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Thaxted Parish Church
Church of Saint John the Baptist with Our Lady and Saint Laurence
"The Cathedral of Essex"
Thaxted Church - geograph.org.uk - 158167.jpg
Thaxted Church, with its spire and south porch, viewed from the top of Stony Lane
51°57′16″N 0°20′32″E / 51.954319°N 0.342295°E / 51.954319; 0.342295
OS grid reference TL 61044 31014
Location Thaxted, Essex
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Previous denomination Catholicism
History
Dedication Saint John the Baptist; Our Lady; Saint Laurence
Architecture
Heritage designation Grade I listed building
Architectural type Church
Style English Perpendicular
Years built c. 1340 to c. 1510
Specifications
Length 183 feet (56 m)
Width 87 feet (27 m)
Spire height 181 feet (55 m)
Administration
Parish Thaxted
Benefice Thaxted, The Sampfords, Radwinter and Hempstead
Deanery Saffron Walden
Archdeaconry Stansted
Diocese Chelmsford
Province Canterbury
View of Thaxted
Thaxted Church, commanding the town with its Guildhall

The Church of Saint John the Baptist with Our Lady and Saint Laurence is the parish church of the town of Thaxted in Essex, England. The present church was built over an extended period between c. 1380 and 1510 in the English Perpendicular style. Sitting on top of a hill with a slender spire reaching 181 feet (55 m) high, the church is one of the largest in the county, overlooking the town and the surrounding countryside. Its size is an indication of the former prosperity of the town, because of the medieval cutlery and wool trades that once flourished here. The church has earned the epithet "the Cathedral of Essex". The church is a Grade I Listed Building on the National Heritage List.

"The town of Thaxted is the queen of Essex and her crown is the church. The steeple stands out over the surrounding fields. The town streets all seem to bend in its direction over ancient cobbles and past timber framed houses." — Simon Jenkins, Country Churches, Penguin English Journeys, 2009, p.36.

Since 13 June 2017, the Benefice of Thaxted has been joined with that of the Sampfords, Radwinter and Hempstead. Since 1914, the church parish has formed part of the Diocese of Chelmsford, but previously it has been in the dioceses of London (foundation to 1846), Rochester (1846–77) and Saint Albans (1877–1914).

History

Origins

There has been a Christian church in Thaxted since Saxon times. The first documented reference to a church in the settlement is in the Liber Eliensis, regarding a gift of land in "Thacstede" to the abbey at Ely by a woman named Æthelgifu sometime between 981 and 1016. It states that the will, written in English, was kept in the church there as evidence. An early church was said to have been dedicated to Saint Catherine and its foundations were reportedly found in the eighteenth century at Rails Farm, not far from the present church site. There is also evidence that the current building stands on the site of an earlier church, and that traces of this church were found under the chancel.

Why a modest settlement such as Thaxted in the fourteenth century should have embarked upon building such a grandiose structure has long been a matter of debate and conjecture. A number of factors may have played a part: a dispute between the vicar and the monks of Tilty Abbey over tithes allowed the considerable sums previously donated to the abbey by the town to be diverted to the parish church, at a time when the town was beginning to prosper as a centre of the cutlery industry. The inhabitants were therefore able to organise and contribute towards the financing of a major church building project, even if the support of rich benefactors was still necessary. During the period when construction began, many small donations of land were made to the borough, which were immediately sold, presumably for the purpose of funding the new structure. The appointment of four churchwardens is taken as an indication that the town was managing funds for construction.

The construction was sponsored by a number of noble patrons descended from the Clare family who had held the manor of Thaxted since the Norman Conquest: Elizabeth, Lady Clare (1295–1360); Lionel, Duke of Clarence (1338–68); Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March (1352–81); his grandson, Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March (1391–1425); and King Edward IV (1442–83).

Construction

The current church was built over an extended period from the mid-fourteenth century to the first quarter of the sixteenth century, probably on the site of an earlier church. The earliest parts of the present building date from c. 1340 and substantial building works were completed by c.1510. Foundations of the earlier structure were apparently discovered under the entrance to the Chancel. Some have theorized that these remains, and the late construction of the Chancel, show that the older building remained in place until most of the new structure had been completed.

