CHURCH
There was a church in Moreton before the end of the
11th century. William de Scohies, lord of
the manor of Moreton by 1086, (fn. 99) gave
the church with its land and tithe to the
abbey of St. Stephen, Caen. (fn. 1) Between 1174 and 1182
a charter of confirmation described the gift as the
church of Moreton and the tithe of the demesne of
William d'Avranches from his mill, pannage, poults,
apples, nuts, and other tithes belonging to that church,
according to William's charter; also the messuage of
John the chaplain, near the churchyard, with the
adjacent flax-ground of William's gift. (fn. 2) A vicarage
was ordained to which the prior of Panfield, a cell of
the abbey of St. Stephen, usually presented until
1335. (fn. 3) After this Edward III, having seized the priory
on account of the war with France, presented to the
living several times during the remainder of his reign. (fn. 4)
The advowson continued in the Crown during the
reigns of Richard II and Henry IV. (fn. 5) In 1414 Panfield
priory and its possessions came to the king under the
act suppressing non-conventual alien priories. (fn. 6) In
1441 Henry VI granted to Eton College from Moreton
church an annual pension equal to the value of the
church on the assessment of 1291 (see below). (fn. 7) The
living remained, however, in the gift of the Crown,
which presented to the church as a vicarage until at
least 1484. (fn. 8) In 1532 Henry VIII presented to it as a
rectory and it afterwards continued as a rectory. (fn. 9) In
1538 the king granted the advowson first to Thomas,
Archbishop of Canterbury, and then, in December, to
Charles, Duke of Suffolk (d. 1545), who immediately
alienated it to Sir Richard Rich, later 1st Baron Rich. (fn. 10)
On the death of Lord Rich in 1567 the advowson
passed to his son Robert, the 2nd baron, and afterwards
in 1581 to Robert, the 3rd baron, later Earl of Warwick
(d. 1619). (fn. 11) Jacob Morris and John Morrice presented pro hac vice in 1591. (fn. 12) Between 1595 and 1632
the advowson was the subject of various conveyances
but it remained in the hands of the Earl of Warwick
and his heirs. (fn. 13) In 1626 Robert, Earl of Warwick (d.
1658), presented his chaplain Samuel Hoard (see
below) to the rectory. (fn. 14) In 1658 Edward, Earl of
Manchester (d. 1671), and others, trustees of the earl,
presented Edmund Calamy the younger (see below)
to the living. (fn. 15) Charles, Earl of Warwick (d. 1673),
presented in 1662. (fn. 16) After his death his nieces Anne,
Mary, and Essex, daughters of his brother Robert,
Earl of Warwick (d. 1659), all secured rights in the
advowson as also did Frances, sister of Robert and
Charles and wife of Nicholas, Earl of Scarsdale (d.
1681). (fn. 17) By 1687 Daniel, Earl of Nottingham (d.
1730), and husband of Essex, had apparently secured
sole rights of patronage. (fn. 18) Soon afterwards the advowson was acquired from Nottingham by Ralph Smith
of Islip (Oxf.). (fn. 19) In 1693 it was purchased from
Smith for £420 by St. John's College, Cambridge, who
retained it until 1933. (fn. 20) Since 1933 the living has
been united with that of Little Laver in the gift of St.
John's College, who have first and third turns, and the
Bishop of Chelmsford, who has second turn. (fn. 21)
In 1254 the church was assessed at 18 marks and
the vicarage at 5 marks. (fn. 22) In 1291 the church was
assessed at £12 and the vicarage at £6 13s. 4d. (fn. 23) In
1324 it was recorded that Panfield priory received £12
a year from Moreton church. (fn. 24) In 1428 the church
was still taxed on the valuation of 1291. (fn. 25)
In 1441 Henry VI granted to the Provost of Eton
College and to his successors an annual pension of 18
marks from Moreton church. (fn. 26) In 1535 the rectory
was valued at £18 3s. 4d. (fn. 27) In 1661 the living was
valued at £160. (fn. 28) Previous estimates in the 17th
century had been £50 in 1604 and £120 in 1650. (fn. 29)
The tithes were commuted in 1840 for £390 5s. (fn. 30)
There were then 68 acres of glebe. (fn. 31)
A terrier of 1610 refers to 'a dwelling house newly
built by the incumbent'. (fn. 32) The present rectory is an
L-shaped building, originally timber-framed and
plastered but now partly faced with brick. The base of
the massive chimney at the south end and some of the
timbers may be part of the early-17th-century rectory.
