Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Little Yeldham (EHER 6807)

12th to 13th century and later parish church. Flint and pebble rubble walls with limestone and clunch dressings and tiled roofs. Nave west wall rebuilt in the 19th century. A few tiles in the north west angle buttress of the nave may be Roman.

Monument description derived from merging EHER 6807, 6808, 6809, and 28373. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Church (NAT). <1> Parish Church of St John The Baptist stands on the east side of the village. Flint and pebble rubble walls with limestone and clunch dressings and tiled roofs. The nave probably dates from the 12th or 13th centuries (its west wall was rebuilt in the 19th century). The chancel was apparently rebuilt in the 15th century. Its axis deflects from that of the nave. The bell-cot at the west end of the nave is weatherboarded with 'modern' roof, it is supported on posts and beams with large braces, all probably 15th or 16th century. Features and fittings include: windows and window details of 12th (possibly), 14th, late 14th, 15th, and late 15th centuries; blocked 13th century (possibly) doorway; doorway of uncertain date with two-centred head; early 13th century coffin-lid in churchyard against the south wall of the nave 15th century font with 'modern' stem and base; 14th century piscina. Nave west wall rebuilt in the 19th century. North vestry and south porch are modern. Two bells of 1674. The font has a 'modern' stem and base. 17th and 18th century floor slabs. A few tiles in the north west angle buttress of the nave may be Roman. Site Assessment = In good condition but north-west angle weak, at time of RCHM survey. <2> The south-west angle-buttress of the nave in the church of St John the Baptist contains a few tiles, possibly Roman, the remainder is of 15th century date. <3> The tiles look similar to Roman ones and probably are Roman, despite lack of flanged pieces. <4> Nave of unknown date but probably earlier than the 15th century chancel which is exceptionally out of line with the nave. 15th century belfry, Perpendicular font. <5> "A dull little building, thoroughly wrecked by 19th century restoration". Nave may be Norman, dating uncertain. Chancel ostensibly 15th century and markedly out of alignment. Viewed from the interior there is a suspicion that the misalignment could be caused by reusing the foundations (on the south side) of a former stilted apse, only excavation can settle the matter. Timber belfry is "undistinguished". Graveyard not interesting but medieval pottery and tile has been ploughed up in a field to the south (see EHER 6810). Church graded DIIa by Rodwell. Little Yeldham could be of greater archaeological than architectural interest. External ground level is high and the church is suffering from dampness. One of the more noteworthy details in the church is the Victorian heating system, with its cast iron floor-gratings dated 1851. <6> A medieval wall tile was found, unstratified, outside the north wall of the church. It has a stamped rosette design. 14th century in date. <7> Parish Church of St John the Baptist. Grade II*. Nave is 12th-13th century in date. Chancel was rebuilt in the 15th century. West belfry 15th-16th century. West wall rebuilt, probably 1874. North porch and south vestry 1891 - architect for these and the chancel screen and general restoration was J.P. Seddon. Chancel roof 19th century. <8> Nave roof probably medieval. <9> 1980. Watching brief. An architect's trial hole against the north wall of the nave, 1980, east of the westernmost cement rendered buttress, revealed the nature of the wall's footings. The wall rested on a layer of flint cobbles and rammed chalk some 30cm thick. A skin of yellow mortar 3cm thick had been used to level the offset surface. Onto this mortar layer was an area of walling made up of flint, cobbles and pieces in a matrix of grey loam with some orangey-yellow mortar flecks. This material was visible for about 45cm above which the wall had been pointed with cement. The threshold of the north door, dated tentatively to the 13th century was seen to rest on the mortar levelling of the offset. <10> 1999. Watching brief and building survey. The 1999 restoration involved works to the roofs and the west wall. A large crack was found between the west wall and the north-west buttress, prompting an assessment of the building history of this part of the church and leading to the discovery of a rare type of medieval brick. <11> 2009. Watching brief. An archaeological monitoring and recording investigation was conducted during the construction of a French drain surrounding the north, south and east walls of St John the Baptist Church, Little Yeldham, Essex. The archaeological work was recommended and monitored by the Essex County Council Historic Environment Management Team and was conducted in accordance with an archaeological condition placed upon planning consent. The objective of the evaluation was to determine the presence or absence of any archaeological remains, including any finds or features associated with the early medieval history of the church and any burial evidence. The trench was excavated manually by the contractor at the foot of the church walls. Its dimensions were a maximum of 50m x 0.8m x 0.6m. No archaeologically significant finds or features were present. The trench did not extend deeper than the topsoil so no graves were disturbed nor original footings exposed. Modern alterations to the church were evident as cuts, backfilled with the removed topsoil. The addition of several buttresses, the porch and a large portion of the north-east side of the church during the Victorian and modern periods was identified by the presence of a layer of brick, tile and concrete foundations. <12> See also: <13>