The precise order in which the church was completed is hard to confirm, but the following is based on the survey by the Royal Commission on Historic Monuments:

  1. nave with north and south aisles (c.1340 or earlier)
  2. south transept and widening of south aisle (c.1360–1380)
  3. south porch (c.1380)
  4. north transept (c.1380–1420)
  5. north porch and widening of the north aisle (c.1445)
  6. west tower and spire (c.1475–1500)
  7. chancel, north and south chapels, crossing arches and nave clerestory (c.1510)

It has been conjectured that the original plan for the building included a central tower over the crossing, and that this tower may have fallen.

Restoration over the centuries

The building has been restored periodically, but, according to Pevsner, "care has always been taken and [...] not much has been changed". As early as 1561, the Lord Treasurer was requested to provide funds to repair and maintain "such fair edifice, builded of good zeal and devotion of our Predecessors".

Parts of the building were damaged by storms in 1757, 1763, 1764 and, most catastrophically, in 1814. During the summer of that year, the spire had been partially dismantled by 45 feet (13.7 m) after being struck by lightning and scaffolding erected to support reconstruction. On 16 December 1814, a "hurricane" brought the scaffolding and 30 feet (9.1 m) more of the spire down onto the church roof, causing extensive damage. The decision to rebuild the spire according to its original design was taken by the churchwardens in 1820 and tender notices appeared in the press. Reconstruction was complete by 1822, with funds from Sir William Smyth.

The arts and crafts architect, Randall Wells, undertook renovation work in 1909–10, removing cement rendering placed on the exterior during earlier restorations, and strengthening the foundations of the west tower. Further restoration has continued with fundraising undertaken by the Friends of Thaxted Church.

Candidature for cathedral status

Thaxted Church has sometimes been described as the "Cathedral of Essex". At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was briefly considered as the seat of a new bishopric that was being planned to alleviate the burden on the Diocese of Saint Albans. In 1906, Bishop Edgar Jacob invited aspiring churches to submit applications. Seven churches entered the race. Thaxted's suitability was hampered by poor transport communications and the reluctance of Lady Warwick to give up her patronage of the church living (advowson). The fact that it was the only candidate church that would not have required structural alterations to expand capacity speaks to the grandeur of the building in relation to other parish churches in the country. Eventually Chelmsford was chosen as the site of the new cathedral.

Architecture

For a more detailed description of the architectural features of the church, see the 1916 Essex Inventory of the Royal Commission of Historical Monuments.

Thaxted church, nave looking east
Thaxted Church, nave looking east

The church is an example of the English perpendicular style of medieval Gothic ecclesiastical architecture. Pevsner described it as "proud, spacious, clear and a little frigid inside, and outside dominated by its splendid tall steeple". The exterior is built of limestone with flint rubble infill, embattled and buttressed, each buttress pinnacled and possessing a gargoyle. The exterior is decorated with carved ornamentation, friezes and grotesques.

The west tower, which houses the bells and supports the spire, dates from the fifteenth century, with extensive repairs in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The tower is 17 square feet (1.6 m2) square and has four buttressed stages and a panelled and embattled parapet. The 181 feet (55.2 m) high spire is supported by flying buttresses and is punctuated by three sets of windows or lights, the bottom pair mullioned into three, the middle pair mullioned into two and the top single. The tower is surmounted by a golden weather vane.

There are two entrance porches, each with two storeys. The south, or Duke's Porch, was given by Lionel, Duke of Clarence and is marked with his coronet. It is the earlier of the two porches, built between 1362 and 1368. It has a star-shaped tierceron vault and two smaller side entrances. The north, or King's Porch, was given to the church by King Edward IV and bears his arms. It is the taller and more elaborate of the two, with a ribbed vault with liernes and bosses, a castellated turret and, above the entrance, two escutcheons, carved niches and a figure-frieze. At the top, underneath the pinnacles on each side is a carved wodewose or savage man holding a club. The room above the north porch was dedicated by Conrad Noel as a chapel to John Ball, a leader of the Peasants' Revolt. The church is usually entered through the North Porch, off Watling Street.

The north and south arcades date to c. 1340, making them the oldest part of the present structure, each of six bays. The piers are quatrefoil. The nave is 85.5 feet (26 m) long by 18.5 feet (6 m) wide and also dates from c. 1340, if not earlier. The flat-pitched wooden roof throughout the church is original, with bosses carved with heads, angels and foliage. The great arch and vault of the west tower date from the fifteenth century: the groined vault has the arms of March and Ulster. The clerestory was added in the early sixteenth century in the final phase of building.

Both the north aisle and the south aisle are wider than the nave, having been widened when the porches were constructed. The roof of both aisles include carved bosses, some showing the crests of possible donors.

