Church of St Mary the Virgin, Newport (EHER 378)

Church originally built in 13th century, with additions between 14th and 16th centuries. The nave, chancel and south porch also have castellated parapets. The walls of the chancel and the north and south transepts were built 1220-40. The south aisle was added in the early 14th century and the north aisle in 1390. The west tower rebuilt in 1858, was of the late 15th century. The two-storeyed south porch was built in the 15th century. In the 16th century clerestories were added to the nave and chancel. The church was restored in the 19th century and the chancel in 1911.

Monument description derived from merging EHER 378 and 25503. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Church of St Mary the Virgin dating from 1220-1240, originally of cruciform shape. The walls of the Chancel and the North and South Transepts with the arches opening into them from the Nave belong to the original cruciform church. The tower probably stood over the crossing. The south aisle was rebuilt or added early in the 14th century and the north aisle was rebuilt in about 1390. In the 15th century the upper part of the chancel walls was rebuilt and late in the same century the chancel windows were again altered, the west tower was also added around the same time (present tower is 19th century apart from the tower arch and the vaulting shafts in the angles of the ground stage; the north vestry, south porch and porch chamber were also built in this century. The nave clerestory was added in the late 15th or early 16th century and the chancel clerestory had been added by the middle of the 16th century. The south porch and porch chamber have been much restored or perhaps rebuilt, except the 15th century stair-turret. Much old material has been reused. Features and fitting include: 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th century windows; 14th, 15th, 16th century doorways - doorway in chancel has 13th century jambs and 15th century arch; 16th century chancel roof; late 15th or early 16th century nave roof; 15th century roofs to north and south transepts and porch chamber; one of the bells is inscribed, of c1450; brass in south aisle of 1515; two indents outside south doorway; late 13th chest in south transept (photo in RCHM); 14th century coffin lid outside east end of the chest; three 16th century doors; probably 13th century font with 15th century wooden font cover; 14th-15th century glass; 15th century lectern (photo in RCHM); traces of painting in chancel; 13th, 14th and 15th century piscinae recess in chancel, possibly entrance to `bone hole'; early 15th century screen; 16th century details to seating in chancel. Site Assessment = The church is interesting for its development, though none of the details is particularly fine. Among the fittings, the 13th century chest, the 15th century lectern and the 14th and 15th century glass are noteworthy. <1> - <3> Big, formerly collegiate church. The chest has three friezes of ornament and paintings inside the lid. Early 14th century glass in north transept, bought about 50 years ago. <3> The continuous development of the church from the 13th to the 19th centuries is reflected in the architecture and is interesting. The interior has some fine fittings including a fine 13th century carved altar chest with oil paintings on the underside of the lid, said to be the earliest oil paintings on wood known to English art. The altar chest is the outstanding feature of the interior. <4> The second of the four great 'wool' churches of Essex - interior is less impressive than the exterior, which is dominated by the west tower of 1858. Chancel and transepts testify to a former major 13th century cruciform church. Graded BBIIIb by Rodwell. <5> Aerial photograph of church in SMR. <6> Architectural fragment within the church is thought to be a reused Anglo-Saxo cross shaft fragment. It has been re-used as the left cheek of a putlog hole in the north aisle of the church. The small size of the stone indicates this was the top end of the shaft, which is of Jurassic oolitic Barnack-type limestone. The face of the cross is carved with simple pattern interlace of two threads. <7> Records the presence of a priest, Tascelin, who held land in Birchanger immediately to the north of Newport, and it is presumed that there was a church serving the needs of the inhabitants, probably on the same site as the medieval church. There certainly was a church there by the beginning of the twelfth century, as at some point between 1108 and 1122 Henry I granted the church at Newport to the College of St Martin le Grand in London. In the mid-twelfth century there is documentary evidence that the church at Newport held St Helen's Chapel at Bonhunt. There is no trace of this 11th to 12th century church remaining. The present structure, of chancel, nave and transepts, with possibly a north aisle and central tower, was built in the first half of the thirteenth century, of flint and pebble rubble with limestone and clunch dressings. The font and portable altar chest are also thirteenth century; the latter dating to about 1270 is one of the earliest surviving examples of oil painting on wood. The church was enlarged in the later medieval period, about 1320 the south aisle was either added or rebuilt, the north aisle was rebuilt about 1390, and in the fifteenth century the upper part of the chancel walls was rebuilt and the vestry and south porch added. In the 1830s re-decoration of the interior uncovered the remains of wall-paintings, but these are no longer visible. In the 16th and 17th century the church fell into disrepair and the living was so poor that frequently no vicar would accept the post. <8> There was a period of re-building in the 18th century but by 1850 the church was again in a state of disrepair. Apart from the chancel the church was practically entirely rebuilt in 1858-9. <9> Noted in The Domesday Book. <10> 1991. Watching brief. Watching brief on outside of North Aisle. The result was negative. <11> See also: <12> - <15>