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Gedling church (2)

By Mr Richard Whitbread

The bells were recast in 1902, for the Coronation. The old inscriptions and dates are as follows:—

Some very well preserved hatchments, which were at one time in the chancel, are now in the tower; they impale thus :—

The names of the Archbishops of York from A.D. 627 to 1747, together with the names of the contemporary rectors and vicars of the parish, are painted on the inner walls of the tower.

A painting of the Royal Arms of George III., 1800, is over the chancel window.

The exterior of the church has several interesting features. At the west end there is a good Norman transitional doorway, the nook shafts are missing but the caps remain. Higher up the wall—at the side of the large window—are two inserted niches in the Perpendicular period. One contains

an effigy, the other is tenantless. Its occupant was lost in in 1871, when a mason who was moving it for repairs, finding his ladder giving way, threw the figure to the ground, and thus brought about its destruction. The pair of figures may have represented S. Peter and S. Paul—the patron saints of Shelford Church, the canons of which, up to the time of Henry VIII., had the right of presentation to this church.

The tower and spire are Decorated work. The entasis of the spire is very pronounced—some say it is overdone. The following letter, contributed to "The Civil Engineer and Architects' Journal," in February, 1844, gives some very interesting particulars of this almost unique work. "ENTASIS OF CHURCH SPIRES.

"SIR,—In a report of a recent meeting of the Royal Institute of British Architects, given in your journal of January 27th, I observed some remarks on the question of entasis in spires, from which it appears that the gentlemen who took part in the discussion had not recognized decided curved lines in any spire except that of Newark. I am happy to be able to instance, from the same district, a much finer and better developed example than the spire of that Church, which, it is true, has a positive though slight entasis. The accompanying drawing, should you think it worthy of a place in your valuable journal, which is an elevation of the steeple of Gedling Church, about four miles from Nottingham, will more clearly exemplify this assertion. The scale and measurements may be depended upon, as the latter were taken during some repairs at the summit of the spire. It will be seen from this that the amount of variation or bulging from a straight line drawn from the base to the summit is very considerable, being in the widest part not less than two feet; indeed, the swell is so great as to prevent a person standing upon the leads of the tower seeing the weathercock, unless by leaning over the battlement; the curve extends 43 ft. from the top of the battlement, where it meets the straight lines of the rest of the spire, and forms the segment of a circle whose radius is about 270 ft. The style of the spire is of what I should denominate the Second Decorated, circa 1320; and it is perhaps worthy of remark that Newark is also of Decorated date, although somewhat later than Gedling. It is situated at the north-west angle of the nave, and consequently groups very picturesquely with the body of the Church, which possesses many interesting features, and has a most exquisite Early English chancel of rather unusual dimensions (50 ft. by 24 ft.). There are four niches occupying the alternate faces of the spire, as indicated in the drawing; they contain male and female statues, in the attitude of prayer. One of the best preserved figures is apparently clad in chain mail, with a low conical helmet, and wears either a jupon or cyclas, with a triangular or heater-shaped shield, and a sword girt upon the thigh: this costume corresponds with the date to which I have assigned the erection of the steeple. There are also two canopied niches containing good figures of saints upon the western end.

"The general effect of the spire is very imposing, its lofty altitude gaining additional elevation from its beautiful proportions and fine outline, which, together with the absence of all meretricious detail and resulting simplicity of design, would, in my opinion, render it an admirable model for imitation.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

J. C. ROBINSON."

The most interesting part is at the junction of the tower and spire. Here is a broach spire, whose squinches had been prepared to cover the whole of the tower; but for some unexplained reason the builders seem to have discarded the original design, and to have contracted their base for the spire, and introduced embattlements. The somewhat exaggerated entasis is thus the result of reducing the base of the spire to allow for embattlements. This hypothesis

receives great support from the fact that the tower stair terminates one stage below the cornice—the usual place in a broach spire. The doorway leading to the embattle-ments is in the north face of the spire, a very unusual place, and the embattlements for want of space are exceedingly thin.

