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D I R E C T O R Y .]

BERK SHIRE.

d u rin g th e year 1881 the church underw ent a thorough
restoration a t th e hands of M r. Edw in Dolby, arch itect,
of A bingdon, at a cost of £2,554, in course of which
the nave roof was entirely renew ed in E n g lish oak, and
a panelled and em battled parapet, w ith num erous
carved shields, was b u ilt upon the north w all ; the floor
was also relaid w ith sm all blocks, tiles and disturbed
gravestones ; th e old p u lp it Tefixed and the chancel and
nave refitted in oa k ; the m odern heraldic glass, w ith
which the east and other windows were previously
filled, including a shield of arm s of Richard Plantagenet,
Duke of Y o rk , was w holly rem oved and sold ; some m ay
still be seen in th e windows of Barton C o u rt; the late
E J. T rendell esq. of the A bbey House, refilled the east
window w ith B ristol glass ; there are m em orial windows
to M rs. Trendell and to the late G eorge Bowes Morland
esq. his w ife and children, placed in 1890, and one to
Henry Y eates, of A b in gd o n ; the reredos, given by the
Rev. W. C. G ibbs M .A. rector (1878-84), is of caTved
oak ; the Perpendicular font was restored at the cost of
Mrs. Sum m ers, w ife of the late R ev. E dgar Sum m ers
B .D . (d. 1907), head m aster of A bingdon school 1870-83 ;
on th e north side of the nave is the ta ll m u ral m onu­
m ent of John Blacknall, a grea t benefactor to th e town,
and Jane, his w ife, both of whom died on th e 21st
A u gu st, 1625 ; there are kneeling effigies of both, and
the° decorations have been renewed ; there is also a
m onum ent to W a lter D airell esq. recorder of Abingdon,
1628 ; a m arble m onum ent w ith arm s, to th e Rev.
Thom as W oods M .A . 37 years head m aster of Abingdon
school, d. 1753 ; a floorstone in the v estry over the
grave of the Rev. H enry B rig h t M .A. also head m aster,
d. 1803 ; a m ural tab let to the Rev. W illiam Sm ith
M.A. rector, and Tesdale usher of Abingdon school, d.
1845 ; and a sm all inscribed brass to the Bostock fam ily
of F itzh arris, 1669 : there are 250 sittin gs, all of which
are free. The register dates from th e year 1538. The
d u ty of the church is in a great measure^ provided for
by a S u n d a y lectureship, in the g ift of T rin ity College,
Oxford, and held b y the Rev. M elville W atson Patterson
M .A. fellow of th a t college. There is also a readership
for daily prayers, held b y the Rev. H enry A lexander
Kennedy M .A. vicar of A bingdon, and rector of this
church.
T h e chuTch of S t. M ichael, a chapel of ease to St.
Helen’s, and situated on the south side of the A lbert
Park, is a building of stone in the Decorated style, from
designs by the late S ir G . G ilb ert S cott R .A . and
erected at a cost of £2,500, by the Rev. N. Dodson M .A.
a form er vicar, and consecrated in 1867; it consists of
chancel, nave of five bays, aisles, south porch and an
open bell-cote on the w estern gable w ith 3 bells ; the
east window is stained, and there is a m em orial window
to E m m a (A rm ytage), w ife of the Rev. the Hon. Henry
B ligh, v ic a r of A bingdon (1874-8); she died Decem ber
27th, 1881 : there are free sittin gs for 500 persons.
The iron church of St. M argaret in the Union grounds
is used for the inm ates of the workhouse, and w ill seat
100 persons.
The C atholic church on the Oxford road, and
dedicated to St. M ary and St. Edm und of Canterbury,
is an edifice of stone in the Decorated style, and
consists of chancel, clerestoried nave and aisles, lady
chapel and transept on the north side, another chapel
on the south side, sacristy, and a cloister connecting the
church w ith th e p resbytery ; on the w est gable of the
chapel is an open bell-cote w ith one bell ; the east w in ­
dow, w hich displays elegant flowing tracery, is stained,
and there are sittin gs for 300 persons ; on the w est and
north of the church is a cem etery, and beyond are schools
of the same m aterial and in the same style, w ith an
open b ell-turret surm ounted by a shingled spirelet ;
further to the north, w ith gardens intervening, is the
convent, b u ilt of b rick w ith stone dressings, in a plain
style and consisting of a central block w ith wings and a
large block in rear ; ad joinin g th e south w ing is a new
chapel of brick w ith stone dressings in the Lancet style,
consisting of a lo fty nave of five bays w ith a slendet
oak-shingled flèche risin g over the east end ; both the
convent and chapel w ere erected by the late Sir G eorge
Bowyer bart. ; the organ was provided in 1890.
T rin ity W esleyan chapel, in A lb ert P ark, erected in
1875, is a building in the Decorated style, and consists
of chancel, nave, transept, south porch and a tower w ith
broach spire at the north-w est angle : there are sittin gs
for 460 persons : adjoin in g are schools and a chapel
keeper’s house ; on the opposite side is the m inister's
house ; both the chapel and other buildings are of local
ragstone w ith B ath stone dressings and form three sides
of a square, laid down in th e centre w ith tu rf and
enclosed by a low wall w ith open iron work, supported
by stone piers.

A B IN G D O N .

