Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1167 to 1899. Late 12th century parish church with additions including a 13th century south aisle and a 14th century chapel. Alterations also took place during the 15th century. A restoration took place during the late 19th century. The church is constructed of flint and ragstone with a plain tile roof.

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1167 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TR 14 SW 13 :
(TR 10354168) St Mary's Church (NAT) (1) 18/1 Church of St Mary, Brabourne. Grade B. Parish Church. Chancel with South Chapel, Nave with South Aisle, North Porch and wide squat West Tower. The lower stage of the Tower, the north wall of the Nave and the Chancel are Norman; the South Aisle C.13; the South or Scott Chapel and the Upper Stage of the Tower C.15. The Norman w. in the north wall of the Chancel has its original C.12 pattern glass which is said to be the earliest complete w. glass in England. The Chancel also contains the heart shrine of John Balliol. (2) In normal use. (3) St Mary's, upgraded to A. (4) St Mary (Full architectural report) N.H. MacMichael argues that the Heart Shrine c.1300 contains the heart of William de Valence who died in 1296. (5) Brabourne Church - an address given by G. Gilbert Scott. (6) Additional bibliography - not consulted. (7-9) Dendrochronology dating of the stairs of the bell tower. Date range 1345-1445, with a suggested felling date before c.1380. (11)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TR 14 SW BRABOURNE THE STREET (south side)
5/29 Church of St. Mary 27.11.57
GV I
Parish church. Late C12 on a considerable scale, due to ownership of Horton Priory, with C13 south aisle, C14 chapel, C15 fenestration and top to tower. Restored late C19. Flint, with ragstone, with plain tiled roof. Nave with west tower, south aisle and north porch. Chancel with south chapel. Three stage west tower, the top stage a C15 rebuilding in squared ragstone. Large 5 times offset buttresses to south. Label headed belfry openings, C19 Perpendicular style west window, and shafted C12 west doorway with roll mould and hood. Three offset buttresses to south aisle, with raised brick eaves, restored C14 2 light with quatrefoil window. Sharply pointed roll moulded south doorway. Nave clerestorfy with 3 lancets on string course. South chapel with C14 fenestration with encircled cinquefoils over cinquefoiled lights, with hoodmoulds on carved heads. Chancel with pilaster strip buttresses, 4 light Perpendicular east window with string course and gable cross. Two round headed lancets in north wall, and unusual priest's doorway, with billet moulded outer order, the 3rd innermost order with three lobed pendant suspended from convex tympanum. Nave north wall with 3 light Perpendicular window. Timber north porch with moulded bargeboard with pendant with double boarded doors and mullioned sidelights. The inner door with overlapped boards and strap hinges in double wave-moulded doorway with hood and decayed water stoup. Interior: large plain C12 tower arch with pointed C12 inner arch with moulded abaci; rebated lancet openings to clerestorey and roof of 4 crown posts. South arcade of 3 bays of double chamfered arches on round piers of Bethersden marble with deeply undercut capitals. Identical arch from south aisle to south chapel. Roll moulded string course in south aisle, raised over doorway, and lean-to roof. Large chancel arch with nook shafts and voluted capitals and abaci with carved head stops. Roll moulded and billet moulded arch and hood. Chancel with string course enriched with fleur-de-lys and dogtooth. The attached shafts to north and south resting on this stringcourse, and twisted capital in south-west corner, indicate original intention to vault the chancel. Present roof of crown posts, the easternmost bay ceiled. Reveal of C13 lancet, blocked since construction of C14 south chapel. Two C14 segmentally headed tomb recess/through arches to south chapel, with wave mould and head stops, and integral depressed arched doorway. Chapel, with exposed