This specimen of early 14th century work seems to contain the transition from the broach spire to the embattled one.

Three of the four niches "occupying the alternate faces of the spire" contain figures. Only one—that of a knight in mail armour, with a pointed shield and a sword—is distinguishable.

The church does not appear to have been enlarged at any time, the 12th century ground plan being retained by the builders of subsequent periods.

Two annexes, a sacristy and a chapel, appear to have existed at the north side of the chancel until the close of the 14th century. Two blocked-up doorways and a piscina, or a stoup, for holy water, mark the site.

The parish register dates back to A.D. 1586, and the churchwardens' accounts to 1680.

In 1882 the rector, Canon Forester, in describing the Communion plate, said it consisted of a flagon, chalice, and paten. The two former are silver. On one side of the flagon are the arms of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and the inscription—"Joannes Sudbury Nuper Decan Dunelin Ricardo Kirkby A.B. Coll. Emman. 1734. APIΣTEYEIN AIEN." (always to excel.) On the other side is—Ar., two bars gu., on a canton of the second a cross moline or, for Kirkby. On the lid is a Cap of State surmounted by a cabled circle containing a cross moline or.

The above-named vessels are still in existence, but the paten and chalice only are in use.

Some collecting plates and a paten, all pewter (now out of use), bear the following marks:—Roses, shields—some of which are surmounted by a royal crown and the word London —plough, a displayed eagle, and a sinister hand holding an arrow.

In the churchyard of Gedling is a curious tombstone. It is a flat stone of Swithland slate, quite unremarkable in appearance and much overgrown with turf, on the south side of the church a little west of the porch. The inscription, remarkably well preserved, is as follows:—

"Sacred to the Memory of
John Flinders.
He died May 11th 1798
in the 96 year of his age.

He served his Country 62 years as a Soldier, 34 of which he was Gunner in the Royal Artillery, 22 in the 8th or King's own Regiment of Foot, and 6 years in the 52nd Regiment, General Lambton's. Whilst in the Regiment he was in six Battles and two Seiges, viz, the battle of Dettingen, Fontenoy, Falkirk, Culloden, Racks and Val, Stirling Castle and Bergen op Zoom."

It seems almost impossible to look into the ancient history of any place in Notts, without encountering the name of the powerful Roger de Busli, in connection with it; Gedling is no exception; moreover, we here again come across the names of the influential families, treated of at some length in the last volume of Transactions in connection with Laxton; for the manor of Gedling and Weston (which is in Thurgarton Hundred) was by fine and recovery (16 Edw. IV.) passed to Robert Roos of Laxton.1 The son and heir of Adam de Everingham is also referred to as owning a Knight's fee in this place. It was on the 5th February in 31st Henry VIII., that Michael Stanhope, Esquire and Anne, his wife, obtained from that king the manor of Shelford, together with much other valuable property in the neighbourhood, belonging formerly to the Monastery there, a grant which included 140 acres at Gedling. A large portion of the parish and the gift of the living, to which Stoke Bardolph is annexed, still continue in that family, now represented by the Earl of Carnarvon.

This Michael Stanhope was appointed governor of Hull by Henry VIII. His half-sister Anna, married the Duke of Somerset, the protector of the young king Edward VI., and through his influence Michael Stanhope was created a knight, and made a gentleman of the Privy Chamber.

In addition to the heraldry mentioned in Mr. Whitbread's paper as being or having been in the church, Dr. Thoroton gives "In the parsonage chamber window,

Lord Crumwell with Tateshal quartering Everingham."

There is no marriage between a Crumwell and an Everingham recorded in the pedigrees of these families as set out in Thoroton's history. The name of Crumwell is more closely identified with the neighbouring village of Lambley than with Gedling. The last Ralph, Lord Crumwell, it seems, was Lord Treasurer of England (11 Henry VI.), and Lord Chamberlain of the Household (30 Henrv VI.).

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