19

Th e B ap tist chapel, in Ock street, is a b u ild in g m a
q uasi-C lassic style, ly in g back some distance from the
stre e t; th e fron t exh ib its four h uge p illars sup portin g a
heavy pedim ent ; the chapel, erected in 1841, was com ­
p letely restored in 1882 a t a cost of £75°» an<^ ^as an
attached b a p tis te ry ; fu rth er im provem ents were m ade
in 1893 and 1898, when it was ceiled anew and a new
organ provided. In 1902 the ad jacen t school room was
com pletely restored ; extending from the front to the
entrance gates n ext the street is a b urial ground : the
first foundation of the B ap tist cause here was in 1652,
but its registers are not earlier than 1764 : i t has sit­
tings for 650 persons.
The C ongregational chapel in the Squ are, T e b u ilt m
1862, in the Italian style, has sittin g s for about 600 ;
its records date from 1688 ; p art of the old chapel is
now used as Sunday school, class rooms and vestries.
The chapel and v estry were w h olly closed against in ter­
m ents Jun e 27th, 1856.
.
In th e abbey precincts is a chapel belonging to 3
C alvin istic sect, founded in 1832, by the Rev. John
T ip ta ft M .A. som etim e vicar of Sutton Courtney.
The P rim itive M ethodist chapel, in O ck street,,
form erly the W esleyan chapel, is a building of stone,
in the E a rly E n glish style, erected in 1845, from a
design by the late Mr. W ilson, arch itect, of B ath ; the
font is lig h ted b y a triple lan cet window of good design
and is flanked by open tu rrets w ith short stone spires :
there are sittin g s for 150 persons.
T h e Salvation A rm y barracks, in Broad street, were
b uilt in 1890-1.
T h e Cem etery is in th e Spring road, w est of the town
and consists of about six acres, p rettily laid out and
planted ; there are two m ortuary chapels of stone, in
the Decorated style, and a curator’s residence.
Th e
C em etery is under th e control of a join t com m ittee of
ten m em bers, seven elected from the Urban D istrict
Council and three from S t. H elen’s W ith out. Orders in
C ouncil respectin g various graveyards in the town were
gazetted June 27th, 1856; Jan. 24th, J u ly 3r(^» an^ Use.
21 st, i860, and A p ril 19th, 1861.
Th e Council C ham ber and other m unicipal buildings
are situated on the south side of th e abbey gatew ay and
include an apartm ent over the gatew ay itself, also used
for m asonic purposes ; the lower stage of these buildings
apparently form ed a portion of th e abbey, or of the
ancient hospital of S t. John the B aptist, and consists of
a large and rather low room, lig h ted by wide Perp en ­
dicular windows, and fitted up as a Borough C ourt ; a
substantial b alustraded oaken staircase conducts from
this to th e Council C ham ber, a long and som ewhat
narrow, b u t spacious hall, panelled all round w ith rich
dark oak and entered b y a ta ll pedim ented doorway,
adorned w ith m assive foliated c a rv in g ; th e ceilin g is
flat and ornam ented in stucco, and th e floor is laid
down in p arqueterie ; a series of recessed windows ligh ts
both sides, and on the walls are hung p ortraits of
G eorge I II. and Queen C harlotte, signed “ G ain s­
borough,” 1794, alth o u g h th is date is subsequent to
his death (1777), and presented by S ir Charles Saxton
bart. in 1808 ; C harles II. ; Jam es II. ; a reputed portrait
of R ich ard M ayott, first and three tim es m ayor of
Abingdon, 1556, b ut contained in a fram e bearing the
aim s of Bostock ; and other portraits of John Roysse,
founder, in 1653, of Abingdon school, d. 1571 ; S ir Simon
H arcourt k t. first Baron H arcourt, of Stanton H arcourt,.
Oxon, Lord C hancellor (1712-14) and form erly repre­
sentative in Parliam ent for Abingdon, who died 29th
July, 1727 ; C harles A bbott, first Lord Colchester, born
at A bingdon, 14th October, 1757, and Speaker of the
House of Commons (1802-17), presented
in 1859
Rev. H erbert Randolph, of M archam ; the R ig h t Hon.
S ir F rederick T h esig er k t. D .C .L ., F .R .S . first Baron
Chelm sford, Lord C hancellor and form erly M .P. for this
borough, who died 5th Oct. 1878 ; M ontagu B ertie, fifth
E arl of A bingdon and h igh stew ard of the borough, d.
1854, an(i one oi A dm iral Sir Geo. Bowyer b art. p re­
sented by his grandson, the late S ir Geo. Bowyer bart.
Oct. 6th, 1870; there is also a v ery fine pain tin g of
th e M artyrdom of S t. Sebastian, and a p ortrait group
b y H enry J. Brooks, of Abingdon, of th e Corporation
of A bingdon in 1877-8 ; at the w est end is a noble pier
glass, presented b y th e 5th E arl of Abingdon, H igh
Stew ard, in 1823, and adorned w ith th e arm s and
coronet of the donor ; opening to th e staircase are two
sm aller cham bers, and th e up p er stair leads
ap artm en t over th e abbey gatew ay ; im m ediately ad­
jo in in g on th e south is the old school buildin g ; it is
a lon g room , panelled on either side to a considerable
h eigh t, and ligh ted by plain square windows above the
p an elling ; the north end is panelled up to the ceiling,
and at th e south end is an elegant balustraded gallery,
BERKS.

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