Medieval ruins of chapel of St Thomas a Becket, Brentwood (EHER 25953)

Standing and buried remains of the chapel of St Thomas a Becket. The chapel was founded in circa 1221 by the Augustinian Abbey of St Osyth.

NRHE data transfer: Standing and buried remains of the chapel of St Thomas a Becket. The chapel was founded in circa 1221 by the Augustinian Abbey of St Osyth. It was substantially rebuilt in the 14th century, in this final form it included a rectangular nave and a smaller rectangular chancel, with a tower in the north west corner and a narrow porch on the north side. The building continued in use as a chapel until 1832; thereafter it housed the Boys National School until it was largely dismantled in 1869. The lower part of the tower still stands to the level of the nave roof, retaining the two-centred archways which faced south and east into the nave, and the lower part of a newel stair built into the north west corner. Attached to the tower is the lower part of the west wall of the nave and a short section of the north wall. The low two-centred archways of the north and west doors survive and to the east of the north door is a late 13th century or early 14th century stoup. The standing walls, which are Listed Grade II, are built of flint and Kentish ragstone with courses of freestone and tile. Limestone was used for quoins and mouldings. During some construction work in 1997 the remains of three adult burials were uncovered. The burials, which dated from the late 17th or early 18th century, overlie earlier graves and are thought to represent the later use of a small cemetery within the enclosure. Since the chapel was originally granted only limited parochial responsibilities, the cemetery may not date back to the foundation. However, the subsequent use of the curtilage for burials provides an important indication of its evolving status. Scheduled. 'The chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr stands on the S. side of the High Street ... The walls are of flint and pebble-rubble with courses of freestone in the W. wall and with dressings of a sandy limestone. It was founded in or about 1221 by the Abbot of St. Osyth .... but fell into disuse early in the 19th century and was partly destroyed about 1870; it is now represented only by part of the W. end of the nave and the north-west tower; the former was rebuilt, probably in the third quarter of the 14th century, and the latter appears to have been inserted late in the same century. The chancel (formerly 27ft. by 17 1/2ft.) has been entirely destroyed.. The nave has in the N. wall, of which a length of 13ft. remains E. of the tower, a doorway .... Of the west wall the lower half remains, showing that the nave was 27ft. wide ....' the tower is 8ft. square and is in the N.W. corner of the nave. <1> <2> 1953. Field survey. The remains of St. Thomas a Becket's Chapel are in fair condition. <3> See also: <4> <5> <6> <7> <8> <9>