St. Mary’s Church in Nonington: monumental inscriptions noted by the Reverend Bryan Faussett in 1758
The Reverend Bryan Faussett (1720-1776) was a wealthy Kent clergyman who pioneered archaeology in Kent and excavated and recorded scores of sites in parishes in close proximity to Nonington.These excavations were recorded in
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The following are notes he made in 1758 on the memorials and inscriptions then to be found in St. Mary’s Church, Nonington.
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Chancell.
30. A Very Handsome Altar Piece.
31. On ye East Wall, on ye North Side of the Communion Table is the following Inscription, & Coat, on a Large Brass Plate. (G.note: WILFORD) [Gu. a chevn. engrailed betw. 3 leopards’ heads or. imp. (G.note SIMPSON) ¼ly: 1&4). Per bend sa. & or, a lion rampt. countercharged.
(G.note GEMCOT). 2&3). A bend & on a chef 3 bezants (these the only colour shown)]. Alys the Daughter and Heyre of William Simpson Esquyer, Vice Marshall of Calys, and Catherine Gemcot, Wife to Fauncis WILLFORD, neere 35 Yeares (by whome She had 6 Souns, and 4 Daughters) depted. constantly in ye Fayth of Jesus Christ, about the Yeare of her Age 59, Junij 3 A.Dni 1581, who now resteth in ye Lord, & hath receaved the End of her Faythe, wych is the Salvation of her Soule. 1.Pet.1.9.
32. On a Brass Plate on an Ancient Flat Stone. Hic jacet Johes COOKE, quondam Curat Ecclesiae de Nonyngton q. obiit septimo Die Augusti, A. M.v.xxviii. (error for .. xviii – 1518).
33. On Another Flat Stone bearing this Coat. [Tierced: 1). Gu. 2 bends erm. (KINGSFORD).
2). Arg. on a chevn. sa. 3 escallops arg. betw. 3 ogresses, each charged with a martlet arg. (HAMMOND). 3). ¼ly of 6: 1,3,5). Sa. a fleut-de-lys or. (TURNER) 2,4,6). Erm. (TURNER)]. Here lieth interr’d the Body of William HAMMOND Esq. who departed this Life Jan. 17th1717(8) in the 54th Year of his Age.
34. On Another. Hic Jacet Elizabeth HAMMOND Gulielmi Hammond Arm. Uxor qui (sic in Orig.) obijt in Octob. Anno Domini M.D.C.L.XXV. (1675).
35. On Another. Hic Jacet Willielmus HAMMOND, Arm. qui Obijt Sexto Die Maij Anno Dom. 1685.
36. Another not Legible, except the Date, viz. 1626.
37. On a Mural Monument On the North Wall. Domino Anthonio FIELDO Gregis Christi Pastoris (sic) vigilantissimo, nec non fidelissimo Sacrum. Caetera saepe solent, ut sint magè Messibus apta,/Agricolae, impensis Arva, Labore coli./Ast Ager iste alios coluit, sudavit et alsit,/Ut Sparten Domino Villicus excoleret./Emeritus tandem, Cursumq emensus, abivit,/Extremo expectans Praemia danda Die.
Some Fight the Feild for Love of Country’s Soil;/Some Fight the Feild for their own Honour’s Sake;/Some fight at First, but, afterwards recoile./Which worthily to their Disparage make./Some buie the Field, but pass not for ye Treasure./Their Hearte’s Thoughts play so much upon ye Base;/The Worth of Heav’n they carnally doe Measure,/By corrupt Sense, that savours not of Grace./But, this Field fought for Christ, His Truth, His Flocke,/For Heav’nly Glory, and eternal Lyfe,/Agaynst ye Flesh, The Devill, and Worlde’s Mocke;/This was ye Quarrell, & the deadly Stryfe./Theis Three fought strongly, but he would not yeild;/At Length he fought with Death, and won ye Field.
His Faecundus Ager, caelesti Rore rigatus,/Naturae ornatus Dolibus eximijs,/Attulit ingentem Domini in Granaria Messem,/Imbuto Populo Cognitione Dei./Suavis Odor Vitae Fieldi Documenta fuerunt,/Et redolent Factis Fama Deciusq pijs.
Loe here a Field, whome once the Lord had Bless’t/With guifts of Nature, Learning, Art, and Grace;/Enjoyeth now his Saboaths, is at Rest./Chear’d with the Sun Beames of his Makers Face./The Fragrant Smell of this most Fruitfull Feild,/A Sweet Rememb’rance of his Name doth Yeild.
In The North Chancell. On ye S. Wall.
