266
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
of some eighteen herbarium-specimens of cone-bearing branches of various
trees which had been presented by her to the Club's Stratford Museum.
On the President's motion, hearty thanks were accorded to Miss
Lister for her communication.
Incidentally the President gave some interesting details of the presumed
introduction into India of the so-called "Cedar of Goa" (Cupressus
lusitanica) from Mexico and Central America, where it is native, by
early Spanish navigators.
Mr. Frank W. Jane, B.Sc., F.L.S., then delivered a highly interesting
lecture on "Botany in Relation to the Study of Timbers," which he
illustrated by a long series of lantern photographs and by many specimens
of various commercial timbers described. At the conclusion of the lecture
the thanks of the meeting were passed to Mr. Jane by acclamation.
The meeting terminated at a few minutes after 5 o'clock.
VISIT TO LEYTON PARISH CHURCH (696TH MEETING).
SATURDAY, 13TH FEBRUARY, 1932.
By invitation of the vicar, the Rev. R. Bren, M.A., a small party
of some two dozen Members visited the parish church of St. Mary, Leyton,
on the above afternoon for the purpose of inspecting its many monuments
of historic interest.
At 3.15 o'clock, after a short introductory prayer, the Vicar gave a
most interesting account of the fabric and its history from the earliest
times. He remarked that the mention in Doomsday Book of two priests
having been at Leyton indicated that already a church stood in the
parish and he was of opinion that this small original building stood on the
site of the eastern portion of the present N. aisle. From these early times,
Mr. Bren traced the history of the fabric through its many vicissitudes,
including its vandalistic "restoration" in 1822, when many or most of
its older features were wantonly destroyed, down to the present day.
In 1669 its most famous vicar, John Strype, the historian, came to
the church as an elected preacher (he was never an inducted vicar) and
remained for 68 years ! Strype added the present sanctuary, from which,
however, his circular E. window and oval N. and S. windows have since
been swept away by the drastic alterations of 1822.
The visitors were privileged to inspect the entries relating to Strype
in the Registers. The entry of his marriage, under date 1681, runs :—
"John Stryp, Minister of this parish Bachelour & Mrs. Susanna
"Lowe of Oxon/maiden, married at Oxon in Christs Church/Feb. 7/ ''
and that of his burial in 1737 is as follows :—
"The Revd. Mr. John Strype aged Ninety/four years & Vicr. of
"this Parish 68 years./December 19/."
Strype is known to have been interred in the Church, near the pulpit,
and it is a most regrettable feature of the 1822 "restoration" that his
grave-slab was hidden up—if not actually destroyed—when the floor
of the church was raised to its present level, so that its actual site cannot
now be determined.
Under the guidance of the vicar, the party made a detailed tour of
the church, Mr. Bren pointing out the various monuments and giving an
account of the more notable ones, including the imposing memorials in the