Details
INGATESTONE AND FRYERNING
TQ6599 HIGH STREET, Ingatestone 723-1/14/398 (South East side)
10/04/67 Church of St Edmund and St Mary
(Formerly Listed as:
BRENTWOOD
HIGH STREET, Ingatestone
(South East side)
Church of St Edmund and St Mary)
GV I
Parish church. Late C11, C15, C16 and C17, restored and
extended in C18 and C19. The nave is of coursed rectangular
blocks of indurated conglomerate with lacing courses and
quoins of Roman brick and tiles, with some pebble rubble.
Chancel, N and S chapels and W tower of red brick in various
bonds. S aisle of pebble rubble with some reused conglomerate
and Roman brick and tile from the S wall of the nave. Roof of
handmade red clay tiles. Nave late C11, chancel enlarged
before C16, S aisle C15, S chapel Cl6, N chapel early C17,
W-tower c1500, N organ chamber C19, attached church hall to N,
C20.
CHANCEL: has an E wall of red brick in irregular Flemish bond,
probably late C17, with a C19 window. In the N wall opening
into the N chapel is an early C17 4-centred brick archway of 3
chamfered orders, with C19 jambs; further W is a C19 opening
for the organ. On the S side is a C16 brick arcade of 3 bays
with 4-centred arches of 3 chamfered orders on octagonal
pillars and semi-octagonal responds with moulded capitals and
bases; the bricks have been coloured and re-pointed with
cement mortar; the W respond is partly restored. There is no
chancel-arch. The roof is C19.
N CHAPEL: is early C17, repaired in the early C19. The E wall
is of original red brick in English bond to a height of 1.50m,
rebuilt above with early C19 handmade bricks in Flemish bond.
The E window is early C19, of two 4-centred transomed lights
with a chamfered and mitred wooden frame and tracery with a
square head. The N and W walls are of early C17 brick in
English bond with diaper patterns of black headers. The RCHM
reported the initials W P formed in black bricks on the W
gable (for_William Petre), of which the second letter is now
covered by a modern stack. The N doorway is C19. The roof is
in 5 cants, plastered, probably mainly original.
S CHAPEL: is reported to have been built as a chantry chapel
in 1556 (Starr, 1980, 77). The RCHM reported a stone in the E
wall carved with the initials W.P. and A.P. and a shield
carved in relief with the Petre arms; it is now weathered
beyond recognition. The chapel is of red brick in English
bond, with minor C20 repairs. The E window is of three
4-centred and transomed lights with a square head and
chamfered 4- centred rear-arch. In the S wall are 2 windows,
the eastern of 3 and the western of 2 plain 4-centred lights
with square heads. The SE diagonal buttress is original, the
SW buttress is C19/20. The roof is in 5 cants, originally
plastered, now stripped, with an ovolo-moulded N wallplate.
NAVE: has a NW angle of Roman bricks. In the N wall are 2
windows, C19 except the splays and rear-arches; the eastern
as a segmental rear-arch, the western has chamfered jambs and
chamfered semicircular rear-arch. Further W is the partly
restored and scraped late C14 N doorway with moulded jambs and
2-centred head and label. The label stops are much eroded; the
RCHM reported that they were of human faces, the E of a woman
with braided hair, c1370-80. The rear-arch is chamfered and
3-centred; the doorway is blocked internally. The S arcade is
of 3 bays with 4-centred arches of 2 chamfered orders carried
on piers of 4-shaft-4-hollow section, with half-columns as
responds, all with moulded capitals and bases. E of the arcade
on the S side is a blocked doorway of clunch to a former
rood-stair, with chamfered jambs and a 4-centred arch. The
roof is C14/15, of crownpost construction, comprising 27
rafter couples all with soulaces, 3 hollow-chamfered straight
tie-beams, and 3 octagonal crownposts with moulded capitals
and bases and 4-way bracing; the E tie-beam and crownpost have
been renewed, the middle tie-beam has been splinted with
steel, and the braces of the W crownpost have been crudely
reconstructed from reused timber, not matching the others in
design. The wallplates are moulded, the greater parts renewed.
The S wall of the S aisle has 2 windows, C19 except the splays
and chamfered segmental-pointed rear-arch of the eastern
window, which are probably C15. Further W is the C15 S doorway
with jambs and 2-centred head in 2 chamfered orders, restored
externally; internally the jambs and segmental/rear-arch are
chamfered. In the W wall is a window which is C19 externally
and plastered internally. The roof is C19.
