Parish Church of All Saints' Purleigh (EHER 38544)

A mainly 14th century parish church, restored in the 19th century. It is built of ragstone, septaria, dressed flint and yellow brick, with dressings of limestone and clunch. The roof is covered with handmade red clay tiles.

November 1953. Grade I listed. A mainly 14th century parish church, restored in the 19th century. It is built of ragstone, septaria, dressed flint and yellow brick, with dressings of limestone and clunch. The roof is covered with handmade red clay tiles. The chancel, nave, north and south aisle and west tower were all rebuilt in the 14th century, beginning at the east end, but the irregular plan of the building suggests an earlier origin, of which some fabric may survive at the west end of the nave and south aisle. The south porch, in red brick, was added in around 1500. The north and west walls of the north aisle were subsequently rebuilt in the 18th century. The chancel-arch, the upper part of the south arcade and parts of the aisle walls were then rebuilt in the 19th century when the building was restored. Many 14th century features survive, such as windows, a doorway and a tomb recess, which had a moulded segmental-pointed arch, the label destroyed. Internally, the communion rails are from around 1700, with moulded rail and turned balusters. The pulpit, also from around 1700, is hexagonal, the angles enriched with fruit, foliage and tasselled ribbons, with fielded panels and guilloche and foliate borders (one panel with a rose boss), moulded cornice, tapering stem, carved base, and stair with twist-turned balusters. In the Chancel are brasses to: Margaret (Rande), wife of John Freake, rector, 1592, inscription only; to Cecily, widow of Edmund Freake, bishop of Worcester, 1599, inscription only; and to John Freake, rector of Purleigh and archdeacon of Norwich, 1604, inscription only. In the Chancel are floor-slabs to: Elizabeth, wife of John Burton, 1624, black marble with shield of arms; to Rev. Thomas Shaw, 1785, and Anna his widow, 1814, black marble; and to Rev. Roger Hayne, 1810, and Elizabeth his widow, 1817, limestone. There are six bells, the third to sixth by Miles Graye, 1636. In the south aisle are framed boards with the Lord's Prayer, Ten Commandments and the Creed painted in gold on black, from the 18th century. In the north aisle is a similar board of benefactions. <1> See photos <2>. The walls of the building are of ragstone, septaria and flint rubble. The chancel and tower have course of 14th century bricks with partly glazed surfaces. The porch is red brick. The dressings are limestone and the roofs are tiled. The church was rebuilt in the 14th century, consisting of chancel, nave, north and south aisles and west tower, except the west wall of the nave possibly. The work began early in the century, the tower being the latest part. The south porch was added in the early 16th century. Features and fittings include: 14th, 15th, and early 16th century windows; 14th century doorways (the south doorway with a 14th century door); 14th century glass; 14th and 15th century piscinae; a 14th century recess in the chancel; the sedilia is 14th century; a 12th century worked stone with chevron ornamentation on the sill of the NE window (possibly in the chancel); 14th century moulded stones in the same location; also loose quatrefoil of glass similar to those in NE window of the north aisle. In 18th century the north and west walls of the north aisle were rebuilt. The church was restored in the 19th century, when the chancel arch and the upper part of the south arcade were rebuilt, along with parts of the aisle walls. Features and fittings include: three bells of 1636; inscriptions from brasses of 1592, 1599, 1604; a 17th century iron-bound chest in the north aisle; late 17th or early 18th century communion rails; brick table tomb in churchyard of 1688; floor slab in chancel, covered but said to be of 1624; pulpit of around 1700; 17th century table in tower; small stone in chancel inscribed with abbreviated memorial, dated 1712-1713. <3> 'Ambitious embattled west tower with angle buttresses with three set-offs, bands of flint and stone, and also some flint and stone chequerwork. The windows indicate a 14th century date'. Early 14th century glass in the heads of the chancel north and south windows, later 14th century in a south aisle window. The church was restored in 1892 with American money, in memory of Laurence Washington, rector from 1632 to 1643. The pulpit and elegant piece are from around 1700 and there is a possibly early 18th century communion rail. The 1758 reredos are now dismantled. Brass chandelier given in 1758. Fine set of plate of from around 1760. <4> It was reported that the 12th century worked stone on the NE window sill had disappeared by 2000. This source also reports that the 17th century table described as in the tower by the RCHME is actually in the north aisle, and the chest described as being in the north aisle (also by the RCHME) is in the chancel. The ‘fine set of plate’ is dated 1769. <5> The church dates from the early 14th century (in around the 1320s) although the porch is early 16th century and the roofs date from the restoration of 1892. It originally consisted of a chancel, nave and south aisle, although the north aisle and tower were added almost as soon as the initial building was completed. It was preceded by a Norman building first documented in around 1142, of which only a couple of reused stones survive in a buttress. <6> NRHE data transfer: All Saint's Church (C of E) (NAT). <7> July 1987. Field survey. All Saints' Church (name confirmed) is in normal use and as described externally. A watching brief carried out in 1984 by the Maldon Archaeological Group of works in connection with damp coursing retrieved much medieval and post-medieval pottery, plus one sherd each of Late Iron Age and Romano-British pottery (see EHER 81773). <8>