Dear Friends,
Another Newsletter, another century. Belated New Year
greetings to all Friends. This newsletter has been delayed in order to
bring you the latest developments in the saga of St Mary's Church
maintenance.
When we last went to press we were anticipating an
Autumn of fund raising for our cause. Then around September we were thrown
into uncertainty by the structural engineer's report requiring major
expenditure, and our future tenure of St Mary's was in the balance. It was
for this reason that the Auction was cancelled. It would have been morally
wrong to accepts gifts, knowing that we might have to surrender the Lease.
I am delighted to be able to report that in a letter
dated 26 January to Father Richard from Laurence Payne, Diocesan Surveyor,
that the Trustees have agreed in principle to continue with the Lease and
to invite the Parish to prepare a structured programme of work over the
next 5 years. We are not off the hook. Take a look
at what needs to be done. It is appended to this Newsletter.
If the maintenance programme appears daunting, please
bear in mind that we hope to fund most of it through grants, lottery etc.
but of course we have to be able to demonstrate our own commitment. Over
the last financial year (year to 31 Dec) we amassed £9252 by fundraising
and donations. Thank you to all who responded to our raffle appeal - it
raised £500. You will also be pleased to learn that The Waylands Trust
has kindly offered £500 towards the restoration of the clock. Its chime
will announce the completion of the work!
Due to the uncertainty of our future tenure of St
Mary's, we had not arranged a programme of events. Now that we are
staying, you may be sure that there will be activities, and you will be
notified accordingly. One date for your diaries is Saturday 27 May when we
shall be repeating the very successful Open Day held last August. Do
please join us for light refreshments and Edmund Lee's very informative
guided tour of the church - at 11.00a.m.
On the subject of Open Days, during the summer we hope
to be able to keep the church open on Saturday
mornings to coincide with the Museum openings. If you can spare 2 hours to
help on one of the mornings there is a space for volunteering on the green
membership renewal slips enclosed. Thank you for your past support, we
hope we can count on you to renew your membership, which is now due. On
this note of optimism, I close............
Bernadette Yarnold
HISTORICAL NOTES from Edmund Lee
THE CHURCHYARD CROSS AT ST. MARY'S
The cross in the churchyard at St Mary's is the most
elaborate example of medieval sculpture in the town. Certainly it stands
in contrast to the interior of St Mary's church which, apart from
the Norman chancel arch has very little ornamentation. Its importance in
terms of the national heritage is recognised by its status as both a
'scheduled ancient monument' and a 'listed building'. What does the cross
tell us about the medieval history of the church?
Well, for a start, it isn't a cross in
the conventional sense at all. A small iron cross surmounts the sculpture,
but this is certainly a later addition, possibly Victorian. The sculpture
is technically a 'lantern', consisting of a square stone column about
twice as high as it is wide set on top of a tapering shaft, giving the
sculptor four panels to carve, each separated by a stone 'frame' supported
on the backs of four angels. The sculpture stands on an octagonal base of
three steps.
No documentary references are made to the lantern-cross
in early documents. The first representation of the cross is as late as
1810, when it appears in the watercolour of the church by Buckler, now in
the Wiltshire County Archives. At that time the churchyard wall did not
exist, and the lantern formed the centrepiece of a small public space,
open to the street to the East, bounded to the North by the church, to the
West by the church porch, and to the South by the buildings of the High
Street. The first antiquarian description of the sculpture was made in the
late nineteenth century by Ponting who identified the West facing carving
as depicting the Crucifixion, and the South being the Assumption of the
Virgin. Ponting did not identify the East and North facing panels,
describing them only as a 'Queen and Knight' and a 'Bishop with crozier'.
Later accounts have for the most part followed Ponting's description.
The fact that the Crucifixion faces away from the
street has led some commentators to suggest that the
carved lantern has at some date been reset the 'wrong' way round, and that
this scene would have originally faced the street. Certainly the cross has
been repaired at various dates. The shaft is probably not original, but
itself shows signs of patching. In the early part of this century it was
blown down in a storm. Parish records include a book recording donations
from the local parishioners for its repair.
However, a little further research into the two
unidentified panels suggests that we are in fact seeing the lantern as
originally intended. The 'Queen and Knight' facing the street was
suggested to be a depiction of the Annunciation in the 1940's, and an
inspection of the Bishop with crozier shows there is a second figure or
group of figures to the West of the bishop, though much damaged. If this
is also a Biblical scene, it may in fact be the presentation of Christ at
the Temple, with the 'Bishop' being St Simeon. If this is the case, then
what we have here are not scenes from the life of
Christ but from the life of the Virgin Mary, starting at the Annunciation
facing the street, and proceeding anti-clockwise around the sculpture in
chronological sequence, ending with the Assumption.