The house was evidently remodelled early in the 18th
century and the staircase and panelling are of this date.
The north wing probably dates from the incumbency
of W. Wilson (1796-1822) when the house was
extended. (fn. 33) The Georgian front, facing east, has six
sash windows on the first floor. The doorcase has a
Doric entablature, fluted pilasters, and a pediment.
Samuel Hoard, rector 1626-58, was a theological
writer. (fn. 34) The puritan Edmund Calamy the younger
was rector from 1658 until ejected in 1662. (fn. 35) Richard
Vaughan, rector from 1591-2 until 1596, was bishop
successively of Bangor, Chester, and London. (fn. 36)
The parish church of ST. MARY THE VIRGIN
consists of nave, chancel, west tower, south porch, and
north vestry. The nave and chancel, which are structurally undivided, are of flint rubble. The dressings
of clunch have now mostly been replaced with more
durable stone. The tower and vestry are of red brick.
The south porch is of wood.
Nothing remains of the pre-13th-century church
except the font (see below). The present nave and
chancel date from the first half of the 13th century, the
nave having been built first. The nave has two restored
lancet windows in the north wall and one in the south.
The position of the north and south doorways is probably original. The east wall of the chancel has three
lancets, a central one in the gable and two below. The
north wall of the chancel has two lancets, one of them
being behind the organ.
In the 15th century the chancel and nave were
probably reroofed. The chancel retains one moulded
tie-beam of this date. The nave has two 15th-century
roof trusses near the west end. These have long struts
from the tie-beams to the heads of the octagonal kingposts as well as one short strut each to the central purlin.
In both chancel and nave the rafters are ceiled in. The
roof of the south porch retains some 15th-century
timbers. The two-light window near the east end of
the north wall of the nave was inserted in the late 15th
century. The single-light window on the south side
of the chancel is also of this date. The perishable nature
of the clunch of which the windows were constructed
accounts for their replacement at different dates and
for the extremely varied character of the windows on
the south side of the church. The westernmost window
in the nave, recently replaced, was probably originally
of the 15th century. Two other windows, one of
the 18th and one of the 19th century, may also
have replaced windows of the 15th century or earlier.
The tower may originally have been of the 16th
or early 17th century. Morant (1768) described
the tower as 'of brick, plaistered over, with a spire
shingled'. (fn. 37) Parts of the nave and chancel roofs date
from the 17th century.
The south doorway with its six-panelled door is of
18th-century date. The weather-boarded south porch,
incorporating earlier timbers, may have been reconstructed at the same time. In 1727 twisted communion rails, chancel wainscoting, box pews, and a
west gallery were given by Mrs. Judith Elford. (fn. 38)
In 1786 part of the tower fell in a gale. (fn. 39) It was
rebuilt by James Marrable in 1787 'upon the model of
the old'. (fn. 40) It is of red brick, in three stages, and has a
castellated parapet and a short shingled spire. The
doorway into the nave was built at the same time. The
two-light window near the east end of the nave on the
south side is like the wooden west window of the tower
and is probably of about the same period.
In 1868-9 there was a thorough restoration of the
interior of the church. (fn. 41) Many of the fittings, including
the box pews, the chancel wainscoting, the lists of
benefactions to the poor, texts and hatchments, were
removed. New pine seating was installed. (fn. 42) The pulpit
was reconstructed and the sounding-board removed.
The vestry may have been built at the same time.
