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The Story of St. John the Baptist

The Parish Church of Saxmundham

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Welcome to our church. We hope that you will enjoy your visitand be enriched by the faith, peace and beauty contained withinits walls.

One of the distinguishing marks of our country is the presence incities, towns and villages of English parish churches, some 10,000of them. They stand as a reminder of the Christian basis of ournation and the faith of our ancestors who had the vision andcommitment to have them erected.

This church is insured for £3 million, which represents the cost ofrebuilding it today, but if we were to build a new church, we wouldbe unlikely to spend as much as that. Yet this is what was donehere in Saxmundham nearly 900 years ago and also in other townsand villages throughout this land - a tremendous statement of faith.That statement of faith has continued down the years as eachgeneration has worshipped in this building, maintained it, cared forit and adapted it to meet their needs as a worshipping community.

This church, like many others bears the marks of those changeswhich can be seen as you move around the building. As you do so,you will appreciate that this church is not a historical monument tosome event in the past but is a living and breathing building thathas changed over the years and is continuously changing in linewith the God who has changed so many lives throughout historyand who is still doing so today.

Before you start your tour of the church, you may find ithelpful to sit quietly in the pews for a few minutes and allowGod to speak to you through the peace and beauty of thisbuilding.

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The church interior is much changed from the original church whichwas recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086. Little evidence ofthis Norman or possibly Saxon church remains, although somemasonry to be seen in the lower stage of the tower may be of thisdate. We also know that the church had a South porch that containeda simple 11th century doorway

. Unfortunately, the porch and doorway disappeared in a majorrestoration and rebuilding in 1873. However, we do have a pictureof the porch from an etching in 1848.

Much of the church that we see today stems from the 19th centuryrestoration but the church still contains many original items of anearlier date. To help you identify some of the important features,we have grouped them under the following headings The Nave,The Chancel, Swan Chapel and The Exterior.

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The Nave

The Font c 1400

This is a typical East Anglian design with octagonal panelled bowlcarved with lions interspersed with angels holding shields on whichare displayed the instruments of the Passion (East), the Cross(South), the emblem of the Trinity (West) and the three crowns ofEast Anglia (North). The bowl of the font is original.Around the pedestal, which has been re-cut, are placed carved

figures, wodewose: wildhairy men with clubsalternating with lionssitting up on theirhaunches and facingoutwards. Between thetop of the pedestal andthe bowl are two sets ofcarvings; on the slopingunderside of the bowl asthough supporting it areangels with outstretchedwings, and, round thetop of the pedestal,flower blossoms.The font is embellishedwith a fine Victoriancover based on a 15thcentury designresembling a crown witha central finial of St Johnthe Baptist, the church’spatron saint.

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The Nave c 1500

Internally the building is harmonious, light and well-proportioned.The aisles are separated from the nave by 15th century(Perpendicular) arcades of four bays, with octagonal piers whichhave moulded capitalsand bases.These are topped bysix two lightclerestorey windows.An interesting featureis the EasternClerestoreys whichwere next to the greatrood or crucifix andthe screen beneath,which separated thenave from the chancel.The medieval roodscreen has disappeared, apart from a portion retained in thechancel, but its position is marked by the

North East and South Eastclerestorey windows. The northeast window has moulded jambshafts and arch above a heavilycastellated ledge, and there is aline of paterae below inscribedwith the monograms ‘ IHS’(Jesus) and ‘MR’ (Mary).The south east window is mouldedinternally. Beneath it is carved theinscription “Sanct Johannes orapro nobis” (St John pray for us).These references would match the

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figures on either side of the cross in the rood group, the VirginMary on Jesus’s right and St John on his left.A simple niche can be seen above the chancel arch which at onetime would have contained a carving of John the Baptist or Mary,the mother of Jesus.

A small 15th century trefoil-headed niche remains in the easternjamb of the south arcade, where the arch rest upon an elaboratelycarved angel corbel. Although this appears to be 19th century, itis interesting to note that a carving of the Annunciation, believed tohave been presented to the church in 1348 by Sir John Wingfield,was discovered at, or near, this spot during the 1873 restoration.

