sarah Allen, his wife.

ROYAL ARMS

Following the passing of the Act of Supremacy of 1534, Henry VIII ordered that the Royal Arms should be displayed in all Churches. This practice was stopped when Mary came to the throne, but was revived by Elizabeth 1. Royal Arms were removed from many churches under the Commonwealth. Their exhibition was again authorised after the Restoration in 1660. There is a copy of the Royal Arms of George III above the arch at the west end of the nave of Chalfont St. Giles Church; the arms were painted on canvas and record the date 1812 with the names Benjamin Buckmaster and H. Bradshaw, who were churchwardens at that time.

GENERAL

Chancel On the north side there is a marble altar tomb in memory of

Thomas Fleetwood, Lord of the Vache, who died in 1570. The principal brasses relating to this tomb are displayed on a tablet of Purbeck marble, with panelled pilasters and moulding on the wall above it.

There is also a large aumbry of the thirteenth century with rebated jambs and two-centred head, for reserving the Sacrament.

Over the aumbry there is a mural tablet, with a shield of arms upon a pyramidal piece of clouded marble, to the memory of Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser of the Vache, who died on the 19th March, 1796.

Beneath the aumbry is a brass of a priest, probably John Seymour, Rector here during the second half of the fifteenth century.

The R

ered

os

There is a memorial tablet on the north wall to T. Newland Allen, D.L., J.P. who died on 11th March, 1899, which records that his daughter Florence Ada Stevens gave the east window and reredos for the adornment of the Sanctuary. There reredos, which is of carved and painted oak and was designed by C. E. Kempe, covers the lower part of the east wall of the chancel. In the central portion of the reredos over the altar are the figures of St. Giles, St. James, the Virgin Mary, St. John, St. Peter and St. Hugh of Lincoln. There is also a tablet to the Rev. William Jones of the Stone, 1837, and his wife Mary, 1847.

A slab in the floor at the south-east corner records the death of James Clayton of the Vache on the 28th November, 1714, aged 65. James Clayton was the son of Sir Thomas Clayton, M.D., Warden of Merton College, Oxford, to whom the Vache was sold by the Duke of York in 1662.

The piscina in the south wall is a fine specimen of a thirteenth century double piscina, with two fluted basins and a drain to each; one basin probably for washing the priest's hands, and the other deeper basin for washing the sacred vessels. It has moulded jambs and heads, with a central shaft having a moulded capital and base. It was discovered in 1861 behind the memorial to Sir George Fleetwood and his wife which is now on the south wall.

On a stone under the old single-light window in the south wall are names of members of the Hare family who are buried in a vault outside the wall. Bishop Francis Hare owned the Vache from 1734 to 1740.

A memorial to Katherine Radcliffe, who died in 1660, is on the south wall. It takes the form of an oil-painting on canvas of the arms of Radcliffe, with an inscription beneath—

"Underneath this place lieth interred Katherine, ye second daughter of Anthony Radcliffe, Esq. of this Parish. Shee departed this transitory life June 7, 1660, aged 21 years 6 months 3 da.

From thy quick death conclude we must, The fairest flowers are gather'd first." The Radcliffes lived in Chalfont St. Giles and entertained Oliver

Cromwell at their house after the battle of Aylesbury in 1642. The altar table and rails, and the high-backed arm chairs are

seventeenth century. The altar rails are of oak, with richly carved foliage instead of balusters. They were the gift of Bishop Hare and are said to have been brought from St. Paul's Cathedral.

There are two large squints or hagioscopes cut through the walls adjacent to the chancel arch, one on each side. These squints enabled the priests in the chantry chapels, which formerly existed at the east

ends of the north and south aisles, to see the elevation of the Host at the high altar and to co-ordinate the services. The stair to the former rood loft in the wall to the south of the chancel arch was built up during the restoration of 1863.

The oak choir stalls, designed by J. Oldrid Scott, were given in 1899 by Colonel Ramsay Weston Phipps of the Stone in memory of his wife, Ann Elizabeth Foskett Bamfylede; they replaced older stalls.

A brass candelabra which hangs above the choir stalls was given, with two brass candlesticks, in 1862 by the Clergy of Buckinghamshire as a testimonial to the work of Canon Lloyd for Church Missions.

Nave

The north and south arcades are each of three bays. The arches are two-centred and of two chamfered orders, springing from octagonal columns which have moulded capitals and bases. The low pointed arch near the font was used as an entrance to the vestry which occupied the west end of the south aisle before a vestry was built on the north side of the chancel in 1861-3.

The Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Creed are painted on the upper part of the wall over the chancel arch. The painting is of seventeenth century date and was covered with plaster in the nineteenth century. The plaster was removed in 1929 by Professor Tristram and they were cleaned and restored by Clive Rouse in the 1970's.