38. [I. ¼ly: 1). Or, a griffin segreant sa. in a border gu. [gold background, a black griffin with spread wings and front legs raised within a red border] [(BOYS),
2). Sa. a chevn. arg. betw. 3 buckles or. 3). Arg. on a fesse sa. 3 bezants betw. 3 lions’ heads erd. gu. 4). Per pale & per fesse indented erm. & gu. (G.note: Phallop). II. BOYS imp. Sa. a chevn. betw. 3 leopard’s heads or (WENTWORTH)].
39. In Memoriam Edvardi BOYS, Armigeri, defuncti. Stemmata Majorum, Generisq Insigniae, jactent,/Qui laudare solent Proavos alienaq Facta./Hic, Monumenta sui liquit, Statuamq perennem,/Virtutem propriam, verae Pietatis Alumnus./Musarum Decus eximium; Fantorq Piorum;/Justitiae Custos; et Relligionis Amator./Pro Christo natale Soloum, Patriamq reliquit;/Per Christum Semper Patriâ meliore fruetur. In Obitum Edvardi BOYS Senioris Militis.
Vir Pietate Amans, Censû decoratus equestri;/Militiae clarus, clarus et Ille domi./Sanguine Clarorum illustri non nixus Avorum,/Sed Virtute suâ, Viribus atq suis./Justitiaeq tenax, et Amicus Vitabis Ille;/Auxilium miseris, Malleus Ille Malis.
40. In Memory of The Lady BOYS, Wife of Sr. Edward Boys. If Piety to God, and Love of Saintes;/If Pity of the Poor in their Complayntes;/If Care of Children’s Godly Education;/If Modest Carriage merits Estimation;/All these, and more, shall this good Lady have,/To keep her ever from Oblivious Grave./ God He hath crown’d her with eternall Bliss;/The Church doth honour her; The Poor her Miss./Her Godly Offspring treading in her Waies/To theyr succeedinge Age commend her Prayse./Such Honour She, such Honour may they find,/That, unto Syon bear a Loving Mynd.
41. On Another Fine Monumt. on ye same Wall. [¼ly of 10:
1). Sa. 2 chevrons arg. betw. 3 escallops arg. (BODE).
2). Per bend embattled sa. & arg.
3). ¼ly arg. & sa. a label of 3 points sa.
4). Gu. a chevron erm. betw. 3 garbs or.
5). Erm. 3 pickaxes gu.
6). Erm. 2 chevrons gu.
7). Arg. crusilly az. 3 crescents gu.
8). Gu. a maunche arg.
9). Per chevn. sa. & erm. in chief 2 boars’ heads couped or (G.note: SANDFORD).
10). Arg. a chevn. betw. 3 rams’ heads sa. horned or imp. ¼ly:
1). Or, a griffin segreant sa. in a border or (sic, for gu.) (G. note: BOYS).
2). Sa. a chevn. arg. betw. 3 buckles or. (G. note: PHALLOP).
3). Arg. a chevn. sa. with 3 bezants.
4). Per pale & per fesse indented erm. & gu.].
42. In Obitum optimae Faeminae Mariae BODE Uxoris *Joh.Bode Generosi Filia Edvardi BOYS Militis suae obiit 21 Die Jun. A.D. 1615. *He afterwards married Mary, the Daughter of Henry HEYMAN of Sellinge Esq. (see My Book of Pedigrees, Fol.51). Whose Earthly Body now awhile ye Grave shall close retaine,/Her Name in Earth, her Soul in Heavn, forever shall remayne./For why? She living, lov’d of God, a Pattern bright did shine,/To Mayds, to Mothers, Matrons grave; let none at this repine./Meek, Patient, Modest, loving, chaste, kind, harmless, zealous, just;/In Life expressing working Fayth, in Dying constant Trust./In Heav’n her Thoughts She treasured still, & thereon set her Heart,/Good Marye’s Peace now hath, for why? her Choice was Marye’s Part. – I.B. Parturieus perijt, perijt non vivit Olympo./Aeternae in Caelis Gandia Lucis habens./Abstulit hauc cita Mors, nulli Pietate secundam;/Innocuam Vitâ, Pace, Pudore, Fide.- I.B. In Kent and Essex where she came,/For Virtues wreathed in one;/For modest Wisdom, & Sobrietye;/In Life and Death, I count her Blest./She left behind her such a Name,/For sweet Behaviour & Religion;/True Marriage: Love, unstained Chastitye,/Which soe could live, and soe did rest. – W.S.