At the West end of the nave isthe comparatively modernglazed gallery, from which thechurch’s peal of six bells arerung. The west window of thetower ringing chamber containsthe only piece of mediaevalglass, the head of an angel, tosurvive in this church.

Above the ringing chamber is alarge Sanctus bell window,which in mediaeval timesallowed the ringer of theSanctus bell to see over theRood Screen to the main altar.At the appropriate point in theCommunion service when thePriest consecrated the breadand wine, he would ring the bell.On the ground and blocked bythe Rood Screen, thecongregation of course could not see what was happening at thealtar and relied on the Sanctus bell to tell them.

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Stained Glass

The 19th century stained glass throughout the church is of interestbecause of the subjects represented as well as the makers andartists involved.

The West window of the North aisle is described in The PopularGuide to Suffolk Churches as being “a fairly terrible product ofWard and Hughes and features an outlandishly dressed centurion”.What else can be said? Beauty is obviously in the eye of thebeholder.

The East window of the North aisle depicting two angels againstpatterned quarries is ofinterest because of its localconnections. It was designedand painted by Mary andBessie McKean ofSaxmundham in 1872 andinstalled by Mr Howlett, aSaxmundham glazier.

The Victorian tour de force isobvious\r Marchioness ofWaterford, a friend of the poetJohn Ruskin, and a\\\ wellknown artist and bookillustrator. The glass is byO’Connor and Taylor andillustrates Jesus’s ascensioninto heaven, in brilliant colour.Jesus stands in the centre,and the disciples kneel oneither side. The drama of thescene is enhanced by thequality of the artist’s work and in particular the facial features.

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Pews and Pulpit

The existing pews and pulpit date from the restoration of 1873and are made fromNew Zealand kauriepine. They replace theold box pews whichwere so tall that manyfolk using them couldneither see nor be seen

The Roof

The whole of the naveis crowned with asplendid 15thcenturysingle-hammerbeamarch braced roof, withcastellated hammersand wooden demi-figures as corbelsbelow the wall posts.During the Georgianera, or perhaps before,the roof was covered inwith a flat plasterceiling. A church guide

book of 1855 states that at the time only the “ends” of the roof werevisible below the ceiling and that the whole interior was disfiguredby galleries.Happily the ceiling was removed in 1932 to reveal this splendid roof.It has been restored and the wall plates have been renewed, ashave several of the other timbers. The ancient woodwork is lessbrown in appearance than the modern.The figures beneath the wall posts are mostly original.

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The Chancel

One of the most distinctive features of St John’s is its weepingchancel.If you stand in the nave centre aisle and look towards the altar,

you will notice that the Chancel is built at a pronounced angle tothe nave. This is fairly common in churches built in the shape of across (cruciform) but is very rare in a church of this type.The main feature is not the angle, which is much greater than usual,but that it is to the South.Other churches with weeping chancels incline to the North,representing Jesus on the cross with his head towards the penitentthief on his right. Here it is to his left, signifying that Jesus died forthe impenitent as well as the penitent.Saxmundham church is one of the few in Europe to have this feature.

The Chancel arch and the two bay arcade North and South werereplaced as part of the 1873 restoration, but we think that therestorers copied the original forms (Decorated style)

The organ by Albert Pease of Hackney was installed here in theearly 1950s. It has two manuals, pedals and 15 speaking stops.

The piscina in the South wall of the sanctuary was used forwashing the communion vessels.Although some of it has been restored, it still retains its originaldog-tooth moulding in its arch dating it to 13th century. This is theoldest visible feature in the church.

