removed. Mr. Abingdon thus describes the inlaid effigy and inscriptions, as he found them in the reign of Charles the First. "His resemblance is vested for the altar, in prayer. On his right hand is, Deus in nomine tuo salvum me fac; and on the left, Et in virtute tua judica me; and below on the one side, Quia in inferna nulla est redemptio, and on the other, Miserere mei Deus et salva me; and under his feet, Orate pro anima Domini Clement Lichfield sacerdotis, in cujus tempore nova turris Eveshamic edificati est."Ignorant as ruthless, must that violator have been, who could wrench from the grave of his fellow, these solemn, these searching petitions of trembling humanity. Had this abbot inscribed above his grave, an anathema on him who should disturb his bones-like Shakspere in after-times 402—it would not perhaps now stand on record, that-" This tomb was carefully opened in the summer of 1817."403 Respecting such unwarrantable disturbance of the sanctity of the grave, in the instance too of a character so universally and deservedly respected-we cannot but exclaim with the high-spirited and intellectual Hamlet, Say 66 Why thy canoniz'd bones, hearsed in death, Have burst their cerements! why the sepulchre, Wherein we saw thee quietly inurn'd Hath op'd his ponderous and marble jaws To cast thee up again! Say, why is this? Wherefore? What hast thou done?" But, as has truly been observed, it seems to be the lot of greatness to be persecuted and poverty-stricken during life, and after death to be disentombed. Abingdon, in his manuscript observations, describes several coats of arms at that time emblazoned in the windows of this church, all of which have at present disappeared. In the east window of the chancel there were, gules six martlets ermine; in the chapel at the north, standing in the position of a transept and called by him the Derby Chapel,404 there were, in the north window, gules, three legs conjoined and armed, argent,-this coat was repeated thrice; in another pane, azure, three arms conjoined argent, armed with swords; in the middle pane, Mortimer, within an inescutcheon, argent; in the next pane on the right, argent two bars gules; in that on the left, or, two bends gules, Sudeley; in the last pane, gules a fess and 402Good frend for Jesvs sake forbeare To digg ye dvst enclosed heare Bleste be ye man yt spares thes stones And cvrst be he yt moues my bones." -Gravestone in Stratford Chancel. 403 Short Account of the Antiquities of Evesham, by E. J. Rudge, esq. 404 We are unable to find further notice of this transept as "the Derby Chapel :" but in the endowment of Stourbridge Grammar school two chantries within this parish dedicated to the Virgin Mary and St. John are thus noticed :-"Ac omnia illa messuagia, terras, et tenementa in tenuris 3 tenentium existent. in Evesham prædict, ac nuper cantariæ B. M. et S'ti Georgii in parochia Omnium Sanctorum, in villa de Evesham."-Nash's Worcestershire, vol. ii. page 215. two mullets of six points in chief, or, Poher. In the windows of the north aisle were the arms of the Abbey, and of Beauchamp quartering Warwick and including Despenser. In the windows of the south aisle those of the see of Exeter, and Gloucester Abbey ; together with the white rose of York, often repeated. The church still presents vestiges of having once contained several monumental brasses; there being even at present-notwithstanding the universal wreck of ancient gravestones-six slabs in different situations within the pavement, retaining the indentions where brasses were originally inlaid; but, with the exception of one small inscribed plate, these have all been shamefully plundered; and the very stones, which surely ought to be exclusively appropriated to the original occupants of the grave beneath, have in more than one instance been used to record the death of some recent intruder. Thus, piece by piece and time after time, the churches here have been alike divested of ancient and interesting memorials. The devastators of "the great church," at its abandonment to ruin, overwhelmed the sculptured effigies abounding there in one vast and mingled ruin and in a few years afterward the humbler portraits upon intagliated brasses here, placed by the townsmen-as also by the last of their abbots-upon their several graves, were basely pillaged by mercenary or malicious hands,-the hands of some, we fear, who once were even neighbours, or acquaintance. Among the brasses that remained entire at Mr. Abingdon's visit, he notices in the north transept a tomb inlaid with brass, exhibiting the effigies of "Master John Sadeler," one of the latest catholic chaplains of this parish, who died in 1502-in the central aisle, the effigies of Robert Wyllys and wife; near these, that of John Okley, merchant in Evesham, who died in 1586; a stone indented for a graduated cross, to the memory of John Feckenham, considered to be of the same family as Dr. Feckenham, dean of St. Paul's of whom we have yet to write further: in the south aisle, the inlaid effigies of Elianor, and her two husbands; she, with the first of these, Thomas Jordan who died in 1526, "were special benefactors to this church." 