Though damaged now, the style of what remains of the
carvings suggests a date for the lantern in the 14th century.
The presence of the lantern here at that date supports the assumption
that the church itself was dedicated to St Mary during the medieval
period, further strengthening the possible connection of the church with
Abingdon Abbey (also dedicated to St Mary) mentioned in an earlier
article. Abingdon Abbey was in fact a major centre of medieval
ecclesiastical sculpture. The famous 'Eleanor crosses' erected to
commemorate the death of Queen Eleanor, wife to Edward I, in the early 14th
century (most famously at King's Cross in London) are attributed to a monk
from this abbey. It is tempting to think that our lantern is perhaps also
the gift of a major benefactor, perhaps commissioned from the abbey that
had such a strong connection with the town.
THE CROSS IN THE 20TH CENTURY from Bernadette Yarnold
Following on from Edmund's article, and reproduced
below, is the leaflet distributed by the Rector seeking donations for the
repair of the Cross. The small cash book recording donations is in
Wiltshire Record Office. Names of subscribers who can be identified (some
are recorded by initials only) are given below. With the help of Mr Bert
Nash, I have attempted to expand the detail with residence, occupation and
occasional comment. Perhaps some of our members could fill in the gaps?
Cricklade
St. Mary's
CHURCHYARD
CROSS
Early this year the top portion of this Cross was blown
down. The cost of repairing the damage done to this singularly beautiful
cross amounts to £20. Mrs. Cyril Giles and Mrs. A. Robinson, members of
the Church Council, have kindly consented to call round for donations.
Donations of one shilling and upwards will be gratefully accepted by The
Rector, and the Churchwardens. The work of refixing the Lantern and the
broken pieces has been carried out by a skilled mason under the directions
of Mr. W.A.H.Masters, Architect and Diocesan Surveyor, and of Mr. Weir the
Architect to the Protection of Ancient Buildings Society.
16 April 1925
Signed:
Charles Wray
Rector
Reproduced
from a leaflet in Wiltshire Record Office 1632/64
Donations
Rev C Wray |
1.0.0 |
|
Miss A Wray |
10.0 |
|
Miss M Wray |
10.0 |
|
Mrs J Gantlett |
5.0 |
|
H I V Cuss |
5.0 |
Lived at Calcutt Farm |
R C Mann |
2.6 |
|
Mrs L M Bucknill |
5.0 |
Lived at Bryn Cottage, dressed fashionably, drove
a trap. |
Mrs Giles |
1.6 |
|
C A Harvey |
2.6 |
|
Mr C Blackwell |
1.0 |
Charlie Blackwell Senior |
Mrs W Nash |
2.0 |
Lived in Calcutt Street, Mr Bert Nash's aunt |
Mrs A Smith |
5.0 |
Lived where C & R Grocers now trade. |
Miss Johnston |
5.0 |
Schoolteacher at the Girls School. |
L Lansdowne |
5.0 |
Builder, lived where Lloyds TSB Bank stands. |
Mrs & Miss A Horwill |
5.0 |
Schoolteachers at the Girls School. |
S Whistler |
5.0 |
Lived near War Memorial, sister of Mrs Kirwen of
Brook House. |
Miss Lucas |
2.6 |
Lived opposite Abingdon Court Lane. |
Wm Cuss |
5.0 |
|
Mrs H Pinnock |
2.0 |
|
Mrs Cole |
2.0 |
Lived where Mr James the butcher now trades. |
Taylor |
1.0 |
|
Mrs J Cuss |
1.0 |
Mother of Mrs Phyllis Hammond |
M J Robinson |
1.0 |
Lived at The Priory. |
W T Yeates |
1.0 |
Lived at the sweet shop. |
S Martin |
1.0 |
|
Mrs Dean |
1.0 |
|
Mrs Hobbs |
2.6 |
|
V Webb |
1.0 |
|
Eldridge |
2.0 |
|
L Carter |
2.0 |
Butchers, now Hart's |
Mrs Hammond |
3.0 |
Hammonds had the garage next to Carters. |
HE Goodson |
1.0 |
Lived where Tye's TV shop trades. |
Ivor Bowen |
1.0 |
Cricketer and Schoolteacher at the Boys School. |
Mrs Cullerne |
1.0 |
Lived next to Mrs Goodson. |
A Williams |
1.0 |
Lived opposite the Bank. |
Mrs Trenneth |
1.0 |
|
A Peare |
1.0 |
Lived in Purton Road |
Blackwell |
2.0 |
|
S Newer |
1.0 |
Sydney. lived in Church Lane. |
L T Teitelbaum |
2.6 |
|
A Robinson |
2.6 |
Lived at The Priory. |
A Baker |
2.6 |
Had a Clothes Shop where the Hairdressers and Pet
Shop trade. |
Miss Scott |
2.6 |
Of The White Hart. |
G Morley |
5.0 |
The Chemist. |
D New |
1.0 |
Dan. Draper next to the Post Office. |
A Gunning |
1.0 |
Had a shop making harnesses for horses next to Mr
