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26

AY liESB U K Y .

BUG K ING H A M SH IR E .

have been erected for dealing w ith it by means of
settlin g tan ks followed by treatm en t on b acteria beds
and land filtration.
T h e church of S t. M ary, a fine cruciform building,
undoubtedly replacing a church of Saxon origin, stands
on the w estern side of the town, nearly at its highest
elevation, and is therefore a conspicuous object from
all parts of the surrou nd in g c o u n tr y : the m ost ancient
portions of the existin g stru c tu re are E arly E nglish of
the 13th cen tury, the transepts bein g fine .specimens
of th a t s t y le : the ch urch consists of chancel, nave,
aisles w ith chapels, transepts, south porch, and a
m assive central em b attled tower of E a rly E n glish date,
w ith panelled b attlem en ts of Perpendicular character,
from w ithin w hich rises a sm all tu rre t and spire of
woodwork covered w ith lead, erected in the 17th c e n tu ry :
the tow er contains a peal of 8 bells and a sanctus bell,
dated 1612: it has been w holly re-faced w ith rubble stone,
the tu rre t and spire recased w ith lead and ornam ental
clock dials of cast iron affixed to th e e x te r io r : the
chapels date from the 14th and 15th centuries, both
containing piscinae: the south porch and the western
entrance are fine specim ens of E a rly E n g lis h : the w est
window, L a te Perpendicular, is filled w ith stained glass,
presented by A cton T indal esq. in 1862. In a recess
beneath a m oulded and feathered arch in the north
transept lies the effigy of a k n ig h t in w h ite m arble, clad
in the p late and chain arm our of the 14th cen tury, the
head restin g on a h e lm e t; the figure was long supposed
to have formed p art of the tomb of Jam es Boteler,
founder of the G rey F riars m onastery, once standing
in th e tow n, having been found buried in grounds once
attached to the m o n a ste ry ; th e slig h t arm orial bearings
which can be discerned appear, how ever, to be those
of the Lee fam ily, of Quarrendon, and the figure m ay
therefore represen t S ir Robert L ee, of H ulcote, a m em ­
ber of th at fa m ily : there is also in th is transept a
fine old E lizabeth an m onum ent w ith q uain t inscription
to L a d y L ee, w ife of S ir H enry Lee K .G . of Q uarren ­
don, w ith alabaster figures of herself and children ; and
within E a rly E n g lish niches, in the wall of the north
aisle, are two stone coffins of the 12th century, d is­
covered in the course of some repairs m ade about 1850:
the chancel is E a rly E n g lis h : the stained east window,
a fine trip le lan cet, ric h ly ornam ented w ith shafts and
carved capitals, is filled w ith designs copied from an
old window of th is period in Chetwode P r io r y ; on
either side are three lancets, also s ta in e d : the chancel
stalls, d a tin g from the 15th cen tury, are in a good
state of preservation and the roof is a fine specimen
of the w aggon or cradle r o o f: the chancel contains a
double aum brv, trefoil headed, and a tom b or eastern
sepulchre of E a rly E nglish d a t e : on the north side of
the chancel is th e old sacrist)', w ith up p er storey, con­
tain in g an ancient fireplace and a b aluster w in do w : in
the north tran sept are two piscinae, a trefoil-headed
reredos and a sepulchre, both E a rly E n g lish : the Lady
chapel, a b eau tifu l w ork of the 14th cen tury, was
restored in 1897 at a cost of £400, under the direction
of M r. John O ldrid S cott F .S .A . in com m em oration of
the Diam ond Jubilee of Queen V ic to r ia : below it is a
charnel or b on e-h ole; this was form erly supposed to be
a Saxon cryp t, b u t both M r. S t. John Hope and the
R ev. D. H. S. C ranage agree th a t it is of la ter d a t e ; it
is now entered b y m eans of a trap-d oor and ladder, but
there are traces of a stone staircase leadin g up into the
south tran sep t: th e p resent choir vestry contains a
wardrobe of oak of th e early part of the 16th cen tu ry :
the stained west window of th e north chapel was inserted
in 1870 b y M r. Thom as Perrin, and in the south chapel
is a m em orial window erected in .J u n e , 1871, by Mr.
and M rs. Jam es Ceely. to th eir s o n ; and another,
placed in 1873, by M iss H atten, to the m em orv of her
fath er and m oth er: tw o sm all statues of SS. Peter
and Jam es, the patron saints respectively of Quarendon
and Bierton, placed on eith er side of the doorway of the
south transep t, w ere given by the late S ir G. G. S cott
kt. R .A . : the oak benches are in facsim ile of the ancient
seating of the church : the font is Norm an, and nearly
3 feet in diam eter, and has a circu lar escalloped bowl,
w ith rich scroll w ork round the upper p art, and stands
on a cushioned base carved w ith fo lia g e : the whole of the
interior and exterior of the church was th oro ughly re­
paired and restored under the direction of the late Sir
G . G ilb ert S co tt kt. R .A . and th e w ork successfully
com pleted in 1869. a t a cost of upwards of £18,000: the
reredos, presented in 1891 as a m em orial to the late
H. A. P. Cooper esq. is of gilt m ahogany, w ith painted
panels, depicting various scrip ture sce n es: in 1902 the
sanctuary was panelled in oak, sedilia, w ith two canopied
figures of S S . P eter and Paul erected, and two brass
candlesticks presented, the whole form ing a m em orial