405 There were also here two other 405 "Orate pro animabus Thomæ Jordan et Elianoræ uxoris ejus, qui huic ecclesia præcipui erant benefactores: qui Thomas obiit A.D. 1526, die vero mensis Augusti connubial effigies inlaid, but without date or inscription, then remaining. In our Appendix, numbered XI. will be found a list of all the gravestones and tablets at present within this church, compiled with some pains immediately from the originals. The only monument of particular interest-excepting abbot Lichfield's— now remaining, is that of Robert Wyllis, chaplain here about the time of the Dissolution. There are grooves upon the slab, which mark the outlines of his own effigy and that of his wife, which were inlaid as kneeling; and underneath them both is still preserved in its original situation the small brass plate which implores the passer-by in the latin language and church character, to "pray for the souls of Robert Wyllys and Agnes his wife: upon whose souls may God have mercy." The font is at the west end of the north aisle, and the style of its sunken quatrefoils and floral ornaments appropriates it to the fourteenth century. In the same aisle, there are against the eastern pier some vestiges of the screenwork that formerly partitioned off the adjoining transept or Derby Chapel. Near the entrance to the nave may still be seen the oaken lectern on which a copy of Cranmer's bible was originally chained for the use of the parishioners: round which, upon its first introduction into our churches, groupes were wont continually to gather from morn till eve; reading or listening to the full-tide of holy doctrine, from whence bare portions only had hitherto been doled forth by their priests. A black-lettered copy of Fox's Martyrology is at present fettered to this stand, as well as another protesting volume, the date of which is 1563. The chapelry of All-saints, like that of St. Lawrence, was formerly in the peculiar jurisdiction of the abbey of Evesham; though now in the archdeaconry and diocese of Worcester, but exempt from the archdeacon's visitation. It stands as a discharged vicarage in the king's books, valued at £10 16s. 04d; and is in the gift of the The Terrier of its rents and profits, as delivered in 1585, we have copied from the registry of the Consistorial Court at Worcester, and append beneath the queries, however, do not appear, for the reason we have already given in connection with St. Law crown. xvii et pro anima Willielmi Yver, primi mariti Elianoræ, et pro animabus filiorum et filiarum eorundem. Quorum animabus propitietur Deus." rence terrier.406 Early in the eighteenth century Dr. Lloyd, then bishop of the diocese, actuated by conscientious scruples, augmented the curacy by a yearly payment of £5. This, with a like sum to the curacies of Bengeworth and Churchlench was payable from a lease of part of the tythe of Sheriffs-lench; which lease was forfeited to the bishop by the execution of John Palmer, gent. who with his wife's brother was found guilty of murdering his own mother and her maid-servant in the year 1707. Payment to these curacies appears to have been continued till the year 1770; when there being no fund for renewal, the lease was suffered to expire: and although bishop Madox had renewed it without allowing his secretary to receive a fee, the then bishop permitted the charity to be lost. Thus by the grant of a fresh lease, the tythe became private property.407 The present rents and profits of the two parishes, as augmented by purchases from Queen Anne's Bounty and the bequests of private individuals, appear as stated below. 408 The incumbents of All-saints, since the visitation of the monas An Answere to the Articles given us in Charge in the Visitacon 1585. 1. To the ffyrst I answere that we have not the Byble of the like translacōn required 2. To the 2 I answere that the queens Mtie, ys Patrone of or. benefice and yt. there ys noe gleabe land thereunto belonginge: I ame neyther Double beneficed nor graduated but beinge Curate receipt. in wages-o xij'. 3. To the 3 I can say nothinge. 4. 5. To the 4 & 5 I can say nothinge 6. To the 6 I say that there ys but onely ye Vicaridge Howse and one lyttle gardyne thereunto belonginge. Pryviledg's we have none that I remember but that we are not subject to the Archdeacons Visitacon but onely to my L Bishopps of the Diocesse. Gyles Horwell Churchwardens. Per me ANTHONUM MARSHALL min". 407 Nash's Worcestershire, vol. ii. page 438 note.-The same author remarks that "About this time licentiousness was very prevalent in this county, especially in the Vale of Evesham, where persons of considerable property led very abandoned lives, and tyrannized over their inferior neighbours. The gentlemen I allude to were Sir John Dineley, Sir Robert Jason, Sir William Keyte, Mr. Hazlewood, and many others."-An authentic Account of the Robberies, Murders, and Burnings at Bretforton and Upton Snodsbury, has lately been re-published as a pamphlet, at Evesham. 408 Land at Saintbury, purchased by Queen Anne's Bounty-All-saints Rent-charge on Doctor's Ground: bequeathed by Dr. Jephcott-All-saints £4 £54 |