There is a reredos set into the east wall of the north transept with ogee-headed niches and a frieze above depicting Christ between censing angels. The south transept was probably once a chapel dedicated to Saint Catherine, as indicated by the carved Catherine wheels above the columns.

The chancel, with its north and south aisles, and clerestory are the newest part of the building completed before 1510. The clerestory windows may be replacements after the 1757 storm damaged the originals. The east window contains five lights. The chancel aisles are dedicated as chapels, the Chapel of St Thomas of Canterbury, or the Becket Chapel, to the north and the Chapel of Our Lady and St Anne, or the Lady Chapel, to the south.

Fittings

St.John the Baptist's font - geograph.org.uk - 847568
Carved fifteenth century wooden font case and cover, Thaxted Parish Church, Essex

The font, with an elaborate late fifteenth-century wooden case and cover, stands in the north-western corner of the North Aisle. The hexagonal oak pulpit, with its carved foliage and canopy, is from the 1680s.

Some of the stained glass in the church is from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The oldest depicts a knight (possibly Edmund, Earl of March) in the south transept and is dated about 1341. In the South Aisle, there is fifteenth century glass showing the figures of Adam and Eve, whilst in the North Aisle, fragments of surviving glass have been set in the window, including images of Saint Christopher, a watermill and a ship. The east windows in the Chancel and the Becket Chapel date from 1900 and are by C. E. Kempe, a noted Victorian glazier.

The church contains two organs. The Lincoln Organ, a rare unaltered Georgian instrument, occupies the chapel in the north transept. It was built in 1821 by Henry Cephas Lincoln for St John's Chapel, Bedford Row, London, and later was moved to Thaxted. It been fully restored to working order and is used for recitals and events. The smaller Conrad Noel Memorial Organ was installed, under the arch to the West Tower from the nave, in 1952 with funds raised on the death of the former vicar, Conrad Noel. It was built by the local Thaxted-based organ maker, Cedric Arnold.

The large Stella, or star-shaped candelabra, hanging in the central crossing, is by Randall Wells and was originally designed for St Mary's Primrose Hill but never installed. It was installed at Thaxted in 1911 by Conrad Noel and represents the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1:1–17.

The early German or French statue of the Madonna in the South Transept was a gift from the artist Fred Uhlman.

Monuments and noteworthy associations

Brass of priest, Thaxted
Brass of fifteenth century priest, reputed to be of Robert Wydow, who was vicar of Thaxted from 1481 to 1489.

A surviving mid-fifteenth century brass of a priest on the floor of the cancel is said to represent Robert Wydow (c.1446–1505), a fifteenth-century poet, musician and clergyman, who was born in Thaxted and held the benefice of the church from 1481 to 1489. There are a number of other memorial slabs in the floors of the Chancel and the Crossing.

The Royal Arms of Queen Anne, predating the Act of Union, hang above the south door. Painted on a wooden panel, it was restored in 1980.

A five-foot high carved statue of St Francis of Assisi set in the east wall of the north transept commemorates Eric Makeham, who was killed in 1917 at Messines Ridge. His name also appears on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres. In the churchyard is the war grave of Private Edward Stamfield Brown of the Manchester Regiment, who died in January 1919.

There is a bronze bust of Conrad Noel mounted on a shelf in the Crossing by the sculptor Gertrude Hermes.

Affixed to the north outside wall of the church tower is a large stone plaque inscribed with the words:

IN GRATEFUL MEMORY of THOSE MEN AND WOMEN OF THAXTED WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS & IN THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM May they rest in peace

This plaque serves as Thaxted's war memorial, although there have been long-standing discussions about erecting a more substantial war memorial in the town.

The composer, Gustav Holst, served as church organist during his residence in Thaxted from 1917 to 1925. He organised an annual Whitsun Festival in the church for several years and composed many settings of hymns and carols for use in the church, including the well-know tune for the hymn "I Vow To Thee My Country" which carries the name Thaxted.

Bells

There is a ring of eight bells. The oldest bells (Nos. 6 and 7) were cast in 1734 by Thomas Gardiner of Sudbury. The treble (No.1), the tenor (No. 8) and No. 2 were cast in 1778 by Mears & Company at the famous Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London. The remaining four were cast in the 1940s by Gillett and Johnston.

These four new bells were given particular emblems: No.3 is the Justice Bell, No. 5 is the Peace Bell, No. 7 is the Craft Bell, and No. 4 is the Dance Bell. The latter carries the inscription: 'I ring for the general dance' - a paraphrasing of a line from the carol, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, that Gustav Holst set to music for the Thaxted Church Choir. The new bells were dedicated by the Bishop of Colchester at a service of thanksgiving on 26 March 1949.

