CHURCH
The advowson of Kelvedon Hatch descended with
the manor until the 19th century. John
Wright presented to the rectory in 1607. (fn. 47)
His successors as lords of the manor were
Roman Catholics. As such they were disqualified by
law from presenting, and their rights of patronage
vested in the Chancellor of Cambridge University. (fn. 48)
It is not clear how far the law was observed in this case.
There was at least one presentation (1760) by the
Chancellor of Cambridge. Other presentations in the
17th and 18th centuries were made by various persons
who had perhaps bought the right pro hac vice. (fn. 49) By
1848 the advowson was held by W. H. Ashpitel. (fn. 50)
Owing to the long incumbency of the then rector,
John Bannister (1833-70) he did not live to exercise
it. It passed to his son and was sold in 1864 to E.
Slocock. (fn. 51) From him it descended to his son the Revd.
Samuel Slocock who presented himself in 1870 and
remained rector until 1889. (fn. 52) The advowson was then
sold to E. W. Puxon of Croydon (Surr.). (fn. 53) After his
death in 1896 it remained in the hands of his trustees
for some years. (fn. 54) He had presented his son-in-law,
D. W. Peregrine. in 1889, (fn. 55) and the advowson had by
1912 come to Mrs. C. M. Peregrine. (fn. 56) She gave it in
1928 to the Revd. William Tirrell who has been rector
and patron ever since. (fn. 57)
The rectory of Kelvedon Hatch was valued at 6
marks in about 1254. It was then stated that the rector
of the church of (Magdalen) Laver received part of
the tithe from the demesne of Gilbert de Breaute and
Ralph de Asevile. (fn. 58) The value of the rectory was
stated to be 10 marks in 1291 and £12 in 1535. (fn. 59) In
1838 the tithes were commuted for £438; there were
then 28 acres of glebe. (fn. 60)
A terrier of 1610 mentions a rectory house of two
stories, part newly built, 'with several rooms in it both
above and below'. (fn. 61) The north end of the old rectory
(now Kelvedon Grange), consisting of a gabled crosswing and part of the central block, may well be the
'newly built house' referred to in the terrier. There is
a massive stop-chamfered beam in the present kitchen
and the principal chimney has grouped diagonal shafts.
Early in the 18th century the south end of the central
block was rebuilt and the roof level raised. The groundfloor hall retains sash windows of this date with wide
glazing bars. Further alterations were probably made
about 1800. During the incumbency of the Revd.
D. W. Peregrine at the end of the 19th century the
house was enlarged and altered at a cost of about
£4,000. (fn. 62) The cost was borne by E. W. Puxon,
father-in-law of the rector, and by his widow. (fn. 63) A
new wing was added at the south end and several
smaller additions were made on the garden side.
Mullioned and transomed windows were inserted and
the older house was encased with ornamental timbering. Much of the interior detail is of the same date.
In 1931 the present rector moved to a new rectory and
the old house became the property of Mr. J. W. B.
Jones.
The present rectory was built in 1931 immediately
to the west of the modern parish church. It is of dark
red brick. The builders were Messrs. Trigg & Moore
of Chelmsford. (fn. 64)
The former parish church of ST. NICHOLAS
stands in the grounds of Kelvedon Hall. There was a
medieval church on this site, but a complete rebuilding
took place between 1750 and 1753. (fn. 65) The font and a
15th-century bell were preserved from the old church
and many of the floor slabs appear to have been left in
situ. Four bells were sold to help defray the cost of rebuilding. (fn. 66) In 1873 the church was restored at a cost
of £380, (fn. 67) but twenty years later it was decided to build
another church on a more convenient site near the
centre of the parish. The new building, to which
many of the fittings had been removed, was consecrated in 1895. (fn. 68) The old church, dismantled and
derelict, became overgrown with creeper and was
further damaged by a German rocket bomb in 1945. (fn. 69)
The building is of red brick, plastered internally,
and had a tiled roof, much of which has fallen down.