Below the piscina you can see the credence table whichincorporates a double panel from the 15th century Rood Screen.The panel retains its original colours and a band of golden ‘gesso’work near the top of the left hand panel.Reredos (carved panels behind the altar)This was carved by the Saxmundham stonemason, ThomasThurlow, in 1873 as a memorial to Thomas Crampin. Its blind

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arcades display the ten commandments, Creed and the Lord’sPrayer.Thurlow also carved the memorial to John Crampin on the Northaisle wall as well as the tablet over the vestry door for SusannaMayhew in 1853.In a final comment on Thomas Thurlow The Popular Guide toSuffolk Churches states- “As a relief perhaps, after his clients’choice of memorials, Thomas Thurlow lies with other members ofhis family in a plain tabletomb by the (church)path leading to the gate.”

Stained GlassThe East Window is anexcellent piece of workby Lavers, Barraud andWestlake consisting ofeight shaped panelslinked with an interface -the four lower panelsshowing scenes fromthe life of John theBaptist and the upperpanels showing eventsin the life of Jesus: hisBirth, Baptism,Crucifixion andResurrection. John theBaptist also features inthe tracery, and thecomplete window iscrowned with Christ inMajesty.The figures are exceptionally good, especially Zacharias(bottom left).

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MemorialsWithin the church are some finely executed monuments by somefamous sculptors. Among them is the memorial, by Nollekens, toCharles Long, who died in 1812, in which a fat putto sits with historch reversed in mourning against the dark obelisk.Thomas Thurlow provided the tablet over the vestry door forSusanna Mayhew in 1853.Sir Richard Westmacott carved the memorial to Rt. Hon. SirCharles Long, a prominent politician. He was MP for Dunwich andcreated Baron Farnborough in 1826. His monument here is acenotaph as he is actually buried at Wormley in Hertfordshire.At one time there were at least two ancient sepulchral brasses inthe church which were removed in 1644 by the notoriousiconoclast, William Dowsing. Noted for his Puritan zeal, he wasappointed Parliamentary Visitor of the churches of Suffolk with acommission to destroy or remove all crosses, images of saints andsuperstitious inscriptions. Many items of artistic and religious valuewere destroyed or mutilated by his puritanical vandalism. His diaryentry for Saxmundham reads “January 26 (1644) . We took uptwo superstitious inscriptions in brass.”Under the heading “superstitious inscription” were included thoseinscribed in Latin, those which contained invocations of theBlessed Virgin or Saints, and those which included a petition fordivine mercy on the dead or any other prayer for the souls of thedead. Those which ended, as a large number of pre-Reformationinscriptions did, with the words Cujus animae propitietur Deus (

“on whose soul may God have mercy”) qualified for removal on twocounts.Unfortunately, when inscriptions were torn away from effigiedbrasses, the effigies were also detached or mutilated .

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The Swan ChapelThe South chancel chapel was founded in 1308 as a chantry byRobert Swan, Lord of the Manor, although little workmanship ofthis date remains.Its southern windowsill is lowered and may at one time haveformed a sedilia (seats for officiating priests). Nearby is a cinquefoil-headed 14th century piscina, with a sexfoildrain. The border of its arch is studied with flowers.In the East wall is a good trefoil-headed image niche, with an ogeeshaped arch.The Swan chapel was refurbished in 1948, and its floor renewedwith stone brought from the church of St. John, Fitzroy Square,London. Beneath it is a vault containing the coffins of John Eadeand his two wives.The altar was made by Alfred Barnes of Ipswich and designed bythe architect H.Munro Cautley.Further work was done in 1994 when the chapel was glazed in. Itis now used for early morning communion services and by theyoung people’s group.

Stained Glass Windows.

The Swan Chapel houses a rich variety of stained glass from the16th to 19th century.The East window has three rows of three Flemish roundels ofvarying dates and subject matter as follows -

From left to right, starting with the top row

The Virgin and child with John the Baptist. by School of Caumont, Leuven Netherlandish 17th century

Charlemagne or St Louis. by the School of Caumont, Leuven Netherlandish 17th century

St. Peter holding the key in his right hand. by the School of Caumont, Leuven Netherlandish 17th century

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middle row left to right

The Prodigal Son being received by his father.Netherlandish early 17th century

St. MarkNetherlandish 1520

The Virgin and St. Ann with the Child.Netherlandish 1530

bottom row left to right

Act of Mercy giving drink to the thirsty.Can you see the haloed head of Christ at the back of the scene onthe left?It was customary to put Christ in the Acts of Mercy to illustrate his

words in Matthew 26:40“As you have done it untothe least of one of thesemy brethren, you havedone it to me.”The Acts of Mercy arestated by Christ inMatthew and are six innumber, but burying thedead was added to makethe number up to themystical seven.Netherlandish early 17th.century.

