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b e a d i n g d ir e c t o r y —

1919.

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the register from the year 1564. There is a fund of about ^ 0 yearly
from house property for the maintenance of the fabric o f this church.
The living is a rectory and vicarage, net income £320, in the gift of
the Bishop of Oxford, and held since 1911 b y the R ev. Fitzw ilham John
Carter Gillm or 31.A . of Oxford University.
S t. A g n e s ’ C h u r c h , in Silver street, attached to St. Giles’s, dedi­
cated A p ril 30th, 1904, is a mission church o f iron to which was added
a brick chancel, and w ill seat 200.
S t. M icnAEE a n d A l e A n g e l s ’ (T e m p o r a r y ) C h u r c h , in ElgaT road,
is also attached to St. Giles’s ; it was erected in 1899 at a cost of £1,750.
W hen the church is built on the remaining part of the site, the present
building w ill be used as the Sunday School.
T h e C h u r c h op S t. L a u r e n c e , on the north-east side of the market
place, is a building of flint and stone, in the E arly English and Perpen­
dicular styles: it was partially rebuilt in 1434, and consists of chancel,
uave of five bays, north aisle, w ith chantry chapel, south porch and a
fine western tower of flint and stone 89 ft. high and containing 10
bells, the largest weighing 4,109 lh .; the tenor bell was re-cast on Jan.
10, 1882, and the weight w as then increased from 23 to 24 c w ts .: the
tower is Perpendicular, and has octagonal turrets at the angles, rising
into spirelets above the parapet, which is battlem ented: the north aisle,
called also St. John’s chapel from its having been used b y the sisters
of the hospital of that name, retains its original ro o f: this aisle and the
chanoel were restored in 1848, and most of the windows filled with
stained glass: the remainder of the church was restored in 1867-8, when
the church walk or piazza, built by J. Blagrave on the south side in
1619, was removed, the interior re-seated, and two stained windows
inserted, at a total cost of £4,000, and further in 1882, at a coBt of
£4,580: on the south side of the nave lies buried John B lagrave, author
of “ The Mathematical Jew ell,” who died 9 A ug. 1611, and on the wall
above is a curious painted monument, w ith his demi-effigy in cloak
and ruff, holding a skull in one hand and a quadrant in the other,
with the inscription:
“ Johannes Blagravius,
Totus mathamaticus,
Cum matre sepultus: ”
A figure in ruff and hat, kneeling at a desk, commemorates M artha, wife
of Charles Ham ley, ob. 1636 j there are a few memorials to the Hungerfords of W ilts, a mural monument to Richard Fynnemore, ob. 1664,
and brasses to E dw ard Butler, gent, five times mayor of Reading,
ob. 1584, and Alice his wife, 1583; John K ent, burgess, .and Joan his
wife, with half-effigies, e. 1415: and W a lter Barton, gent. 1538, church­
warden in 1509; the last is a palimpsest brass, having on the reverse
the effigy of Sir John Popham knt. a distinguished soldier of the reign
of Henry V . ; and there are several deposited stones; on the south side
of the chancel are memorial windows to Charles Lam b, the essayist and
poet, d. 27 Deo. 1834; and to H enry and Rachel, the children of the Hon.
Mr. Justice Talfourd, dated 1848 ; the west w indow under the tower is a
memorial to Archbishop Laud, a native of the parish and great benefactor
to the town, containing also figures of H enry I. founder of the cbbev ;
Henry V H . founder of the Grammar Sch ool; Sir Thomas W h ite , founder
of St. John’s, O xford; and Charles I. the giver of the principal charier
to the to w n ; on the south side of the tower arch, placed in a rdi- '
BEAJ).

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