An embattled parapet over quatrefoils and trefoils is painted in black and white on the section of the wall which is immediately above and flanking the chancel arch, and which existed before the clerestory was built at the beginning of the fifteenth century.

There are crosslets in the merlons of the parapet and an enriched cornice. This is an unusual form of mural decoration. It was discovered in 1863 underneath a painting of the Commandments in Old English, which was scraped away. This reproduction on the Commandments was probably painted over the battlements in 1564, when Queen Elizabeth ordered that Scriptural texts should be written on the walls of churches. The painting of the embattled parapet can probably be ascribed to the time of the rebuilding of the chancel arch in the early fifteenth century. The pulpit dates from 1863. In the 1970's it was given a central stand as it was coming away from the wall and the handrail was made and fitted.

North Aisle The present chapel at the east end of the north aisle was re-instated

in 1939. The altar is a seventeenth century altar table which formerly stood in the Sanctuary.

The doorway in the north wall, which dates from the late fifteenth century and is now blocked, is unusually near the east end of the aisle and it may have been the entrance of the Lord of the Manor to the church and chantry chapel. The door was blocked up in 1844; there are fragments of old tiles in it.

There is an oak memorial at the west end of this north aisle recording the names of the 55 parishioners who lost their lives in the 1914-18 War. In front of the memorial, there is an oak table, dating from the seventeenth century and a book containing the names of the 34 who fell in the 1939-45 War.

South Aisle At the east end there is an altar tomb to the memory of William

Gardyner who died in 1558, and to his wife Anne who died in or after 1560. In the south wall there are a fourteenth century piscina and tomb recess. The piscina has moulded jambs and a trefoiled head, with a chamfered shelf and a quatrefoil basin. The recess, abqve which is a small carved stone head in a helmet and coif of mail, is arched and moulded and contains a thirteenth or fourteenth century coffin slab with a cross in relief formed by the intersection of four circles, and some old Penn tiles. The slab was discovered in 1863 under the east end of the south aisle and it may have belonged to the Groves.

The upper part of the arch in the east wall is formed on the west side by the rear arch and jambs of the window reset in the organ chamber. On the east wall there is tablet sought that in the year 1665 the poet Milton sough refuge in a cottage in the village from the plague in London.

Chantry Chapels There can be little doubt that there were chantry chapels at the east

ends of the south and of the north aisles. That in the south aisle was probably provided in the fourteenth century by the Grove family, who lived at the Grove until they were succeeded by the Gardyners in the early part of the sixteenth century. The altar was probably dedicated to the Virgin Mary, bearing in mind the scenes painted on the walls at the east end of the aisle. The remains of an altar tomb, presumably to members of the Grove family, were discovered under the altar tomb of the Gardyners at the east end of the aisle, when the latter tomb was taken down and restored during the extensive repairs carried out in

1863. The fourteenth century piscina in the south wall would have formed part of the furniture of the chapel. The recess in the south wall might have been provided to hold an effigy of the founder of the chantry chapel, or, more probably, was an Easter Sepulchre.

It may well be that the chantry chapel in the north aisle belonged to the owners of the Vache, the Lords of the Manor, whose pews were in the north aisle and in the nave.

Tower On the south side of the west door, inside the tower there are the

remains of a fifteenth century stoup with a trefoil head. There are fragments of old Penn tiles in it. On each side of the door, there can be seen a rectangular hold provided to take the ends of a beam which could be inserted to bar the door on the inside.

Vestry In the vestry is the old church chest, which formerly had three locks

with separate keys for the rector and the two churchwardens.

Organ An organ built by Geo. C. Martin of Oxford (now Martin and

Coate) was provided in 1884, with a new organ chamber, as a memorial to Canon Lloyd. This organ was rebuilt by J. W. Walker and Son in 1935, when the console was moved out into the chancel.

Font The pattern of the font is that of a large and characteristic class of

Norman fonts which have a square bowl supported upon a central shaft and four columns at the angles. This style of font was also provided in churches during the Early English period. The Royal Commission on Historical Monuments attributes the font to the thirteenth century, and describes the bowl as of Purbeck marble. The four columns now at the angles are modern and were provided in the restoration of 1863. The oak cover is square, with octagonal curved pyramid and turned finial, and dates from the seventeenth century.

Seating There are six ancient oak benches, probably of the late fifteenth

century, the standards of which have fleur-de-lis finials. The pews in the nave and aisles were made in the parish in 1863.

Bells The Tower houses eight bells with the tenor, the heaviest, weighing

approximately 10 cwt. They date from 1742 when an earlier 17th

century frame containing four large bells was modified to accept an additional bell. The original bells were probably melted down and recast to make five. In 1764 a further frame was added, above the earlier one, and another bell added. At the same time one of the 1742 bells was recast, either because it was substandard or because it had cracked.

