Church of All Saints (EHER 705)

Church of 12th century origin with 13th-16th century additions. Aisled nave with West tower, North and South porches, North and South chapels to the aisles, and South-East rood stair turret. Chancel has North and South chapels and North vestry. The West tower collapsed in 1800 and was rebuilt in 1802. Restorations of 1878-9 and 1885-6. The chancel was reconstructed after a fire in 1974. Roman tile in fabric.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import. Church contains some Roman bricks. <1> <2> The walls are mostly ragstone-rubble with flint and ironstone. Dressings are limestone, clunch, Barnack stone and "a hard stone resembling Purbeck". The nave with, arcades and with north and south aisles, was built around 1230, chancel is probably same date, as the east quoins are apparently 13th century. The aisles were rebuilt in the 1st half of the 14th century. In this century the north and south chapels were probably added to the chancel and the north vestry built. In the 15th century the north and south chancel arcades were altered and perhaps reconstructed, also the north chapel and vestry and the nave clerestory were rebuilt. North and south porches were added around 1400 and north and south chapels to the nave aisles early in the 16th century (probably they were chantry chapels). Features and fittings: 15th century roofs, 14th, 15th and early 16th century windows, 13th, 14th, late 15th or early 16th century doorways, brasses of around 1500, 1510, 1513, 1524, 15th century indents, 14th century (probably) door, 15th century glass, 13th century (probably) paintings, 15th century seats, early 16th century stalls, 13th-15th century architectural fragments, 13th century piscina (reset). <2> In 1953 Mr J W Anstee excavated Roman brick and pottery fragments immediately east of the churchyard. <3> The 1953 finds would have been made within the churchyard, possibly as a result of gravedigging. NGR for these finds given here as TL 67780014. <4> Use of Roman tiles and septaria. <5> In excavations in 1974 Roman brick was found in make-up of the floor in the chancel. <6> <7> The west tower collapsed in 1800 and was rebuilt in 1802 with heavy, red brick angle buttresses and a red brick castellated parapet with corner pinnacles. There is much 19th century restoration and rebuilding. The nave and aisles have castellated parapets. A gabled entrance perch projects on the south. The nave has two 16 century chapels added. (The Carpenter Chantry and the St Lawrence Chantry). The north vestry and north and south chapels to the chantry are of 14th century. The nave arcade and clerestory was largely rebuilt in 1879 but two original circular piers remain, of the 13th century. The nave roof, with figures of angels is of the 15th century. There are a number of brasses of the 16th century and 17th century, and some good monuments, particularly the mural monument by Nicholas Stone 1625 to Edward Pinohon and wife and another mural monument to Edward and Jane Elliott with children, 1595; also a bust of Sir John Comyns by Sir Henry Cheete 1740. There is a 12th century font with corner columns on a bold moulded base. Other fittings include 15th century to 16th century poppy head chancel stalls and some seating in the north chapel. <2> <6> A blocked Norman clerestory in the nave. <6> Excavations carried out in the chancel by Bakers of Danbury to consolidate foundations following a fire in 1974. A trench contained pieces of plaster facing from pillar foundations, small pieces of stone, flint, red brick, human bone fragments, a coffin nail with wood impressions, wall plaster, a late 14th century floor-tile (comparable to Group B tile wasters at the medieval pottery at Mill Green, Ingatestone). The floor level make-up on the other side of the chancel contained carved stone and part of a 14th century Purbeck stone mortar. Another trench cut through a disturbed burial (under a grave slab) and touched the top of tomb 2. Another section produced bones, coffin wood and coffin nails from disturbed burials. An undisturbed burial was beneath the altar plinth. Floor make-up included the mortar, tile and a shaft base of the late 14th century. Carved limestone fragments were also found. The 14th century fragments were deposited in the floor possibly in the 15th century when the chancel arcades were reconstructed or they were from the Victorian restoration. <8> Excavations in 1974. Varying amounts of Victorian patching and reconstruction found. Chancel arch was rebuilt in this period. 2 tombs were found, brick, not dated. Medieval or post medieval (under both, see relevant fields). In earth on top of tomb 2 was a fragment of green glazed 17th century pottery, probably made in the Harlow area. <9> The tile is in the Chelmsford and Essex Museum. <10> Drawing of stone mortar is in the SMR. <11> Photo in SMR of the 1974 excavations and worked stone finds. <12> <13> <14> Test pits dug in 1994: Test Pit 2 (Nave): medieval mortar noted at the base of trench. Hollow chamfered plinth of oolitic limestone extends only 200mm below ground level. At its base is a roughly laid foundation course with large projecting stones. The plinth is an addition possibly representing a late medieval remodelling of an existing wall. <15> Test pits dug in 1994: Test Pit 3: (chancel) Excavated to arounf 500mm. The plinth made with hollow chamfered limestone moulding over rubble includes old brick giving a terminus post quem of 16th to 17th century, and extends to 300mm below ground level. A stone inlaid with ' Barlow Family Vault' was noted. Memorial in church to Barlow who died in 1924. Observation of the lifting of floor tiles at the western end of the nave and excavation of a 30cm deep hole found only makeup associated with the current floor level. <16> Two areas at the west end of the south aisle and the nave were excavated to a depth of 225mm. <17> Plan of graves at W end <18> Observation of the lifting of floor tiles at the western end of the nave and excavation of a 30cm deep hole found only makeup associated with the current floor level. <16> The south wall of the south aisle had no offset at its base, whereas the east wall does. It is unclear whether this offset is integral with it, but it raises the possibility that the walls are of different dates. No clear evidence was seen beneath the two westernmost arches of the arcades for foundations representing the walls of the church before it was supplied with aisles. West of the first pier there was a deposit which could have been the line of a robbed out wall. If so, there may have been an earlier church on the same footprint but without aisles. Tombs were found under the southern aisle respond and the northern aisle respond.<17> Details of Bell chamber and windlass <8> and <19> Additional reference <20> Field survey, 1976 A scatter of Roman tile was seen in the fabric of the chancel and the north wall of the nave. No further Roman material has been found in the churchyard. <21> Field survey, 1988 All Saints' Church (dedication confirmed) is as described by <6>. A scatter of Roman brick is visible throughout the fabric. The church was closed at the time of visit due to urgent ongoing repairs to the nave roof, and an internal inspection was not possible. <22> Additional reference <23>-<28>