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The Four Seasons- Winter Some guides suggest that thisrepresents an alchemist tending hiscrucible with the signs of Pisces,Aries and Gemini behind him.However, more accurate researchshows that it is based on anengraving by Jacob Matham afterGoltzius, Winter of the FourSeasons.Netherlandish 17th. century

Acts of Mercy, welcoming thestrangerChrist with a halo is the pilgrim atthe back.Netherlandish early 17th. century

The three light window(Perpendicular) in the South wallhas glass by J. Powell and Sons designed by Harry EllisWooldridge, a talented painter and Professor at the SladeAcademy. It is based on the Beatitudes and has Christ preachingin the centre surrounded by his disciples, a family group, and thedisabled. (Was Wooldridge seeing them as “The poor in heart”,linking with the words in the tracery above?)

The Y tracery window further along contains some excellent workby the same combination of Powells and Wooldridge, this timedepicting Jesus and the woman at the well.

Memorials

There are several wall memorials to the Long family. One on theNorth wall of the chapel commemorating Beeston Long(1765) andhis wife, Sarah, is by William Tyler, who had studied underRoubiliac and was an original member of the Royal

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Academy.Another, in similar style over the small Southdoorway,commemorates Charles and Mary Long (1778).A memorial with anchor and ensign draped over the obeliskcommemorates George Long, who as a young man was killed in1782 leading the storming of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.The Long family originally came from Wiltshire, but theirassociation with Saxmundham dates from the 17th century. LordFarnborough’s great-grandfather, Samuel Long (1638-1683), wasappointed secretary to the Jamaica Commissioners immediatelyafter the conquest of that island, and on his return to Englandpurchased Hurts Hall, Saxmundham.

The Outside

The Western tower (14th. century) has diagonal buttresses at itswestern angles. The two light belfry windows and the similar westwindow are in the Decorated style of the early 14th. century.The restored west doorway is also of this date, although some ofthe masonry in the lower part of the tower is arranged differentlyfrom the rest and may have formed part of the 11th. century church.Above the west window is a niche for a statue.The clock was given in 1880 and was restored in 1938.The parapet has lovely 15th. century flint panelling (flushwork) withtraceried panels. Beneath it is a band of flowers (flearons) andcarved heads, in addition to a large head at the centre of the westside and a gargoyle head on the south side.The tower is home to a peal of six bells. Three of these bells werecast c.1480-1510 by John Kebyll of London. Another was made in1609 by Brend, the Norwich bell-founder, and the tenor, weighing8cwt.3qtr.7lb, is by Lester and Pack of Whitechapel, made in 1762.The ring was completed by the addition of a new treble bell by JohnWarner of London in 1880.The second bell was recast in 1938, and the bells were rehung innew oak frames by Bowell of Ipswich.The north aisle, rebuilt in 1851, has Perpendicular windows on theNorth side and a lovely early 14th. century west window, which

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seems to have been removed here from elsewhere in the churchduring the restoration.

The east window of the chancel dates from 1873 and has fourlights in the Decorated (14th. century) style.

The south aisle, with its fine 19th. century flint facing, extends theentire length of the nave and chancel. Its eastern part forms theSwan Chapel and the western bay replaced the old south porch in1873. This aisle is lit by three-light Perpendicular windows, exceptfor the eastern window in the south wall which has two-lights withY tracery. Although the stonework in this window has beenrenewed, the original 14th. century shape has not been altered.The window immediately to the west has different tracery from theother three-light windows and may be original.The small doorway is entirely 19th. century workmanship.

