Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/256

 A HISTORY OF SURREY

��a small round-headed light set about midway in its length.

At the north-east is a very beautiful two-light window of c. 1300 with a quatrefoil in the head, set in a tall arched recess which seems to be of earlier date, possibly of the first half of the ijth century ; adjoining it in the west wall of the tower is a smaller arched recess, both being connected with the altar which formerly stood at the north-east of the nave. The recess in the north wall is much taller than is com- monly the case, but there seems no reason to suppose that it was ever intended to open to a chapel on the north-east, as has been suggested. It may have been heightened when the window was inserted.

The south arcade, c. 1300, is of two bays with an octagonal pillar and semi-octagonal responds ; the bases and capitals are moulded, and the arches are two- centred and of two chamfered orders. The west door- way of the nave is an early 1 5th-century insertion, and has double-chamfered jambs and a pointed arch of two double-ogee orders with a label ; and over it Is a 1 5th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights with cusped tracery in a two-centred arch.

The south aisle has a piscina near where its former east wall stood ; it has moulded jambs and a two- centred arch with trefoiled soffit cusps, and a filleted roll hood mould forming a straight-sided gablet over the arch ; the sill containing the octofoiled basin pro- jects and is moulded below ; halfway up is a shelf, above which the recess deepens. The window west of this piscina is contemporary with the aisle, and is of two trefoiled lights with a cinquefoiled circle in the pointed head ; the splayed jambs have hollow-cham- fered edges, and the internal label is a scroll mould with mask stops ; outside is a similar label with one volute and one mask stop. The south doorway is a pointed one with moulded jambs and arch, and has a scroll mould label with corbel stops, and the west and south-west windows are trefoiled lancets with soffit cusps, all being contemporary with the aisle.

The porch is a I 5th-century addition ; it has an east window of two plain pointed lights in a square head, and a broken holy-water stoup which was moulded like a capital on three sides. In the west wall is a tiny quatrefoil piercing the outer archway, having moulded jambs and pointed head ; it has been much repaired with cement. The porch is built of sandstone ashlar, and contrasts with the rest of the walling, which is of thin shaly rubble with stone dressings. There was formerly an inscription on the porch," ' Orate pro anima(bus) Thome Sander et Johannae uxoris eius et pro animabus omnium fidelium defunctorum." This inscription survived the Reformation, for it is noticed in a MS. description of the church written on 12 December 1622 (now in private hands), but was probably destroyed in the Civil Wars.

The east wall of the old chancel is coated with new cement. All the roof timbers are old, those of the present chancel and south aisle being of the date of the building of the chancel, c. 1500, while those of the nave and old chancel are probably somewhat earlier ; all seem to have been underdrawn with plaster ceilings. Under the tower is a modern flat panelled ceiling.

Across the entrance to the present chancel is a fine contemporary screen of eighteen panels (four of which

��are over the central opening) with ogee cinquefoiled heads and trefoiled tracery. The cornice is painted and gilded ; the lower part carved with a running vine pattern, and the upper has the initials R.S. (for Richard Sander, who died in 1480) several times repeated be- tween pairs of winged dragons. Over the central open- ing, which retains its double doors, are the letters IHS and a crowned M supported by angels, and there are also two shields on the cornice, with the arms of Sander Sable a cheveron ermine between three bulls or, tongued gules, impaling Carew Or three lions passant sable. The lower panels of the screen are plain and solid, and the middle rail is carved with a band of quatrefoiled lozenges.

The altar table is of dark oak, and is apparently of late 1 8th-century date. The pulpit is an octagonal one made up with ornamental carved cartouche panels containing painted texts of about 1620, and seven earlier linen panels probably of the 1 6th century.

In the chapel is an ancient chest 4 ft. by I ft. 8 in. by I ft. 8 in. with a three-sided lid, bound by plain iron straps and having three locks.

The seats are modern.

On the south wall of the south aisle are a set of very interesting wall paintings, for the most part contemporary with the aisle. To the east of the window by the pulpit are scenes from the story of St. Margaret, arranged in bands one above another. The highest shows the governor Olybrius hunting, and sending his huntsman to bring Margaret to his palace. Below, Margaret is being beaten and im- prisoned, and swallowed by the dragon, whose body bursts and the saint comes forth unharmed. The lowest range, which is very indistinct, shows the beheading of the saint.

To the west of the window are some much- damaged scenes, perhaps from the story of St. Nicholas, with later paintings on a larger scale of the Three Living and the Three Dead, and apparently part of a St. Christopher or St. Edmund. The paintings were in very fair condition when uncovered, but have unfortunately been treated to a so-called preservative process, and have suffered in consequence.

The font is a small one with a plain octangular bowl on a square shaft ; it appears to be modern. In the west window of the former nave are some fragments of ancient glass, a portion of the figure of a saint, and several other odd pieces, including two words of an inscription. Also in the first window of the north wall are two small eyelets containing roses and leaves.

On the south wall of the chapel, or present chancel, is the brass of Nicholas Sander, 1553, and his wife Alys Hungate, with four sons and six daughters ; there are shields with Sanders quartering Carew, and another with Hungate, a cheveron engrailed between three sitting hounds, a molet for difference. On a separate plate is the Sander crest, a demi-bull holding a flower. In the old chancel is a brass plate to Wil- liam Jordan, 1625, and Katherine his wife, 1626, and in the south aisle one to Nicholas Jeale, 1615. Lost inscriptions to the Sander family are given by Aubrey. 100

There are six bells ; of these the treble and second are by Thomas Janaway, 1764; the third, fourth, and fifth by William Eldridge, 1697, 1668, and 1662

��" Recorded by J. L. AndrS in Surr. Arch. Call. *i.

��188

��ll Hut. of Surr. if, 258.

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