CHURCH
It seems that Hamon de Marcy held the advowson
of Bobbingworth in the early 13th century. (fn. 95) After his death, which occurred
before 1244, his widow Denise held it in
dower. (fn. 96) In 1244 it was agreed that at the death of
Denise it should pass to Alice and John de Merk and
to the heirs of Alice who, by another agreement, became overlords of the manor of Bobbingworth (see
above). (fn. 97) In about 1262 John de Merk was patron of
the living. (fn. 98) . In 1280 Ralph de Merk, probably the son
of John, granted the advowson, with ½ acre of land, to
John de Lovetot for 30 marks. (fn. 99) Lovetot still held the
advowson at his death in 1293, but by 1328 it was in
the possession of Henry Spigurnel, tenant in demesne
of the manor of Bobbingworth. (fn. 1) In 1332 Thomas
Spigurnel granted the advowson as well as the manor
to Robert de Hakeney. (fn. 2) In 1365 and 1368 John King
presented to the living. (fn. 3) In 1389 Joan Morell was
holding a life interest in the advowson which from that
time descended with the manor of Bobbingworth until
1575. (fn. 4) In 1575, when Sir Thomas Walsingham and
John Rochester divided Bobbingworth manor between
them, they agreed that the advowson should remain in
common and that they should present to the living in
turn. (fn. 5) In 1582 Thomas Barefoot presented pro hac
vice by concession of Sir Thomas Walsingham. (fn. 6) In
1598 Sir Thomas Walsingham granted his rights in
the advowson to Robert Bourne, owner of Blake Hall
(see above). (fn. 7) Afterwards the owners of the manors of
Blake Hall and Bobbingworth had alternate rights of
presentation. They sometimes sold their single turns.
In 1669 John, 3rd Baron Digby, then life tenant of
Blake Hall, granted his next turn to John Robinson of
Stapleford Tawney. (fn. 8) In 1673 Robinson sold it to Sir
John Archer, a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas,
who presented in 1678. (fn. 9) In 1692 James Lordell presented Jacob Houblon. (fn. 10) When Charles Houblon,
brother of Jacob, purchased the manor of Bobbingworth from John and Mary Poole in 1708 he also
purchased their right to half the advowson. (fn. 11) At that
time Mary Poole held a life interest in it with remainder
to John Poole. (fn. 12) The advowson remained divided between the owners of the manors of Bobbingworth and
Blake Hall until 1834 when Capel Cure of Blake Hall
purchased the manor of Bobbingworth and the alternate right of patronage annexed to it. (fn. 13) In 1838 Capel
Cure presented W. M. Oliver. (fn. 14) Since that time the
living has remained in the gift of the Capel Cures. (fn. 15)
In about 1254 the rectory was valued at 5 marks. (fn. 16)
In 1291 it was valued at £6 13s. 4d. (fn. 17) In 1428 the
church was still taxed on this valuation. (fn. 18) In 1535 the
rectory was valued at £13 6s. 8d. (fn. 19) Its 'improved'
value was £60 in 1604, £81 in 1650, and £100 in
1661. (fn. 20) The tithes were commuted in 1840 for
£455; (fn. 21) there were then 32 acres of glebe. (fn. 22)
The rectory was built by the Revd. W. M. Oliver in
1839 (fn. 23) near the site of an earlier parsonage. (fn. 24) It is a
three-story square house of gault brick with a twostory wing on the north. A difference in brickwork
suggests that the top story may have been a later
addition.
The parish church of ST. GERMAIN consists of
nave, chancel, vestry, and north tower. At different
periods parts of the church have been rebuilt so that
very little medieval work now remains. In particular
subsidence on the south side has necessitated constant
repairs.
The date of the original nave is not known but it
may be indicated by a 13th-century piscina in the
south wall, now reset, which has a pointed head and
attached shafts. In 1909 Frederic Chancellor stated
that during then recent work to the south wall ancient
oak uprights were found embedded near its west end. (fn. 25)
He suggested that these might have represented part
of a pre-Conquest church, but in the absence of better
evidence this must remain extremely doubtful.