Above the aisles are sets of six two-light clerestorey windowswhich light the nave. These are in the Perpendicular style, andthose on the south side are linked by a horizontal string courseforming hood-moulds around them. Surrounding the two westernclerestorey windows on this side are the remains of some beautifulflushwork. This traceried panelling in flint and stone is a finefeature to be seenin many of ourSuffolk churchesand here it probablyextended for the fulllength of theclerestorey. Abovethe traceried panelsare inscriptions instone, also theemblems of OurLord, his motherMary, and othermotifs.

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The final gem in thecrown that is StJohn’s can befound in thechurchyard on thetombstone of JohnNoller (1725),which can be foundsouth west of thechurch steps and ineight yards. Theeast and west facesof the tombstoneare small, inclinedoblong recesseswhich form a simpleand imaginativesundial. Everysundial needs apointer or gnomonprojecting in front ofthe dial to cast ashadow on to amarked scale. Anysuch projection lowdown on atombstone would certainly, sooner or later, be damaged. Toprevent this happening, the designer of John Noller’s headstonehit upon the ingenious idea of making the edge of the headstone’ssurface the gnomon and obtained the relative projection byrecessing the dial. As the stone faces east and west, he carved amorning dial on one side (east face) and an evening one on theother (west face). If you look in the recesses on both faces you willsee the hour markings 1,2,3,4,5 on the west recess and7,8,9,10,11 on the east recess. 12o’clock is not marked becauseat the moment of noon each dial is completely in shadow.

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You will also notice that the dials are not upright on the stone butat a slant. The upper edge which acts as the gnomon is so slantedas to point exactly to the north star, or in other words, be parallelwith the earth’s axis.And why was it done? Well, we are not sure, but just as someclocks are marked with the inscription “Tempus fugit” or time flies,so this gravestone with its sundial marking the passing of timealso reminds us, the living, that our time soon passes. Or perhapsit was picking up on another thought about time from the Bible:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die,” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)

Thank you for visiting our church.May God grant you a safe journey home and may he bless

you with his presence as you journey through life.

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Rectors of Saxmundham

1301 Robert Swan 1903 Leonard Staniforth1349 John de Lancomb 1908 Charles Morgan Gale1349 John son of Geoffrey 1919 Frederick Conway Page of Halesworth 1930 Arthur Roderick McDougall1389 Thomas Revel 1934 Frank William Moyle1394 John Boteler 1966 Michael John Walker1405 John Everdon (jnr) 1971 Thomas John Curtis1410 Richard Drax 1977 Harold Leslie Boreham Robert Wales 1986 Andrew Martin Platt1424 Thomas de la Pole 1998 Richard Frederick Webb1426 John Cadon1447 John Grymbald1454 Alan Howson1495 Henry Everton1501 William Watkynson1510 John Sooper1551 Thomas Pynder1558 George Cooper1616 Thomas Ruttall1662 Samuel Salmon1707 Gilbert Collier Harrison1571 John Byrlingham John Spinke1584 Nicholas Cannapp1612 Thomas1716 Isaac Grace1730 Philip Wilkinson1762 Richard Taylor1780 Caroline Robert Herbert1783 William Brown1788 Richard Taylor1798 William Brown1826 Lancelot Robert Brown1868 Adam Washington1891 George Frederick Richardson

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Acknowledgements

Marjorie Gibbs, Ron Howarth, Brenda Webb, and Victoria Webb for theirhelp suggestions and proof reading of this guide.

Bibliography

The Popular Guide to Suffolk Churches vol 3 D.P. Mortlock

The Church of St John the Baptist Saxmundham Suffolk Roy Tricker

St John the Baptist Saxmundham Suffolk Roy Tricker

Saxmundham Sundial on Tombstone in Churchyard T.W. Cole

Suffolk Churches 5th Edition H. Munro Cautley

William Cole for his work on the Flemish Roundels

Richard Webb June 2001

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