[ k e l l y ’s

to the Rev. H. B. M cNair M .A. vicar 1889-95, at a
cost of £400, by his widow and b ro th e r: the lead
roof was repaired in 1902, at a cost of £430.
The
churchyard, w hich -was closed against interm ents Dec.
n t h , 1855, is extensive, well kept, and planted w ith
avenues of trees. One of the m ost illustrious of those
who have held th e prebendal stall of A ylesb ury was Dr.
John H acket, who during th e sittin g of the Long Parlia­
ment, m ade the m em orable appeal before the House of
Commons on behalf of C athedral E stablishm ents, 12th
May, 1641; and was a m unificent restorer of the C ath e­
dral of L ich field ; there are 1,150 sittin gs, 650 being
free. Th e reg ister dates from the year 1564- The
livin g is a vicarage, net yearly value £322, in cludin g 85
acres of glebe, 111 the g ift of the Bishop of O xford, and
held since 1914 by the R ev. V icto r Lorenzo W hitechurch L .T h . of D urham U n iversity, chaplain of the
Royal B ucks H ospital, and surrogate. The g rea t tithes
are paid d irectly to th e Bishop of Oxford.
Th e church of S t. John the E vangelist, in Cam bridge
street, erected in 1883 as a chapel of ease to the parish
church, at a cost of £3,355, is an edifice of red brick,
con sisting of nave, chancel added in 1894 and a belfry
containing 3 tub ular bells, presented in 1906 by Mrs.
VV. B lew itt, of the Manor House, and in 1901 carved
oak choir stalls were introduced, at a cost of £250:
there are 600 sittin gs.
W A L T O N is an ecclesiastical parish, form ed in 1846
ou t of A ylesb ury p a rish ; once it was a separate ham let,
but now form s p art of the town and is under the
same local governm ent. Th e church of the Holy Trinity,
erected about 1845, is a plain stru ctu re of flint with
red brick facings, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles,
west porch and a western tower w ith pinnacle contain­
ing one b e ll: in 1886-7 the church was enlarged, re­
seated and im proved by the erection of a tower and
porch, at a cost of about £ 1 ,2 5 9 : there are 600 sittings,
x80 being free. Th e register dates from th e year 1863.
Th e livin g is a vicarage, n et yearly value £225, w ith
residence, in th e g ift of th e Church Patronage Society,
and held since 1893 by the Rev. Charles W illiam Pearson
M .A. of O xford University.
St. Joseph’s Catholic church, in H igh street, is a tem ­
porary iron building, seating 150 persons. A P resbytery
was erected in 1892.
The C ongregational chapel, in H igh street, is an
edifice of brick w ith stone dressings, in the E arly
E n glish style, and was erected in 1874 at a cost of
£3,000, on the site of an ancient Nonconform ist m eeting
house known as “ H ale L e ys,” founded in 1707: there
are sittin gs for 700 persons.
T h e B ap tist chapel in W alton street, b u ilt in 1828, will
seat 200 persons.
The W esleyan chapel in B uckin gh am street, erected
1893-94, at a cost (includin g site) of £5,500, is a rec t­
angular edifice of red brick w ith stone dressings, in
the C la ssic style, from designs by Mr. Jam es W eir
F .R .I.B .A . of W estm in ster, and M r. W . F. Taylor, of
A ylesbury, and w ill seat 730 persons. The old W es­
leyan chapel in Friarage, b u ilt in 1837, is now used for
Sunday school and other purposes.
Th e C h ristadelph ian hall in A lb ert street, T rin g road,
seats 40.
Th e Prim itive M ethodist chapel, in the B uckin gham
road, erected in 1882 at a cost of nearly £600, to
replace the form er building in Station street, is a
stru ctu re of red brick w ith stone dressings, and will
seat 250 p erson s: there is a Sun day school attached.
Th e E van gelistic F ree A ssem bly H all, S t. M ary’s
square, erected 1874, w ill seat 700 persons.
Th e Cem etery, on the T rin g road, was form ed in
1856 at a cost of £ 1,50 0 : it contains 14^ acres of ground
and is under th e control of a b urial board of 9
m em b ers; there are two chapels, a m ortu ary and a
keeper’s residence.
F our ecclesiastical foundations are recorded to have
been established h ere: 1. T he hospitals of S t. John and
St. Leonard, about A .D . 1361 and 1372, for needy and
leprous persons. 2. T he Franciscans or G rey Friars,
by Jam es Boteler, third E arl of Ormonde, in 1386, and
surrendered O ctober 1, 1538. 3. A F ra te rn ity or Chan­
try, in the tim e of H enry V I. 1425, by J. Singleton
and J. and J. Baldwin. 4. A house of M athurines or
Trinitarians.
T h e Town H all, erected in 1866 on a site form erly
occupied b y the W hite H art inn, adjoining the County
H all, is a stru ctu re of red dressed brick w ith stone
facings in the Elizabethan or Jacobean style, w ith a
handsome and lofty triple arched en tran ce; and over
the central arch facing the M arket square is a
capacious o rie l; the space below is divided from a