It consists of nave and chancel with a small weatherboarded bell turret at the west end. Both Morant
(1768) and Wright (1835) mention a south aisle, but
it is probable that their information is out of date and
that they are referring to the medieval church. (fn. 70) The
chancel arch is slightly pointed and the glazing of the
windows has a gothic flavour, but in other respects the
details are purely Georgian. At the east end is a threelight Venetian window, the other windows being
round-headed or circular. The flat ceiling has a
modillion cornice. Classical pilasters, formerly at one
of the south entrances, (fn. 71) are now missing.
Some floor slabs remain, many from the medieval
church. A slab having indents for a figure and for four
shields of arms has no inscription but probably dates
from the 15th century. (fn. 72) An indented slab which
formerly held brasses of a kneeling man and woman
has an inscription to Francis [sic] Wright, formerly
Waldegrave (d. 1656). The inscription was probably
cut at this date on an older slab: the woman's figure,
of which a drawing remains, is shown in the dress of
about 1570. (fn. 73) An epitaph mentioned by Morant (fn. 74)
to John Wright (1551) has now disappeared. An
inscribed brass to another John Wright (1608) recorded
in 1920 (fn. 75) is also missing. Other slabs to the Wrights
of Kelvedon Hall include those of Ann (Suliard, 1617)
and two John Wrights (1654 and 1656). There are
many 17th-century slabs to members of the Luther
family, some with shields of arms. An inscribed brass
plate to Richard Luther (who died 1638) (fn. 76) and his
brother Anthony is undated. Other slabs are to Robert
Thurkettle (1679) and his wife and to Elizabeth Purca
(1727) and Mrs. Ann Westwood (1742).
No wall monuments survive from the medieval
church. In the chancel is a handsome marble tablet
to John Wright (1751) who rebuilt Kelvedon Hall.
There is also a tablet to his son-in-law, Marrock
Strickland. A white marble cartouche shield in the
nave commemorates Charles Dolby of Brizes (1755)
and a gothic tablet, now fallen, is to William Dolby
(1819). On the south wall of the chancel are marble
tablets to John Luther, M.P. (1786), and Rebecca and
Amy Luther (1780 and 1782). A painted board giving
a list of the parish charities hangs in the nave. Among
the many headstones in the churchyard is one carved
with an hour-glass, skull, and crossbones, inscribed to
Jonathan Wingrue (1704). (fn. 77)
The present parish church, also dedicated to St.
Nicholas, was built in 1895 at a cost of £2,000. (fn. 78)
The site had previously been acquired for burials. (fn. 79)
Funds were raised by appeals and subscriptions and
John Thomas Newman, F.R.I.B.A., of Kelvedon Hatch
gave his services as architect. (fn. 80) The building is of red
brick, left exposed internally, and consists of chancel,
nave, organ chamber, vestry, and south porch. Above
the porch is a small bell tower with a louvred belfry
and a shingled spire. The church was throughly
restored in 1927 when the roof was partially renewed
and the pipe organ, which had been damaged by rain,
was taken away. (fn. 81)
The font, removed from the earlier church, is octagonal and probably of the 15th century. On one face
is carved a mitre and on the adjoining faces are
children's heads. The position of the carvings suggests
that the font has been wrongly orientated. The seating, much of which came from the old church, is of the
19th century.
The single bell, which also came from the old church,
was cast about 1460-80 and was probably by John
Kebyll; it is inscribed 'Sancte Andree Ora Pro Nobis'
and has a shield of arms. (fn. 82) The church plate consists
of a silver cup and paten of 1674, with the arms of the
Luther family and probably given by them. There is
also a silvered copper paten, undated but fairly modern.
At one time there was an electro-plated flagon, also
modern, but this has been missing since at least 1926. (fn. 83)
The former Church Room, previously the nonconformist mission hall and now the village hall, was
bought by the rector, D. W. Peregrine, (fn. 84) who sold it in
1905 to certain parishioners who in 1912 made it over
to the then rector, W. S. Mavor. The consideration of
£100 was to be repaid and then the house would be
handed over to the church. By 1930, however, the
money was only partly repaid and the building was in
disrepair. It was therefore sold for £115 and after the
repayment of Dr. Mavor the balance was devoted to
church work. (fn. 85) The former Church House, now
Reed's Stores, was built late in the 19th century.
Early in the present century the house was used as a
Working Men's Club and coffee house. (fn. 86) From 1906
to 1909 the curate lived there. (fn. 87)