jambs of earlier external indows to west and north walls and lean-to roof. Fittings: reredos and altar chancel, raised c.1600 as a memorial to the Scott family, with 5 bay arcaded reredos with Ionic pilasters and frieze and altar, with the progress of the family's Arms from 1290 to 1562. Three cartouches at top with Arms, the centre the full armorial bearings. Inscription: The memorial of the just shall be blesed but the name of the wicked shal rot. Made for Reginald Scott, founder of the Magic circles of England U.S.A. Roundheaded aumbrey in north wall. Restored trefoil headed piscina in square headed surround, part of the easternmost tomb recess between the chancel and south chapel. Cusped piscina in south chapel and aumbrey in north wall. C17 altar table with twisted legs and fillet moulded stretcher. C17 lecturn and octagonal pulpit, or C19 in C17 style. C20 brass chandeliers and screen to tower. Medieval quarter-log stairs in tower. Glass: chancel north window with original C12 floral glass, amongst the earliest surviving complete windows in the country. Monuments: Chancel: heart shrine, c.1300. Bethersden marble, with incised cross in circle and side indents (for mosaics or inscription). Trefoiled triangular back plate with ball flower and crockets and relief shield.. The heart it contained reputed to be William de Valence (d.1296) or John Balliol, founder of Balliol College. Sir John Scott, (comptroller of the Household to Edward IV) d.1485. Tomb recess on north wall. Traceried panelled chest with shields with fluted octagonal piers to traceried frieze and battlemented top. Grotesque enriched spandrels with ribbed soffit. The 2 tomb recesses in south wall now empty. South Chapel: hollow chamfered tomb recess for William Scott, who rebuilt the chapel (as Trinity Chapel) 1420-30 (see brasses). Small (child's?).coffin lid in floor with fleury calvary cross. C18 plaque with brass shield and an apparently Welsh inscription on north wall, and white marble architectural wall plaque on south wall to Arthur Scott, d.1756. Small black marble wall plaque in south aisle to William Richards, erected 1672, with Latin inscription in raised and fielded surround with scrolled and swagged cartouche and scrolled pediment. Nave north wall: Ellen - wife of John Richards, d.1720. Plaque with cornice and winged cherubs on apron. Two lead wall plaques on south aisle and north nave walls, identical, recording the churchwardens and restoration 1700, inscribed: T W , with relief roses and horses, recording T T Thomas Webb and Thomas Thompson
Brasses: In the south chapel: Sir William Scott, d.1433 (swordbearer to HV). Large brass of a knight, feet resting on a greyhound. Denis Harbord, d.1450. 35 inch brass of woman with flowing hair. Sir William Scott, d.1524, knight, 26 ½ inches. Dame Elizabeth Poynings, d.1528, 35 ½ inches. The jousting helm of Sir William Scott, c.1510, and that of Sir Thomas Scott, late C16 survive in chancel. Royal Arms of George II in south aisle. (See B.O.E. Kent II 1983 155-7).
Listing NGR: TR1030441783(12)

<1> OS 6" 1961 (OS Card Reference). SKE48369.

<2> DOE(HHR) East Ashford RD July 1955 12 (OS Card Reference). SKE41155.

<3> F1 CFW 19-APR-1963 (OS Card Reference). SKE42645.

<4> DOE(HHR) Amendment list Dec 1976 (OS Card Reference). SKE40806.

<5> Bldgs of Eng 1983 NE & E Kent 155-7 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37723.

<6> Arch Cant 10 1896 1-9 illus (OS Card Reference). SKE34518.

<7> Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bradbourne 1954 (A Sampson) (OS Card Reference). SKE38972.

<8> Hist of Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bradbourne 1963 (F D Scott) (OS Card Reference). SKE43917.

<9> Bradbourne Church: Substance of an address 30 July 1874 1875 (Sir G G Scott) (OS Card Reference). SKE38283.

<10> Field report for monument TR 14 SW 13 - April, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5455.

<11> Vernacular Architecture Group, ADS Dendrochronology Database, Vol. 41, Pg. 122 (Website). SKE17391.

<12> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading