Journal of Proceedings.
clxxi
is of the date of the middle of the fifteenth century, and is inscribed
' Sancta Katrina ora pro nobis,' the other bell has no inscription. The
Holy Communion plate is of 1583 and 1665. The oldest date in the
register is 1574. Two monumental brasses remain, one of " Henry
Fortescue, one of the fower esquires for the Bodie to Queen Elizabeth,
&c., 1576," the other to his widow, 1598. The Heraldry of these brasses is
very important and interesting, and is given at large in my Paper on
this church, published in our Essex Archaeological Transactions. At
the east end of the north wall in the Chancel, is the mural tablet,
surmounted by the helmet of Sir Edward Bullock, who died 1644,
having purchased the Manor from the son of the above-mentioned H.
Fortescue."
The Rector concluded by saying, that this interesting church, in
which, for 800 years, families bearing the ancient names of Hamo, de Marc,
Lucy, Rivers, Curson, Mandeville, Bohm, Montgomery, Crachwode and
Fortescue had worshipped, and never injured it by so-called beautifying
at the hands of churchwardens, was now in need of some conservative
reparation, and he was taking steps to effect this purpose.
On leaving the church for the Hall, the path led very near the Well,
reputed to be that which gives the name to the Parish ; Faulkbourne
being probably derived from the Saxon Falk or Fole, meaning folk, and
burn, well or brook ; although the fact that a stream or brook flows
through the parish a little lower down seems rather to suggest the origin
of the second half of the parochial name.
A few hundred yards' walk from the church brought the Club to the
ancient Manor-house of Faulkbourne Hall (permission to visit which had
been kindly given by Captain Talbot*). Situated rather low, and by
the side of a stream, the sole remains of the large ancient river bed which
in glacial times formed the present hollowed, west-facing, upland way,
there can be little doubt, in Mr. Spurrell's opinion, that a Roman Villa
must have been the first predecessor of this house; a coin of
Domitian was found here some years ago in the soil, and Roman bricks
were worked up in the walls of the Norman church. But whether a
Norman castle was the immediate successor of the Roman buildings or
not, or what Saxon edifice followed, cannot now be known. Whatever
date has been erroneously ascribed to the Hall, there is nothing what-
ever, either inside or outside the existing building, to indicate any
early work of either Norman or Decorative date of Architecture. The
earliest work is the beautiful lofty red-brick tower at the north-
east of the house, very remarkable for the elegance of its buttresses,
* Captain Talbot had very hospitably invited the whole party to luncheon, but
other arrangements had been completed prior to this kind invitation, and the Con-
ductors were therefore compelled, to their regret, to decline it. Unfortunately, when
the party arrived at the Hall they were nearly an hour overdue, and they were
therefore obliged to make a very hurried visit, and to forego the pleasure of inspect-
ing the interior of the Hall, and its valuable and handsome contents.