Between 1877 and 1891 the north wall of the chancel
was rebuilt, the lancet windows being restored and
reset at the expense of the rector, the Revd. A. Calvert. (fn. 43)
The easternmost window on the south side of the
chancel appears also to be of late-19th-century date,
probably replacing a 15th-century two-light window.
In 1897 the west gallery was removed. (fn. 44) In 1904
a new organ was built. (fn. 45)
In 1953 the two lower lancets at the east end and
the quoins at the west end of the church were restored
in Clipsham stone. The westernmost window on the
south side of the nave was replaced by a copy of a
square-headed two-light late-15th-century window in
the same material. (fn. 46) The tower was restored and the
spire reshingled.
There are six bells. Two were recast in 1928 when
the wooden framework supporting the bells was
replaced by steel. (fn. 47) The inscription on one of these,
'Miles Graye and William Harbert me fecit 1627', has
been cut out and mounted on a pedestal in the church.
Of the remainder one is inscribed 'Miles Graye 1632',
one 'Thomas Gardiner Sudbury 1712', and one
'Thomas Lester 1751'. The sixth bell (No. 1) was
presented by the ringers themselves in 1933. (fn. 48)
The Purbeck marble font is of the late 12th century.
It consists of a square bowl standing on a circular base,
which has four detached shafts. Two sides of the bowl
are ornamented with fleur-de-lis, one has roundheaded arcading, and the fourth a crescent, disk, and
spiral. The surface is much decayed and the carving
incomplete.
The oak pulpit is hexagonal and probably dates
from the restoration of 1868. It incorporates four
carved panels and a cornice of about 1600. The painting above the altar is a copy of the Holy Family by
Andrea del Sarto and was acquired in 1951. (fn. 49)
On the south wall of the nave is an inscribed tablet
to George Goodwin, rector (1625).
The plate consists of an almsdish of 1648 with a
shield of arms, a cup of 1663, a paten of 1663 (dated
1664), and a flagon of 1719 presented by A. Heron,
rector (1698-1733).
A Chancery decree of 1638 recognized the Church
Lands Charity, the origin of which was then unknown. (fn. 50)
Its property was then and afterwards stated to be 'a
tenement and 6 acres of land called the Church Land',
held in trust for the repair of the church. (fn. 51) The property was at the west end of North Lane. (fn. 52) In deeds
from 1787 until 1832 it comprised a freehold cottage
or tenement called 'the Church House', a close of
pasture adjoining, 2 acres by estimation, and two other
closes or crofts of arable, 4 acres by estimation, on the
other side of the road leading towards Moreton windmill. (fn. 53) The estate seems always to have been let
together and in the 19th century was called Church
Farm. (fn. 54) In 1646 it was rented at £5 12s. a year. (fn. 55)
The annual rent remained at this figure until 1811
when it rose to £12. (fn. 56) By 1879 it had risen to £20
but it fell to £18 before 1895 when it was further
reduced to £12, after the farm-house had been destroyed
by fire. (fn. 57) In 1947 the rent was £15. (fn. 58) After 1895 the
income from rent was supplemented by the interest on
£112 2s. fire-insurance, which was invested. (fn. 59) In
1869 £113 3s. 9d. stock, representing accumulations of
surplus income, was sold and, supplemented by
voluntary contributions, was used to erect new pews. (fn. 60)
The sum of £50, invested in 1874, was also used in
1878 for large repairs. (fn. 61) In 1950 the income of
£2 12s. 8d. from stock was spent in part payment of
repairs, but apparently no rent was received from the
lands of the charity. (fn. 62)
The payment to the verger from Wilson's charity
(1822) is mentioned below (Charities).
William Talbot, by will proved 1894, left £100
stock to the rector and churchwardens in trust for
the maintenance of the churchyard. (fn. 63) In 1950 the
income of £3 11s. 2d. was spent in part payment for
its upkeep. (fn. 64)
The Guild of All Saints, Moreton, probably
founded in 1473, was a religious guild of a type common in rural parishes in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Its statutes, (fn. 65) drawn up in 1473, prescribed that it was
to hold an annual general meeting on the Sunday after
All Saints Day, for worship and the election of officers.