The chancel, replaced in 1840, was probably of the
14th century. In 1835 (fn. 26) it is described as of ancient
appearance and the east window as 'a good specimen
of the decorated style of architecture'. The nave roof
is of the trussed rafter type and may be of the 15th
century. Probably also in the 15th century a wooden
bell tower was added beyond the west end of the nave. (fn. 27)
This appears to have been in two stages, the upper one
of smaller diameter, and to have had a small shingled
spire. (fn. 28) The church still had a small north porch in
the early 19th century (fn. 29) and this may have been of late
medieval origin.
The nave is said to have been rebuilt in red brick in
1680. (fn. 30) In 1770 considerable work was done to the
interior of the church including the erection of a west
gallery presented by Jacob Houblon. (fn. 31) The nave walls
were again largely rebuilt in 1818 and fitted with oak
windows. (fn. 32) In 1840 the chancel was rebuilt in gault
brick at the rector's expense. (fn. 33) The 14th-century style
of the demolished work was probably copied, particularly with regard to the east window. In 1840 a
north tower and porch were built, a Mr. Burton being
the architect. (fn. 34) They are of gault brick and the style is
again inspired by the 14th century. The tower has
three stages with pointed openings and a castellated
parapet. The lowest stage combines the functions of a
ringing chamber and a north porch to the church. The
red-brick vestry was built in 1864 at the expense of the
Capel Cure family. (fn. 35) It occupies the same position as
the wooden bell tower demolished in 1840. In 1902
seven new nave windows with stone tracery were presented by the Revd. W. M. Oliver after his retirement. (fn. 36) These replaced the wooden windows of 1818.
The nave roof was restored in 1907. (fn. 37) In 1931-2
repairs were carried out to the roof and the south wall
of the nave and the 18th-century gallery was removed. (fn. 38)
The stone font is of the 15th century with an octagonal bowl and a moulded shaft. In 1770 the bowl was
removed and a new one fitted to the pedestal. (fn. 39) In
1936 the original bowl, carved with the initials 'J.P.',
was discovered in the churchyard at Little Parndon.
It was presented to Bobbingworth by the Netteswell
and Little Parndon Parochial Church Council and now
occupies its original position. (fn. 40) There is an iron-bound
chest with two locks of the 17th century. The pulpit
has early 17th-century arabesque ornament. The
panelling and reading-desk in the nave appear to have
been made up of woodwork of various dates, the oldest
probably of the early 17th century. The seating in the
nave is of early 19th-century date, the more elaborate
pitch pine pews of the chancel probably date from
1840.
The plate includes a cup of 1635 inscribed with
initials
'T.G.
B'
, also a paten inscribed 'Bovinger 1684'.
The plate now in use is of 1933.
Six bells were presented by the Revd. W. M. Oliver
in 1841. (fn. 41) In 1834 an acre of land in the parish called
Bell Acre formed part of the glebe; by tradition the
rector was supposed to provide bell ropes and hassocks
for the church from the rent it yielded. (fn. 42) The then
rector, however, refused to observe the tradition since
there was no documentary evidence to support it. (fn. 43)
The custom appears never to have been revived.
In the chancel are two reset brass inscriptions, one
to William Bourne (1581) with an achievement of
arms and one to Robert Bourne (1639) with two
shields. Before its rebuilding in 1840 there were
several inscriptions in the chancel to members of the
Bourne family and others which have now disappeared. (fn. 44)
These included an unusual incised slab bearing the
arms of the City of London and of the Grocers'
Company together with a standing figure of William
Chapman (1627) who married a daughter of Robert
Bourne. (fn. 45) In the nave are several tablets to the Capel
Cure family including the first Capel Cure of Blake
Hall (1820) and his two wives (1773 and 1804). On
the nave roof are painted hatchments of the Capel
Cures and Pooles.