Page:The Victoria History of the County of Surrey Volume 3.djvu/379

 COPTHORNE HUNDRED

��FETOP4D

��The tower is of three stages, the two upper being largely of 1 8th-century date, with red brick quoins and battlements, but the ground stage is of late 12th- century date, and opens to the aisle by a plain round- headed arch, the western face of which, formerly exposed to the weather, has been restored, and to the chancel by a pointed arch of three chamfered orders, the outer order only being ancient.

At the south-west angle of the tower, and opening from the chancel, is the lower entrance to the rood- stair, the steps of which still exist, though the upper doorway facing the nave is blocked up.

The ground stage of the tower has one window in the east wall and two in the south, tall narrow round-headed lights of plain character, belonging to the original work ; the space they light is now blocked up by an organ.

The chancel arch has plain jambs in modern stone and a two-centred arch, which looks like 14th-century work, of two splayed orders without corbels or abaci at the springing. It is evidently the successor of a narrower and doubtless earlier arch, for on the nave side its north jamb has destroyed the larger part of a small 1 3th-century arched recess springing at the north- east from a cone - shaped corbel set across the angle. There was evidently a second recess in the north wall of the nave, destroyed when the present north arcade was built ; the object of both recesses was to give more room for the north nave altar.

The north arcade of the nave is of two wide bays with a slender octagonal shaft and responds to match, worked with a single broad chamfer which con- tinues round the two-centred arches, there being no capitals or strings at the springing. A moulded label of good early 14th-century section is the only ornamental detail of the arcade, which is of very uncommon character.

The south arcade of the nave is of three bays with circular columns and large flat scalloped capitals with cham- fered abaci ; the arches are of one plain semicircular order with chamfered edges, the chamfers being a later addi- tion. Above the eastern column of the arcade is a window belonging to the early aisleless nave, widely splayed towards the nave with plastered jambs and a round arch of Roman bricks set with a wide mortar joint. Towards the aisle it shows as a narrow round-headed light with jambs and arch of Roman bricks, originally intended 'to be plastered over.

The windows lighting the nave and aisles are entirely modern, except the west window in the north aisle, which has old inside splays, perhaps of 13th-century date. The west window of the nave is of three trefoiled lights with tracery of 14th-century style.

The north doorway is of 1 3th-century date, having jambs and arch of two splayed orders with a small chamfered label ; the moulded abaci at the springing are modern, and all the stones have been retooled.

��The nave and chancel roofs have Horsham slabs near the eaves, but are covered with tiles above, and the other roofs have tiles only.

Internally the roofs are modern open timber, except that to the north transept, where all the timbers are hidden by plaster. The western portion of the chancel roof is not quite continuous with the rest, the break occurring just above the east jamb of the arch to the north transept.

All the internal fittings are modern.

On the south wall of the chancel is a monument with Corinthian pillars flanking an oval which con- tains the half- figure of Henry Vincent, 1631. Above the niche is a defaced shield of arms.

On the north wall of the chancel is a black

���FETCHAM CHURCH

��SOUTH ARCADE OF THE NAVE, EARLY WINDOW

��marble tablet with a round-headed recess flanked by pilasters and containing an inscription to Anthony Rous, who died in 1631.

There are three bells in the tower, the treble bearing the inscription ' William Eldridge made mee 1 665,' and the second 'Robertus Mott me fecit 1588.' The third is by William Land, 1613.

The plate is all modern, and comprises a chalice, paten, and flagon.

The registers are contained in three books. The first, which is of parchment and is a copy up to about 1 600, has entries of baptisms, marriages, and burials from 1 5 5 9 to 1 7 1 2. The second has baptisms and burials from 1 7 1 2 to 1812, and marriages from 1 7 1 1 to 1753. The third book contains marriages from 1754 to 1812 on the usual printed forms.

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