The Starr deckt Skie thought large, not all the brightest Starrs doth hold;/The Sayntes on Earth, by Light of Grace, more bright an Hundred fold./Who clear’d from lumpish Care, translate from Earthly Mine,/Third Heav’n shall furnish, and above ye lower Starrs shall shine./Such Wight is here interr’d; not Dust, nor Death can dim her Light,/None can deny her this; I speak, in Reason; ‘tis her Right. W.B.
Here lyes her Corpes, which living held a Spiritt,/Whear Zeale and Modesty did still inheritt./Till God, who knew the Virtues that She had,/Saw hir, too good, to live with us, too bad./Hir Earthy Part lies here involved in Dust;/Hir Heavn’ly Sowle, a Saynte among ye Just.
43. On a Neat Monument on The South Wall. [Gu. a chevn. vairy or & az. betw. 3 leopards’ heads or imp. Arg. a fret gu. on a chief gu. 3 leopards’ heads or]. Hic sunt depositae Janae Reliquiae ab antiquâ Generos: Liddelor Familiâ oriundae, ex Castello de Ravensworth, in Agro Durelmensi, Johannis MENNES, Equitis Aurati Anglo Cantiani, Conjugis, Maris Anglicani Vice-Admiralli, Clessisque Regiae Contrarotulatoris. Illa, (absente Marito sub Velis Regijs Reginam ex Galliâ Mariam revehentibus) apud Fridville, Johannis BOYS Armigeri occumbeus, hospitali Istius Humanitate, hic inhumata. In sacram Dilectissimae Consortis Memoriam, Mariti Pietate, hoc Marmor erigitur. Nata Annos, circitèr 1602. Julij 23 1662, denata.
44. On a Flat Stone. Here lieth Edward BOYS Esq. who married The Daughter of Sr. Nicholas WENTWORTH, Knight, Porter of Callise; who departed this Life The 15th of February 1559(60).
45. On Another. Here lieth Dame Katherine BOYS, Wife unto Sr. Edward Boys, Knight, Senr. and Daughter of Richard KNATCHBULL Esq. Who died 23 June 1625.
46. …….. Here lieth also interred The Body of Mary TROTTER The Daughter of The said Mary BODE, and Wife of Richard Trotter, the 2d. Son of Sr. Henry Trotter of Skelton Castle in the County of Yorke, Knt. who died the 18th of Aug. 1647.
47. On Another. Here lieth Sr. Edward BOYS, Knight; Who had Issue, Sr. Edward Boys, Roger, Thomas, Peter, Dorothy, Elizabeth, Mary, Jane, Anne, and Frances; who died January the 8th 1634/5.
48. Three Other Flat Stones, not legible.
49. In The East Window of this Chancell, is this Coat still to be seen. [BOYS (as before) imp. Gu. a chevn. betw.3 griffins passant arg.]. (G. note: FINCH).
50. Here was formerly a Rood Loft.
In The Body.
51. On a Flat White Grave Stone, (incised slab, now much worn)bearing The Figures of a Man, between 2 Women, and, under them, 5 Children, (all cut ye Stone) is The Following Inscription, round the Verge. Orate pro Animis Johais HAMON, Margarete et Mareie (sic) suis Uxoris (sic); qui quidem Johaes obijt iiii die Octobris Anno Dni. M.CCCCC.XXVI (1526) quor Aiab: ppicietur Deus. Amen.
52. On Another Flat Stone. Here lieth interr’d the Body of Elisabeth Wife of John PILCHER. She departed this Life Nov. 27 1725. Aged 74 Years.
53. On Another. Here lieth The Body of John PILCHER of this Parish; who left Issue by Mary his Wife 1 Daughter Elisabeth. He departed this Life March 17 1735/6. Aged 69 Years.
54. The Windows, in General, appear to have been very beautyfull. In The Eastmost Window of The North Isle are The Figures of a Man, and 2 Children, in a praying Posture; and, under them, this Remnant of an Inscription. “Et Elizabet Uxor Ejus”.
55. This Church consists of, The Great, and North, Chancells, The Body, and North Isle. The Tower, which is very low, stands at the West End of the North Isle. In it hang 3 heavy Bells, thus inscribed.
1. Sancta Katerina. Ora pro Nobis.
2. John HODSON Me Fecit. 1683. S. NASH & Robt. PAYNE, Ch. Wardens.
3. Josephus HATCH Me Fecit. 1621.
56. It was anciently a Chappel to Wingham; but, in ye Year 1282, upon dividing Wingham into 4 Parishes, this was one of them.
57. It was called St. Maries.
58. It is a ….. in the Gift of …….
The Present ….. is The Revd. Mr Edward LUNN; who is also Rector of Denton, and Curate of Wymingswould. viz: 1758.