New's, now the bakers. |
W Johnston |
1.0 |
Son of the ladies at the grocers shop. |
C Hall |
1.0 |
|
Mrs Stratford |
1.0 |
Lived in Calcutt Street opposite the turning to
Horsefair Lane. |
F R Freeth |
2.6 |
Lived where the VWH Club is now. |
Mrs J Pinnock |
1.0 |
|
F Kilminster |
1.0 |
Frank. Hairdresser, where Fish & Chip shop is
now. |
E G Woolford |
3.0 |
Teddy. The Postman who lived in Abingdon Court
Lane. |
A T Giles |
2.6 |
Tommy. The Man on the Council, he ran Cricklade! |
Dr Richards |
5.0 |
Vicar of St Sampson's. |
E Pidden |
1.0 |
Kennelworker. |
C New |
1.0 |
|
C J Carter |
1.0 |
Butchers |
Mrs Cyril Giles |
2.0 |
Carpenters & Wheelwrights, lived at
Riverside, involvement with funerals. |
Major Methuen |
1.0.0 |
Lived at Common Hill House. Marvellous chap,
financed Scouts and uniforms |
M Dean |
1.0 |
|
Mr R Sandle |
1.0 |
Dick. A man of private means. |
W C Woodward |
2.0 |
Repaired boots and shoes, opposite the Town Hall. |
Mrs Archer |
2.0 |
|
Dr Lewarn |
10.0 |
|
Mrs W Giles |
2.0 |
|
Miss Hore |
2.6 |
Schoolteacher at the Girls School. |
Miss Welsh |
10.0 |
Lady of private means. |
One thing is obvious, the concern for the maintenance
of the Churchyard Cross was not restricted to the parish of St Mary's, it
was a matter for Cricklade as a whole. Similarly, today the parish of St
Mary's is gratified to number amongst the Friends so many of the broader
community of Cricklade.
Summary of Essential Maintenance to St Mary's Church,
Cricklade - extracts from the report of Craddy Pitchers, Consultant
Structural Engineers, Bristol.
North aisle
Repairs to the masonry and stone work around the
windows to the North wall, removing lower tiles and carrying out repairs
to the rafters and their bearings; removing damaged wall plaster and
reinstating; stripping ceiling to the North aisle roof and replacing;
associated works to rain water goods and drainage; repairs/renewal of
flashings and pointing to top of North aisle roof.
(Some of the costs are covered by the subsidence claim
and the Trustees have agreed to cover the Policy excess of £20,000 on
behalf of the parish).
Front boundary wall
The remedial works to this area are largely the work of
a stone mason. This work needs to be undertaken in the near future as the
wall is becoming dangerous and the footpath needs to be protected. Grants
could be available from North Wiltshire Council - up to 50% for repair
works, and 75% for enhancement work. The Conservation Officer indicates
that English Heritage and the Historical Churches Committee will be
involved, and the further complication is that an archaeological
investigation may also be necessary during the course of the work in view
of the location of an historic wall that crosses the boundary and extends
up the North side of the church.
(The Conservation Officer for North Wiltshire
Council has advised that Grants have already been expended for this
financial year and that an application is needed to enable consideration
in next financial year.)
Repointing to West wall and tower
The urgency of this work is not necessarily in the same
category as the previous item although English Heritage is aware of the
work that has been undertaken (pointing done a few years ago using
incorrect mortar) and has said that it wants reinstatement. The nature of
the damaging work is time consuming - the mortar has to be taken out and
replaced, and would suit an experienced retired mason, doing this work
over a number of months.
Tower roof repair
Initial inspection indicates that the lead covering to
the tower roof needs repair - which from an economical point of view could
probably best be done when scaffolding is erected for repointing repairs.
Temporary measures could possibly be undertaken but would only delay works
for a comparatively short time.
Roof over North chapel
It was noticed that deterioration is taking place to
the timbers above this area, along with increasing damp penetration etc.
The likelihood is that the roof requires taking off and reinstating, but
could involve expensive repair to historical timber forming the decking
(general decay and Death Watch Beetle attack). |