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HEADING D IR EC TO RY— 1914.

is a statue of R ich a rd V a lp y D .D . m an y years m aster o f the G ram m ar
Sch ool, w h o died 28 M arch , 1836 ; on th e south side is an ancient sun­
dial : th ere are 750 sittings, alm ost all o f w h ich are free. T h e register
dates from th e y e a r 1605, but the churchw ardens’ accou nts com m ence
as early as 1430. T he livin g is a vicarage, gross yea rly value about
£ 2 6 0 , with: residence, in th e g ift o f th e B ish op of O xford, and held
since 1898 b y th e R ev. R o b e rt P erceva l N ew house M .A . o f W orcester
C ollege, O xford , rural dean of R ea din g, and surrogate. T he church
estate produces. £ 2 0 0 yea rly.
S t . M a r y t h e V i r g i n C h u r c h , a structure faced w ith flint and ashlar,
in chequers, stands at th e end of M in ster s tre e t; on a spot on ce occupied
by a nunnery, foun ded b y E lfrida , m oth er-in -law o f E dw ard th e M a rtyr ;
the church, origin a lly th at o f the nunnery, retains a reputed Saxon doorw ay, but was rebu ilt in 1551 from m aterials ob ta in ed from the ruins o f the
a b b ey ; and in 1594 the to w e r w as rebu ilt, after h aving been destroyed,
w ith its spire, in a gale : th e ch urch n ow consists o f chancel, nave o f four
bays, aisles, transepts, south ch a n try , south p orch , vestry and an em ­
b a ttled western tow er 90 feet h igh , w ith pinnacles at the angles, and co n ­
tain in g 8 bells and a clock : the chancel has a P erpend icu lar open tim ber
ro o f, and the nave a g ood roof of an early character ; the Perpendicular
fon t was given b y the V a ch ell fam ily m 1616, and has a pyram idal
croch eted cover p rovided at a cost of £ 1 3 0 ; th e arcade d iv idin g the nave
and south aisle has sem i-circular arches sprin gin g from circular colum ns ;
on th e north side o f th e chancel is an Easter Sepulchre o f E arly w ork,
and a m onum ent in b lack and gold , w ith effigies, to W illia m K end rick
and his w ife, 1635 ; the steps to the rood lo ft are built up in the south
w all o f th e chancel arch ; all th e w in dow s, in cluding th e trip let at the
east end, are stained ; in the chancel h an g the old colours o f th e 66th
(Princess C h arlotte o f W a les’ s R oya l B erkshire) regim ent, and a w indow
has been erected to those o f the officers and men w h o fell a t the battle
of M aiw and, in A fghan istan , 27 July, 1880, as w ell as tw o large brass
tablets in th e north aisle givin g the nam es of the officers and m e n ;
there is also a tablet inscribed to those of the 49th, or 1st batt. of that
regim en t, w h o fell in the cam paigns of E gy p t, 1882-3 ; the Soudan, 1885,
and the N ile E xp e d ition , 1 8 8 5 -6 ; the vestry contains som e brasses
in clu d in g a cross fleury and several scrolls to W illia m B aron, 1416, and
an in scription to John B oorne, w h o died in his th ird m ayoralty, 1558
and A lice his w ife ; in th e north aisle hangs th e old altar-piece, attri­
buted to L u d ovico Caracci, 1555-1619, and there is an alm s-box, dated
1627 ; and at the w estern entrance a carved oak screen, dated from 1631 r
the ch urch was restored in 1863-4, and th e chancel enlarged and nearlv
rebu ilt in 1872 ; and in O ctober, 1883, an episcopal ch air o f E nglish oak
and w alnu t was provided : there are 1,000 sittings, 450 bein g free. The
register dates from the year 1538, and there are also church documents
dating from the 13th century. T he livin g is a vicarage, net yearly value
£ 4 0 0 , w ith residence, in the g ift of the B ish op o f O xford , and held since
1912 b y th e R ev. R ich ard W ick h a m L egg M .A . o f N ew College, O xford!
T h e list o f rectors and vicars dates from 1173. M asonry, supposed to
be R om an , exists beneath th e re cto ry , and Saxon coin s o f th e 9th
cen tu ry have been discovered in the ch u rch yard, viz. o f B urghred, K in g
o f M ercia (853-874), and Ciulnoth (p rob a b ly C oeln oth ), A rch b ish op of
C anterbury (833-70).
S t . S a v i o u r ’ s C h u r c h , W o ls e le y s tre e t, is a b u ild in g o f red b r ic k ,
e r e cte d in 1887-8 a t a c o s t o f £ 5 ,89 1 , an d c o n s is tin g o f c h a n c e l, -clerestoried