Any member who failed to attend mass on this Sunday,
'in his best clothynge', or failed to attend evensong the
previous evening, was to pay 1 lb. of wax 'to the
amendment of the lyghtes'. The guild officers, who
were to be elected at the meeting, were to be an alderman, two masters, a clerk, and a dean. At the feast
after mass the allowance of ale was graduated to the
status of the officers; the alderman had a gallon for
himself and his guests, each master a pottle, the clerk
a pottle, and the dean a quart. The clerk was to receive
16d. and the dean 8d. a year. Every new member of
the guild was to pay 2s. 6d. 'to the sustynance and to
the fortherance of the gylde' and 1d. each to the clerk
and to the dean. When a member died the guild
masters were to sing masses 'of the costys of the gylde'
and all members 'wythin the towne and having
knowynge thereof' were, under penalty of 1d., to
attend the funeral and 'to offyre for the sawle at the
mess done therfor a ¼d.' The Vicar of Moreton was
to be paid 4s. 4d. every year to pray and say masses
every Sunday for guildsmen. It was further laid down
that if any member 'fall into old age or into great
poverty nor have noth wharwyth to be founden nor to
helpe hymselfe' he was to have 4d. a week of the goods
of the guild as long as its chattels were worth 40s. or
more. If there were several such needy members, the
4d. was to be divided between them. It was also laid
down that if a member accused any of his brethren of
a trespass he should not in the first instance have recourse to the common law but should submit to the
arbitration of 2 to 4 guildsmen. If the arbitration
failed the alderman could license the disputants to go
to law but if any member refused to submit to arbitration in the first instance, he was to pay 40d. to the
guild. Under a statute of 1504 (fn. 66) every brother was
to have at his death five priests, and every sister two
priests, each of whom was to have 4d. at the cost of the
guild; on every such occasion 6d. was to be given in
bread to the poor people of the parish. There is no
later reference to this guild. (fn. 67)
The house known as Black Hall or Guildhall Cottage,
at Moreton End, is traditionally supposed to have been
the meeting place of the Guild of All Saints. The
evidence of the building itself, which dates from the
later 15th century, confirms this. The comparatively
elaborate moulding of the timbers internally and the
reports of carving externally also suggest a building of
more status than a small domestic house of the period.
The present house (see plate facing p. 137) is L-shaped
and consists of what was originally an open hall of two
bays with a two-story gabled wing at its north end. The
external wall at the south end of the hall is of later construction and incorporates an arch-braced roof truss.
It has been suggested (fn. 68) that the hall may originally have
had an additional bay, used for service purposes, at this
end. Original door-heads at the front and back of the
hall, adjacent to this south truss, would be consistent
with a screens passage between the service bay and the
hall proper. The two remaining bays of the hall are
divided by another arch-braced roof truss of a more
elaborate character. This has been partially enclosed in
a later partition, but the moulded wall posts and a kingpost with a moulded base can still be seen. The north
cross-wing, corresponding to the 'solar wing' of a
domestic building, has two rooms to the ground floor
and two above. In each case these were connected
by doorways of which the four-centred heads remain.
On both floors the front rooms are the more elaborately
finished: the room below has moulded ceiling timbers,
and that above has stop-moulded wall plates and an
arch-braced roof truss of which only the lower part is
now visible. There are indications that the back room
on the first floor was once subdivided. In many cases
the original position of the windows, some now blocked,
can be traced. Externally the building is covered with
rough-cast which is said to conceal carved or moulded
timbers, in particular a carved sill to the first floor window at the front of the cross-wing. (fn. 69) At the north-west
corner, where the first floor oversails on both sides, is a
moulded angle post and curved bracket. This post
supports a diagonal or 'dragon' beam. Many of the
alterations, including the insertion of the hall ceiling,
the chimneys, and the present front door, probably date
from the late 16th or early 17th century. At this date or
later a small staircase wing was inserted in the angle
between the hall block and the cross-wing.