There is something about country-church graveyards that their town and city counterparts lack. Usually tucked away from the community they serve,they offer an atmosphere of calm and tranquillity that can soothe away the stresses of everyday living; and, as we wander amongst the stone memorials of people who have lived before us, we can put our own lives in perspective of eternal existence.
We gathered by the old Norman church on a lovely late-spring evening, under a clear blue sky with only a faint whisper of the cold north-easterly of previous days still with us; and it was easy to imagine that peace and tranquillity had been here throughout the centuries. So it was something of a shock to be told by Brian Pugh, our very knowledgeable guide that it was quite otherwise, and early in its history there had been quarrelling between the monks of the Priory attached to the church, and the parishioners, so acrimonious and violent that Richard II ordered a brick wall to be built to separate the Priory from the church. This still exists as the east wall of the church. However, in 1066, before all this tumult a Saxon church made of wood and measuring 80ft by 40ft. stood on the site until in 1135 Alberic de Vere first Earl of Oxford, founded a monastery and attached it to the existing Saxon structure. The Priory was of the Benedictine (Black Monks) Order.
In 1230 fire destroyed parts of the Priory, and Henry 3rd. granted oaks from Hatfield Forest to assist with necessary repairs. The monastery was extended in the 14th century by benefactors Robert Taper, and his wife, Millicent, and measured 230ft in length.
Parishioners thereupon decided to restore the parochial church. A quarrel followed, and in 1376 the parishioners attacked the monastery. The monks appealed to Richard 2nd and he ordered the building of the dividing wall. The church was then largely rebuilt. The wall on the North side is Norman and 4ft thick.
In 1534 the Monastery was surrendered to the King’s Commissioners, and the monastic church was dismantled. In 1708 the Vestry was built to house the library founded by the then Rector, Revd George Sterling. The books cover a range of philosophy, theology, history, and biography, and include a Breeches Bible and a Vinegar Bible. Later, in 1782 the present peal of eight bells was installed in the Tower, and around 1843 extensive repair work to the church was carried out. The pews of today were installed at the same time.
The only surviving part of the medieval Rood Screen, stands across the entrance to the Barrington family chapel. They, with the de Veres are the most notable families linked with the church, and the village. A stone effigy of Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl Of Oxford in chain armour, stands near the altar.
A very enjoyable evening of discovery culminated in a climb up a narrow, spiralling stone stairway to the top of the 81ft tower. My legs protested for a few days afterwards, but the effort was rewarded magnificent view over Essex.