Bells of Thaxted Church
No. Note Significance Inscription Weight
1 E♭ Treble Recast by voluntary subscription 1778

Mears & Co London fecit

3 cwt

3 qrs

18 lbs

2 D Raised by voluntary subscription 1778

Mears & Co London fecit

4 cwt

1 qr

22 lbs

3 C The Justice

Bell

He hath made of one blood all Nations

I ring for justice in all the Earth

And I John saw the Holy City of Jerusalem

Coming down from God out of Heaven

Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband


Recast by voluntary subscription 1778

Mears & Co London fecit

Gillett & Johnston Croyden refecit 1949

Jack Putterill – Vicar

Stanley Wilson / William Barker – Churchwardens

Donors: The People of Thaxted and friends

5 cwt

1 qr

1 lb

4 B♭ The Dance

Bell or the Fellowship

Bell

I ring for the General Dance

Praise him in the cymbals and dances

Praise him upon the strings and pipe


Tho. Gardiner Sudbury fecit

Gillett & Johnston Croyden refecit 1949

Jack Putterill – Vicar

Stanley Wilson / William Barker – Churchwardens

Donors: The Morris Ring and the Friends of Thaxted

6 cwt

3 qrs

2 lbs

5 A♭ The Peace Bell Gloria in Excelsis Deo et in Terra Pax

Hominibus Bonae Voluntatis

I ring for universal peace

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying

Behold the Tabernacle of God is with Men

And He will dwell with them

And they shall be His people

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes

And there shall be no more death

Neither sorrow nor crying

Neither shall there be any more pain

For the former things are passed away

And God himself shall be with them, and be their God


Tho. Gardiner Sudbury fecit

Gillett & Johnston Croyden reflect 1948

Jack Putterill – Vicar

Stanley Wilson / William Barker – Churchwardens

Donors: Thaxted Church and the Patron

8 cwt

2 qrs

25 lbs

6 G Ios Saward / Iohn Westwood

Church Wardens 1734

9 cwt

3 qrs

4 lbs

7 F The Craft Bell Ioseph Saward / Iohn Westwood

Church Wardens 1734

12 cwt

1 qr

14 lbs

8 E♭ Tenor Richard White Vicar Thomas Brand

& Mathew Randall

Church Wardens 1778

Mears & Co fecit


Infactum Sileo Percute Dulce Cano

15 cwt

2 lbs

The three recast bells bear the following symbols: a gridiron, representing Saint Laurence (No. 3); a hand during water surrounded by a halo, representing Saint John the Baptist (No. 4); and a winged heart pierced, representing Our Lady (No. 5)

Gallery

List of vicars of Thaxted

The church was originally under the charge of the monks of Stoke by Clare. In 1227, the vicarage was created by Eustace, Bishop of London, after the town parishioners complained about the lack of a resident priest; his successor, Roger Niger, issued a more detailed ordination. Upon the Dissolution, the advowson to nominate the vicar passed to the Crown. In 1558, Philip and Mary granted the advowson to the Bishop of London, but this seems to have been later revoked since, in 1572, Elizabeth I granted it to William Howard, Lord Effingham, who alienated it by licence with the Lord of the Manor to William Petre and later to Sir William Maynard. The advowson remained in the Maynard family until it was sold by the Countess of Warwick in the 1920s. Appointments now rest with the Diocese of Chelmsford.

The following list was compiled from multiple sources:

