38
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
"put some time back into a state of very sound repair so as to appear
"almost unalterable even to time itself." This was a mistaken con-
clusion; time, ivy and neglect actually brought the church to a deplorable
state of ruin.
An article I wrote on the church in 1916, concludes, "Once remote and
"solitary, the surging tide of bricks and mortar has now reached the
"foot of the hill upon which the remains of the church stand; it seems a
"great pity that the edifice cannot be put in repair and restored to the
"uses for which it was built for the benefit of the rapidly increasing popu-
"lation."
Taking leave of Mr. Winmill, the party proceeded on foot to the
"new church" on Chingford Green, built in 1844, to inspect the various
memorials and fittings removed from the original church when the latter
fell into ruin. On the way, Mount Echo, the reputed home of one of King
Henry VIII.'s shortlived wives, Jane Seymour, was passed and also
the handsome new Town Hall; Miss M. L. Mathieson, J.P., the Chairman
of the Chingford Urban District Council, who was of the party, kindly
invited some of us to inspect the latter building, but time forbad. Arrived
at the "new church," our leader, Mr. Barns, read the following account
to the visitors seated in the nave:—
This church, generally known as the new church, was built in 1844 and
consecrated by Dr. Blomfield, Bishop of London, in that year, during the
incumbency of the Rev. R. Boothby Heathcote. In 1898 plans were
prepared for its enlargement and passed by Sir Arthur Blomfield, but
delay occurred in the raising of the necessary funds and in this period
of interregnum Sir Arthur died; when the work was ultimately carried out
it was under the supervision of his son, Mr. C. J. Blomfield. The church
was re-opened free of debt on June 13th, 1903, by Dr. Jacob, then Bishop
of St. Albans.
When this church was erected, the bells, font, chest, pulpit and three
of the monuments from the old church were removed to the new. The
bells, as already mentioned, have now been returned to their original home.
The font is of Purbeck marble and is probably of mid 12th century date.
The iron bound chest with three locks belongs to the 17th century.
The three mural monuments all commemorate members of the Leigh
family, who were the manorial lords of Chingford St. Pauls, the earliest
in point of date being that to the memory of Mary, wife of Robert Leigh
and daughter of Henry Joscelin of Torrells Hall, Willingale, who died in
1602. Under a draped canopy she is shown lying on a bed or couch with a
swaddled child by her side. That to her husband depicts him in armour,
kneeling at a stand, with books; he died in 1612.
The third commemorates Margaret, wife of Robert Leigh, son of the
before mentioned, and daughter of Sergeant Branthwayte. She is in a
posture of devotion at a prayer-desk under an arch. She died in 1624.
A barrel organ which played 20 tunes formerly led the singing, but
this was displaced when the new organ was built in 1908 by Norman and
Beard.
An elaborately carved screen from the old church is now adapted in the
new church as a reredos to an altar in the S. transept; the altar-rails in
this transept are also from the old church and date approximately from the