Kellys_1914_0497.jpg

VILLAGES D IRECTORY— 1914.

k h o lb fik i.d .

455

round massivo pillars, w ith T ran sition N orm an c a p s ; in the chancel is
a piscina, discovered in rem oving pa rt of the w all fo r the in trod u ction of
a w indow and sedilia ; in 1878 a m assive signet rin g, o f pure g o ld , of
16th century date and unusually large size, was found in the ch urch yard ;
it bears a sard, engraved w ith a helmeted head in profile, inclosed b y a
cable m ou lding : the church was pa rtially rebu ilt in 1874, at a c o s t o f
£ 2 ,2 0 0 , and restored in 1891, at a cost o f £ 4 6 0 , d efra yed by the pa tron :
there are 265 sittings. T h e register o f baptism s and m arriages dates
from the year 156 7 ; burials, 15b9. T h e livin g is a re cto ry , n et yearly
value £ 2 7 5 , w ith residen ce and 26 acres of gleb e, let for £ 5 5 , in
the g ift of Jam es H erb ert B en yon esq. and held since 1904 b y the
R ev. G ranville G ore S k ip w ith M .A . o f Jesus C olleg e, C am bridge,
fh e r e is a ch arity o f £ 2 7 yearly, left b y an unkn ow n d on or, for
a pprenticin g p o o r ch ildren ; also a g ift o f £ 2 for bread on St. T h o m a s ’
lo o i
^ V olunteer F ire B rigad e o f 12 m em bers was form ed h ere in
1893, and has a steam fire engine and various apparatus.
Jam es
H erbert B en yon esq. J .P . and L ord L ieu t, o f B erkshire, is lord o f
the m anor ^and principal landow ner ; his residence, E n glefield H ou se,
is a fine lu d o r m ansion, ch a rm in gly situated on a g e n tly risin g slop e
o f the fine deer-p ark , facin g south 'a n d o v e rlo o k in g th e va lley o f the
lvennet, its m any turreted pinnacles g ivin g it a n oble app ea ra n ce ;
it w as built b y one o f th e P a u let fam ily, b u t reduced and m odern ised
by one o f their descendants, P a u lot W rig h t esq. and has also been
renovated and refaced b y the late ow n er, w h o has added a new entrance
hall and con verted the old hall in to a m agnificent lib ra ry.
Sir
Francis E nglefield bein g attainted of h igh treason in 15 6 4 , th e m anor
becam e th e prop erty o f Sir F ran cis W a lsin gh a m K .G . S ecreta ry o f State
to Queen E lizabeth ; on one occasion the Queen visited th is h ouse, and
Sir r rancis, in order to save H er M a jesty the trou b le o f ascend ing th e
staircase, bu ilt a g a llery 12 0 feet lon g, so as to reach the level o f th e hill
outside at the back o f th e house ; this gallery, red uced to 90 fe e t by
m odern a lteration s w ith in the house, is n ow used, w ith M r. B e n y o n ’ s
perm ission, fo r parochial m eetings, school fêtes and sim ilar useful
pu rp oses; from the second storey o f the bu ildin g, along its pa ssa ge, an
exit is gained to the park outside ; a p o rtra it of Queen E lizab eth
presented b y h erself in com m em ora tion o f this visit, still hangs on
a w aL in the lib ra ry ; in the hall and corrid or are som e exq u isite
sculptures b y M u n ro, F o le y , P ow er and o th e r s ; the draw in g room is a
very nne apartm ent, w ith a pain ted ceilin g represen ting th e four
seasons ; in one of the u pper room s is a bedstead brou ght °from G idea
H all, E ssex, and said to h ave been used b y Charles I. ; from these
apartm ents and from th e tow er m agnificent view s are afforded o f the
beautiful w oodla n d scenery, w hich is h ere the greatest charm o f th e
far-stretch ing landscape ; th e gardens are v e ry attractive, and m any
visitors from th e n eigh b ou rh ood avail th em selves o f the op p o rtu n ity of
inspecting them on W ednesday during the m onths of A u gu st and S e p ­
tem ber perm ission bein g k in d ly given by the p rop rietor. Elias A sh m ole
M .D . o f Brasenose C ollege, O xford, W in d s o r H erald and a distinguish ed
antiquary
retired to this village in 1 6 4 7; during his lifetim e he
.ou n ded , by the bequest o f the you n ger T ra d esca n t; the m useum at
fifh lAQO
his nam e, and d ied at South L a m b eth . M av
18th, 1692, aged 76. T he soil is g r a v e l; subsoil, cla y and chalk
The
land is ch iefly grass and w oods. T h e area is 1,437 acres of land and
u a te r ; rateable value, £ 2 ,7 4 7 ; the p op ulation in 1911 w as 299.
Sexton and Parish C lerk, W , J oyce.