Kellys_1919_0415.jpg

VILLAGES DIRECTORY—1919.

e n g l e f ie l d

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401

containing 6 bells, presented b y Mr. Ben- and is carved o u t of a solid piece of oak ;
• ron in 1878 ; the E nglefield chapel, which th e arcade betw een th e nave and south
is now used as an organ cham ber, was aisle has E a r ly E n g lish arches w ith v ery
added to th e north side of the chancel in bold m o u ld in gs supported on plain round
1514, h arin g been fo r a series of y ears the m assive p illars, w ith T ran sitio n N orm an
burial place of th at fa m ily , w hich becam e c a p s; in th e chancel is a piscina, d is­
extinct on the death of S ir Henry Charles covered in rem o vin g p a rt of the w all fo r
Englefield b art. 21st M arch, 1882; S ir th e in trod u ction of a w indow and sed ilia ;
Thomas Englefield lent. Speaker of the in 1878 a m assive sig n e t rin g , of p u re
House of Comm ons in 1496, and in the gold, of 16th cen tu ry d ate and u n u su ally
first P arliam en t o f H en ry V I I I . the large size, w as found in th e ch u rch y a rd ;
founder of the chapel, is here bu ried ; his it bears a sard, engraved w ith a h elm eted
m onum ent, an elegant altar-tom b , s u r­ head in profile, inclosed b y a cable m ould ­
mounted b y a canopy and» once b earing in g : th e ch u rch w as p a rtia lly re b u ilt in
brasses, stands on the north side of the 1874, a t a cost of £2,200, and restored in
communion table ; and th ere is also in 1891, a t a cost of .¿450, d efrayed b y the
The
the chapel a m onu m ent to S ir F ran cis patron : th ere are 265 sittin g s.
Englefield b art. ob. O ct. 26, 1631, and re g is te r of b ap tism s and m arriages dates
from
th
e
y
e
a
r
1567
;
b
u
rials,
1569.
The
Jane (Browne) his w ife, w ith effigies of
both, kneelin g a t a desk, and of several liv in g is a recto ry, net ye arly valu e £275,
children, besides other m onum ents of th e w ith residence and 26 acres of glebe, let
Englefield fa m ily ; th ere is also a m onu ­ for £3$, in th e g ift of Jam es H erb ert
ment to Charles Benyon, lieu ten an t in Benyon esq. and held since 1904 by the
H.M .S. “ A ja x ,” k ille d w h ile attem p tin g Rev. G ran ville G ore S k ip w ith M .A . of
T h ere is a
to board a F ren ch vessel off the Isle of Jesus C ollege, C am b ridge.
E lb a; on th e north w all is a m u ral tab let c h a rity of £2 7 yearly, le ft b y an unknow n
of black m arble, w ith epitaph b y Dryden, donor, fo r ap p ren ticin g poor ch ild re n ;
to John P aulet, fifth M arquess of W in ­ also a g ift of £ 2 for bread on S t. T h om as’
A V o lu n te e r F ir e B rigad e of 12
chester, of B asing, H ants, who held B asin g day.
House for fou r years fo r K in g Charles I. m em bers w as form ed here in 1893, and
but the m ansion b ein g e ven tu ally storm ed has a steam fire engine and v ario u s a ppa­
by the Parliam en tary forces w as b u rn t to ratus. Jam es H erb ert Benyon esq. J.P .
the ground ; the M arquess died M arch and L o rd L ie u t, of B erksh ire, is lord of
6th, 1674; the m on u m en t is surm ounted the m anor and principal landow ner ; his
by a shield of arm s and th e m oto “ Donee residence, E n glefield H ouse, is a fine
pax redit terris ; ” a portion of th is m on u ­ T u d o r m ansion, ch arm in gly situ ated on a
ment, hitherto m issin g, togeth er w ith ge n tly ris in g slope of th e fine deer-park,
three other sepulchral stones, w ere d is­ facin g south and overlooking th e v a lle y of
covered in thè pavem ent of the ch urch in the K en n et, its m any tu rre te d pinnacles
September, 1878, d u rin g som e alteration s g iv in g it a noble appearance ; it w as b u ilt
then proceeding, and th e four slabs are by one of th e P a u le t fam ily, b u t reduced
now fixed upon the su rface ; th a t belon g­ and m odernised b y one of th e ir d escend­
ing to the m onu m ent of the M arquess ants, P a u le t W rig h t esq. and has also
bears a lon g in scrip tio n , d eta ilin g his been renovated and refaced b y th e la te
public services, m arriages and issue ; the owner, who h as added a new entrance
others are inscribed to H onora (de B u rgh ), h all and con verted th e old h all into a
his second w ife, 1661 ; John P a u let, her m agn ificen t lib ra ry. S ir F ra n cis E n g le ­
eldest son, 1660 ; and to H onora P a u let, field b ein g a ttain ted of h igh treason in
her youngest d au gh ter, 1660 ; in th e south •1564, th e m anor becam e th e p rop erty of
aisle is a b e au tifu lly scu lp tu red m u ral S ir F ran cis W alsin gham K .G . S e cre tary
m onum ent to M ary, w ife of Richard B en ­ of S tate to Q ueen E liz a b e th ; on one occa­
yon esq. 1777, and another to P au let sion th e Q ueen v isite d th is house, and S ir
W right esq. 1779 ; over th e p u lp it is a Francis, in order to save H e r M ajesty th e
m ural brass inscribed to R ichard de B e au ­ trouble of ascending the staircase, b u ilt a
y 120 feet lo n g ,'s o as to reach th e
voir Benyon esq. 1854 ; in the south aisle,
of th e h ill ou tsid e a t th e back of
under two obtuse arches in th e w all, are
two recum bent effigies; one of these is a the h o u se : th is g a llery, red u ced to 90
feet
b
y m odern alteration s w ith in the
stone figure of a k n ig h t in fu ll arm our,
with a surcoat, and b e arin g his shield house, i s now used, w ith M r. Benyon’ s
upon his arm ; th e oth er figure is th a t of perm ission, for parochial m eetin gs, school
a lady in the costum e of the 14th century,- fêtes and sim ilar u sefu l purposes ; from