List of vicars and rectors of Thaxted Parish Church from the founding of the vicarage
From To Name End of tenure Notes
Pre-Reformation (Roman Catholic)
Late 13th century ? Thomas Credited as the first vicar, he is commemorated in the Victorian stained glass window of the Lady Chapel (south chancel aisle).
1314 ? William Still in place in 1324. This William sued the Monks of Tilty Abbey for non-payment of tithes to support the church, after they claimed exemption as Cistercians, and who was threatened with excommunication unless he gave up the case.
? 1332 William Pamphilus or Pamphilon
1349 Walter de Salesbury
1349 1351 John de Harewold Exchange of benefice Went to become vicar at Moreton, Essex.
1351 ? John Bele or Bell Came from being vicar at Moreton, Essex.
1377 ? Thomas Ufford Still alive in 1396.
c.1401 1431? William Lollard preacher, possibly a curate rather than vicar (fl.1401-9.) An indictment in the Public Record Office states: "Willelmus nuper capellanus parochialis de Thaxted est communis lollardus et tenet opiniones lollardas." A London chronicler says that "on Seynt Georgis day in lent [in the year 1431] ther whas a prest of Thaksted, that was vicory some tyme, brent in Smythfelde".
? 1407 Robert Wytton Exchange of benefice Went to become vicar at Earsham, Norfolk.
1407 1410 Thomas de Orton Resigned Came from being vicar at Earsham, Norfolk.
1410 1427 John Deye (of Brampton?)
1427 ? John Everden
? 1467 William Shaw
1459 ? Thomas Groswyll?
1467 1470 Nicholas Rewys or Rewes, Raynes Resigned
1470 ? Richard Edenham Consecrated bishop Subsequently appointed Bishop of Bangor
1470 1471 Hugo Edenham alias Wyrall or Wyvale Resigned Brother of previous incumbent.
1471 1476 David Steward Resigned
1476 1481 Thomas Halyday Resigned
1481 1489 Robert Wydow Resigned Born in Thaxted. He served both as schoolmaster and vicar in his home town. One of the first recipients of a Bachelor of Music degree from Oxford University and a renowned poet and musician in his day. A brass in Thaxted Church is a reputed likeness of him.
1489 after 1495 Richard Roston
? 1519 Miles Hodgeson Died
1520 1523 Thomas Reynes Resigned
1523 1528 Edward Staples Newcourt's Repertorium says he was appointed 1523 on death of Reynes. Venn says he was vicar in 1532. Later appointed Bishop of Meath.
1528 1534 Nicholas Wilson Removed Opposed Henry VIII on his divorce and was arrested for challenging royal supremacy.
Post-Reformation (Church of England)
1534 1539 John Skypp Consecrated bishop Later appointed Bishop of Hereford.
1539 1546 William Motte Resigned
1546 1561 John Puysaunt Died
1566 1566 William Bowen Died Presumably died before taking office.
1566 1583 Thomas Halliday Died Appointed "after death of last vicar".
1583 1612 Thomas Crosby Died Buried in the church.
Civil War period (disputed Laudian or Presbyterian)
1612 1645 Newman Leader Removed Removed by the Committee for Plundered Ministers.
1645 1646 Edmund Croxton Removed (Disputed Anglican) Removed by the Committee for Plundered Ministers; removal confirmed by the House of Lords. Venn shows him as in office until 1662.
1646 1647 Samuel Hall Removed (Disputed Anglican). Removed by the Committee for Plundered Ministers.
1648 1662 James Parkin Removed (Disputed Puritan) Confirmed by Committee for Plundered Ministers. Removed from office after the Restoration but remained in Thaxted as a non-conformist preacher.
Post-Restoration (Church of England)
1662 1670 John Curtis Died Buried in Thaxted.
1670 1724 Robert Bernard Died Buried in the church. Longest tenure as vicar of Thaxted.
1724 1735 Henry Oborne Sr. Died Buried in Thaxted.
1735 1752 James Allen Died Buried in Thaxted.
1752 1759 Henry Oborne Jr. Died Buried in Thaxted,
1759 1780 Richard White Died Buried in the church.
1780 1782 Claudius Martyn Died
1782 1806 Henry Maynard Died Father of 5th Baronet Maynard. The Maynard family held the advowson of the benefice.
1806 1853 Thomas Jee Died Buried in the church.
1853 1854 Edward Hanson Died
1854 1859 Court D'Ewes Granville Resigned
1859 1893 George Edward Symonds Died Buried at Stoke-by-Nayland where his son was vicar.
1893 1910 Leonard Sedgwick Westall Resigned
1910 1942 Conrad Le Dispenser Roden Noel Died "The Red Vicar of Thaxted". Buried in the churchyard.
1942 1973 John Cyril "Jack" Putterill Resigned Son-in-law of Conrad Noel.
1973 1984 Peter Charles Edward Elers Resigned
1984 1989 Timothy John Fawcett
1989 2000 Richard Nigel Rowe Resigned Served as Thaxted’s Catholic parish priest between 2014 - 2022.
2000 2013 Raymond Montgomery Taylor Retired
2014 2015 Paul David Christopher Brown
2016 2021 Philip Geoffrey Tarris Retired Rector. Since 2017, a Team Ministry in a unified benefice of Thaxted with Hempstead, Radwinter and the Sampfords.
2023 Gerwyn Capon Former Dean of Llandaff
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