W TOWER: c1500, is of red brick in English bond with diaper
patterns, crosses, etc, formed in black headers. It is of 4
stages externally, 3 internally, with a stepped and
crenellated parapet having a corbel-table of trefoiled arches;
at the angles are octagonal pinnacles with moulded tops. In
the SE angle is a semi-octagonal stair-turret lit by 6 plain
rectangular loops, and a C19 doorway. The brick tower-arch is
2-centred and of 2 chamfered and 2 square orders; the jambs
are reduced to one chamfered and 2 square orders, with plain
bases; it has been re-pointed with cement mortar. The W
window, partly restored, is of three 4-centred lights and
plain tracery under a 4-centred arch, the jambs and arch of 2
moulded and 2 chamfered orders. The W doorway is of 2 moulded
and 2 chamfered orders with a 4-centred arch under a square
head with recessed spandrels. The third stage has in the N and
S walls a single round-headed light of 3 square orders; in the
W wall is a window, partly restored, of two 4-centred lights
with jambs and arch of 2 square orders. The bell-chamber has
in the E, N and W walls a window of two 4-centred lights under
a 4-centred head; in the S wall is a similar window of one
light; all have jambs and arches of 2 square orders. The tower
has an original floor of heavy joists of horizontal section
with a framed bell-trap.
FITTINGS: in the S wall of the S aisle is a C15 piscina of
clunch with a round basin and chamfered 2-centred head. Under
the arch of the N chapel is a wrought-iron screen of plain
pointed strikes with 3 stanchions surmounted by urns, gate
towards the W end, late C17/early C18. On the N wall of the
nave, W of the C19 pulpit, is a wrought-iron holder for an
hour-glass, early C18. There are 5 bells, the third by Peter
Hawkins, 1610, the fifth by Miles Graye, 1660. In the chancel
is a small brass of a shield of arms, with indent for missing
figure, probably of Eustace Bernard, early C16, and 2 other
indents for inscription-plates.
MONUMENTS: in the chancel on the S side, monuments (1) of Sir
William Petre, Privy Councillor to Edward VI, Queen Mary and
Queen Elizabeth, Chancellor of the Order of the Garter,
1571-2, and Anne (Browne) his second wife; on altar-tomb
(illustrated in RCHM, 139), alabaster effigies of man in plate
armour, head against helmet, feet against crest, and of lady
with close head-dress, brocaded skirt, cloak and fur stole,
feet on lozenge of arms; both effigies on a rush mattress;
altar-tomb on two steps, sides divided into three panels by
Doric columns of Purbeck and veined marble, each panel
enriched with a shell-head and elaborate cartouche of arms; a
similar panel at each end; in head of arch over tomb,
ornamental ironwork supporting an alabaster oval plaque with
achievement of arms surrounded by a chain with rose pendant
encircled by a Garter, attributed to Cornelius Cure, Crown
Mason. In N chapel (2) to Mary, widow of Robert, Lord Petre,
1684-5, plain grey marble altar-tomb (illustrated in RCHM,
138) with panelled sides and a top of polished touch with
lozenge of arms; (3) of John, Lord Petre of Writtle, 1613,
Mary (Waldegrave) his wife, and Katherine, daughter of Edward
Somerset, Early of Worcester and wife of William, second Lord
Petre, 1624; monument erected by William, second Lord Peter;
elaborate wall-monument of alabaster and marble, and of three
bays with plinth and canopy; against plinth kneeling figures
in high relief of four daughters and eight sons; the three
bays divided by black marble Corinthian columns, the centre
bay with a round and the side bays with a flat arch, all with
coffered soffits; in the centre bay on raised base figures of
man in armour, and woman, both with fur-lined cloaks and
kneeling at a prayer-desk; in side bays at a lower level
kneeling figures of a woman on the N and a man on the S,
similar to those of the centre bay; behind each a shield of
arms; above a panelled attic with cornice supporting obelisks
and three cartouches of arms. In S chapel on E wall, (4) of
Robert Petre, 1593, of various marbles with kneeling figure of
man in plate armour under a round arch and flanked by
Corinthian columns supporting an entablature with achievement
of arms, painted and gilt; (5) of Capt. John Troughton, 1621,
marble tablet with oval panel carved in high relief with bust
of man in enriched armour with diagonal sash; on each side a
panelled pilaster and over all a broken pediment and oval
medallion, attributed to Epiphanius Evesham; (6) of Thomas
Walmesley, 1775, James Walmesley, 1777, and his sister Mrs
Margaret Colegrave 1768, white marble tablet. On the N wall of
nave (7) of Thomas Pease, 1781, and Elizabeth his wife, 1785,
black and white marble tablet with pediment, 3 medallions
missing. In the chancel are floor-slabs (1) to Gertrude
(Tyrell), first wife of Sir William Petre (1541), in black
marble; (2) to Frances, wife of James Austin, 1698, and James
Austin, 1699, in black marble with moulded edge and
achievement of arms; (3) to Pierce Lloyd, Rector, 1770, in
black marble; and (4) to Thomas Brand-Hollis, 1804, in black
marble; in the N chapel (5) to John Petre, 1669, in black
marble with shield of arms; (6) to Brigite (Pynchon), widow of
William, Lord Petre, 1694, in black marble with shield of
arms; (7) to Mary, daughter of Thomas, Lord Petre, 1713, in
white marble, with lozenge of arms; in the S chapel (8) to
Robert Manning of Amsterdam, 1730; (9) to Matthew Fogarty,
1702, with achievement of arms. In the N chapel is a painted
royal arms of Charles II dated 1673, and 2 C18 benefactions
boards.
(Starr C: A Guide to Essex Churches: 1980-: 77).
Listing NGR: TQ6512299592
