Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood: Historical, Anecdotal, Physiographical, and Archaeological, with Other MatterWalter, J. Conway (James Conway)
History
Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood: Historical, Anecdotal, Physiographical, and Archaeological, with Other Matter
Walter, J. Conway (James Conway)
Woodhall Spa (England)
The churchyard was enlarged, and consecrated by the Bishop, May 22nd,
1900.
The general plan of the church is nave, with small north and south
aisles, and chancel. At the east end of the south aisle, in the south
wall, is a piscina; a slab of considerable size below it, indicating that
this has been formerly a chantry, with altar at the east end, lit up by
two small windows, one in the eastern wall, the other over the piscina.
In the easternmost bay of the north arches, which now extends within the
chancel, there is, at the base of the arch moulding, a nun’s head. This,
however, is believed to be modern work, introduced at the restoration.
The pulpit is of old oak, nicely carved, with peculiar Masonic-looking
design, the money for its erection being left by Henry Taylor, Esq., of
All Hallows, Barking, in 1646. The font is hexagonal, having a simple
semi-circular moulding in the centre on four sides, the other sides being
plain. There is a good old oak parish chest in the tower. The tower,
externally, has two good original gurgoyles, the other two being modern.
The Communion plate was “the gift of Mrs. Hannah Ashley, 1786.” In the
chancel is a pewter alms dish, with the name “Bucknall,” and the date,
hardly legible, “1680.” The bell of the church is evidently ancient, and
has several curious devices graven upon it, including a Tudor Rose,
beneath which are four crosses, alternating with four capital S’s;
besides these, there is a long cross, with upper end branching into a
trefoil, its lower end forming a fork, resting on a circle, on each side
being a smaller stem, slightly foliating at top.
On the east side of the south doorway is an old stone having a sundial
graven on it; now built into masonry which must have come from some other
part of the fabric. Opposite the porch, in the churchyard, slightly
raised above the path, is a large, flat square stone, nearly a yard
broad, and with some moulding below. This is called “the tithe stone.”
It may have been the base of a churchyard cross; but, as in olden times
the cross often served as a place of barter and business, it may well
also have received the tithes and other dues belonging to the rector.
(See “Old Stone Crosses,” by Elias Owen, 1886.) I may add that there was
a similar stone in the churchyard in the neighbouring parish of
Waddingworth.
A list of non-jurors connected with this parish in 1715 has the following
names:—“Susanna Smith, widow, £10 0s. 0d.; William Smith, gent, £30 0s.
0d.; Samuel Martin, gent., £36 0s. 0d.” (It may be remembered that
non-jurors were subject to double taxation, although they erred in such
company as the saintly Bishop Ken and other prelates.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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