By 1820 there were problems with two of these bells and they were replaced: one by recasting and one (the present 5th bell), by either a second-hand one or by one previously cast and available `off the shelf' from the foundry.

In 1889 the bells were rehung by a company called Greenleaf and Blackburn of Salisbury, and in 1928 the Whitechapel foundry again rehung the bells with new steel fittings and roller bearings. At this time the original oak frame was strengthened with bolts and steel bracing.

In 1983 two more bells were added with all the installation work being carried out by the local ringers. The Treble bell was given by a member of the congregation, Frank Plumb and his wife; the second by a local ringer, Brian Edwards, in memory of members of his family. The steel frame in which the bells hang was given and constructed by John Davidge in memory of his parents.

The details of the bells are as follows:-

Weight Note (cwt)

Date Founder Inscription

Treble 3 G 1983 Whitechapel God save the Queen. Foundry Given by B. J. Edwards in

memory of Alfred and Ellen Edwards, Philip and Elizabeth Pearce.

2nd 3 F 1983 Whitechapel Heed my little summons. Given Foundry by Frank & Marjorie Plumb.

3rd 3 3/4 E 1764 Lester & Pack Raised by valentery subscription. Lester & Pack of London fecit 1764.

4th 4 D 1742 Rbt. Catlin Tho I am but small I will be heard amongst you all. R. C. fecit 1742.

5th 5 C 1764 Thos. Mears T. Mears of London fecit 1820.

6th 5'/z B 1820 Lester & Pack J. Parker & Wm. Saunders 1764. Lester & Pack London fecit.

7th 6/ A 1742 Rbt. Catlin Dicimus Reynolds, Rector. R. Catlin fecit 1742.

8th 91/2 G 1820 Thos. Mears T. Mears of London fecit 1820.

Plate The Communion Plate comprises—

Silver Chalice, formerly gilt, 1569-70. Silver Paten, formerly gilt, 1637-8. Silver Paten, 1717-18. Silver Flagon, 1720-1. Silver Alms Dish, 1803-4.

Silver Chalice, 1938-9. Silver Ciborium, 1941-2. Silver Paten, 1958-9. Silver Ciborium, 1978. Silver Pyx, 1978.

Paten of 1637 and Chalice of 1569

Clock The clock, which is in the tower, dates from 1710 and was made by

J. Austin of Watford. Originally it had only one hand, which is now in Milton's Cottage.

Kneelers See separate booklet.

Dimensions The principal internal dimensions of the church are—

Chancel 37 feet by 16 feet Nave 47 feet by 15'/ feet North Aisle 52 feet by 12 feet South Aisle 521/2 feet by 11 feet Tower 12 feet square; 54 feet high

Churchyard Mrs. Florence Ada Thompson, who died in 1944, left £1,300 upon

trust to the Rector and Churchwardens, the income to be used for repairing the churchyard and keeping it in good order.

Near the south-east corner of the organ chamber and close to the right-hand side of hte path leading east, there is a memorial to Timothy Lovett, who died on the 20th December, 1728, aged 70, consisting of two tombstones with the following inscription—

Italy and Spain, Germany and France, Have been on earth my weary dance. So that I own ye grave's my greatest friend, That to my travels ail has put an end.

Lovett was the courier employed to travel between the Court and the Duke of Marlborough during his campaigns and was thus doubtless known to Bishop Hare, chaplain to Marlborough and owner of the Vache.

Lych Gate At the principal entrance to the churchyard there is a lych gate,

which was formerly at the entrance to the church from the village street under the upper storey of a sixteenth century timber and brick house. The gate was taken down and re-erected in its present positiop in 1956. It is a low double gate, turning on a massive centre pivot.

CHARITIES

A school was founded by Sir Hugh Palliser in 1789 for twenty boys and twenty girls. There are school trust funds given by-

£ s. d. Sir Hugh Palliser 1,141 4 6 1789 Katherine Molloy 666 13 4 1817 Rev. William Jones 666 13 4 1837 Henry Sanford 106 4 10 1868

Thomas Allen of the Vache, who died in November, 1829, left the sum of ten pounds per annum for bread; a four-pound loaf to be given weekly to each poor widow living in the parish, commencing on the 18th November, 1830. This charity is now administered by the Parish Council and approximately sixty widows benefit from the trust each year, bread being distributed shortly after Christmas.

In 1905, Thomasina Elizabeth Fawsett, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Fawsett, left two thousand pounds upon trust, the income to be used for the distribution of coal and other commodities at Christmas time. The Rev. Thomas Fawsett was curate of the parish from 1820 to 1854. This charity continues in operation.

St. Giles with a hind-wood carving on the front porch -

RECTORS

The living has always been a rectory, but in 1228, when the rector, William de Engleby, received permission from the Prior of Bradwell to present William de Ingeham as chaplain, some division of the revenues was necessitated and the part assigned the chaplain, consisting of the altar offerings, lesser tithes, tithes of sheaves and a half virgate, was called the vicarage. This was a transitory settlement and must have lapsed on the death or resignation of the parties.

