Inside the Church

Following on from the 1818 tragedy when the church was refurnished after the structural repairs completed, it was after the fashion of the time with box pews, which could accommodate a congregation of about seventy seven.

Towards the end of the century in 1886 the box pews were replaced by the present open pews and the number of seats increased to a hundred.

INSIDE VIEWS

INSIDE CHURCH

BEARE/BERE FAMILY

The slate tombstone to the right of the altar rails is that of Richard Bere who died on the 20th June 1618

Wording on tomb:

“The strength of man doth soone decaie
His beautie eke doth fall
Both strength and beautie once decaide
To dust and earth he shall”

(The Beare/Bere family were patrons of the church and had considerable influence in the area since mediaeval times and may have helped to finance the 15th century extension).

BOARDED CEILING

Fairly soon after the roof was boarded in pitch pine, it has mellowed over the years though not particularly liked by architectural purists.

Shattered Stained Glass

No glass survived the 1818 tragedy and so the small amount of stained glass that remains is typical of the end of the Victorian period.

Burma Memorial

The north wall window with St Patrick and St George has a sad dedication to the memory of Lt. Olive who died in Burma in 1909, the only son of the Rector.

Poor-Box

The poor box is thought to date from the eighteenth century; however, some think earlier. There are occasional references in the records to parish collections, including £3.3s (a considerable sum in 1686) for the relief of French Protestants. When Rector Ambrose Tigg died in 1706 he was succeeded by Daniel Baudris, himself a French refugee.

Other payments from Poor-Box are recorded for relief of unknown disasters in places as diverse as Piddle-Trent-head in Dorset in 1658 (4s.6d), Ilminster 1661 (3s.6d) and Southwold in Suffolk in 1659 (8s.7d)

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