The list of Rectors, with dates of presentation or collation, is as follows—

c. 1185-88 ROBERT DE BURNHAM c. 1217-19 WILLIAM DE NEVILL 1220 WILLIAM DE ENGLEBY 1228 WILLIAM DE INGEHAM (Chaplain)

SIMON DE MEPHAM 1266 WILLIAM DE LA GARE 1291 ROBERT DE PRATELLIS 1320 WILLIAM DE WENGE 1339 ROGER DE WENGE 1349 WILLIAM DE HOUTON (or Houghton) 1355 RICHARD DE WYNKNGESTON c. 1362 ALANUS DE SUDBURY 1366 RICHARD DE EVESDON 1400 MATTHEW EDENHAM 1401 WILLIAM NORTON

1405 JOHN CAUMPEDEN THOMAS DONECAN

1449 ROBERT ROKE JOHN SEYMOUR

1475 JOHN VEYSEY, M.A. 1488 JOHN SEYMOUR 1493 ROBERT WYDOWE, Mus.Bac. 1508 THOMAS SPARKE, L.L.B. 1518 WILLIAM WILTER, L.L.D. 1519 RICHARD MABOT, M.A., D.D. 1528 THOMAS STANLEY 1529 THOMAS WESTBY, B.D. 1540 WILLIAM FRANKLIN, B.D., B.C.L. 1556 THOMAS SLYTHERST, M.A., D.D. 1559 RICHARD YARDLY 1562 GREGORY GARTH, M.A., B.D.

1576 HENRY INCE 1585 THOMAS LIGHT, M.A. 1588 RICHARD SMITH, B.D. 1623/4 THOMAS VALENTINE, M.A. 1662 WILLIAM ROLLES, M.A., B.D. 1701 JOHN HAMMOND, M.A., D.D. 1723 THOMAS TERRY, M.A., D.D. 1735 DECIMUS REYNOLDS, M.A. 1791 GEORGE MOORE, B.A. 1814 GEORGE THOMAS PRETYMAN, B.A. L.L.B. 1814 JACOB HENRY BROOKE MOUNTAIN, M.A., D.D. 1817 GEORGE THOMAS PRETYMAN, B.A. L.L.B. 1859 CHARLES LLOYD, M.A. 1883 EDWARD BARBER, M.A. 1886 POWNOLL WILLIAM PHIPPS, M.A. 1902 HERBERT OAKES FEARNLEY

WHITTINGSTALL, M.A. 1940 STANLEY WATSON HAGGER, M.A., B.Sc., S.Th. 1962 IVAN ALEXANDER CARDELL-OLIVER,

M.A., L.L.B. 1968 WILLIAM FREDERICK PALMER 1973 ANTHONY ARTHUR DERRY JOHNSON 1986 DENHAM BAYLY JONES 1989 PETER WILLIAM POOLE, M.A. 1999 TIM STACEY, M.A.

A Rectory stood on the site of the old rectory for many years. The building of a new rectory in part of the grounds of the old

rectory was completed in 1956.

REGISTERS

The Registers begin in 1584 and are in good condition generally. The order that registers of baptisms, marriages and burials should be kept was made in 1538, in the reign of Henry VIII, so that the registers for the first forty-six years are missing. In the Buckinghamshire Record Office there is a transcript from the Chalfont St. Giles registers for 1576, consisting of one sheet and including particulars of two baptisms and six marriages; it is stated that there were no burials.

The early Chalfont St. Giles registers are as follows- 1. Baptisms, marriages and burials-1584 to 1642. The last sixteen

pages of this register have been cut out, and there are no transcripts for the missing period in the Buckinghamshire Record Office.

2. Baptisms and marriages-1653 to 1749; burials-1655 to 1749. Parts of some pages have been cut out: these may have been blank portions.

3. Baptisms and burials-1750 to 1801; and two marriages of 1753. 4. Marriages-1754 to 1812. 5. Baptisms and burials-1800 to 1812. The first two years are a

repetition of the last two years of No. 3. There is a printed list of marriages from 1584 to 1812, apart from

the years 1643 to 1652 when the pages of the register are missing: it was compiled from the registers by Thomas Gurney and published by P. W. Phillimore in 1908. The registers record burials in the Quaker Cemetery at Jordans.

Sunday 8am Holy Communion 1662 loam Holy Communion ASB

with matins + Rite B on the last Sunday in the month Second Sunday of the month None Eucharistic Family Worship

9.50am Sunday school groups with Creche except on the 2nd Sunday 6.30 Evensong

Weekdays Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday:

9.30 am Daily Prayers - all welcome Wednesday 9.30 am Holy Communion Rite B

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