Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1100 to 1902. A church of 12th century origin, but with mainly 13th century fabric. Plan of aisled nave, chancel, South porch and West tower. There is a shiela-na-gig on one of the buttresses to the chancel. Excavations in the 1960s suggest that the chancel and the crypt may be comtemporary with one another, both dating to the 13th century. The chancel and cthe crypt vaulting may have been altered in the 14th century and a sanctuary with a tiled floor added. The church was restored between 1847 and 1902. Eastry was one of the early minsters founded in Kent before 700, it being alleged that King Egbert, (died 673), founded a monastery for his sister Ermenburga there

Monument Types

• MINSTER? (Possibly, Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 410 AD? to 800 AD?)
• CHURCH (Medieval to Modern - 1100 AD to 1902 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TR 35 SW 18:
[TR 31105477] St Mary's Church [NAT] (1) The church of St Mary the Virgin, Eastry, is C13 with C11 work in the lower part of the tower. (2) In normal use. (3)


Excavation in 1964 within the chancel recorded a medieval crypt and burial as well as tiles of the original sanctuary floor.(7)

A watching brief in the churchyard during the installation of new services in 2010 by Canterbury Archaeological Trust found disturbed cemetery soil, with fragments of disarticulated human bone which are evidence of repeated grave digging in the area, and the upper brickwork of a vault immediately below the footpath. (4)

The church may be built on the site of the Saxon Minster but no traces remain. (5)

A 2018 article reviewed the alterations and adaptations introduced by Prior Henry (1285-1331) (6)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
EASTRY CHURCH STREET TR 3154 (east side) 13/116 Church of St.Mary 11.10.63 The Virgin GV I
Parish church. C12 in origin, largely C13. Restored 1847 to 1902 and particularly 1853. Flint with plain tiled roof. Chancel, nave with aisles, south porch, western tower with lean-to annexes. Four stage tower with clasping buttresses thickened at base to octagonal shape and pierced with pointed arches (possibly over the processional path). Blank almond and circular shaped panels in buttress upper stages. Three lancets on main stage in trefoiled arcading with attached shafts. Corbelled top stage. North-eastern rectangular stair turret. C12 Romanesque doorway behind C19 pentice with hollow and roll- moulded orders and attached shafts. Lintel and tympanum altered 1853. Romanesque windows also in north and south walls of tower. Lean-to aisles with quatrefoil west windows. Fine C18 clock face on west wall of tower with egg and tongue circular surround. Largely C19 renewed fenestration, trefoiled clerestorey windows. Lancets survive in chancel, 5 on each side, with buttresses (one on south side with mutilated Sheila-na gig carving). North aisle with two C15 three light windows with square label heads. Single chamfered south doorway with hoodmould in small south porch. Interior; tower arch and nave arcades on same C13 pattern, with round piers or responds on moulded bases with beaded capitals and double chamfered arches. Similar arches in tower to side annexes with flying buttresses to tower, that to north finely moulded and of late C13 date. Five bay nave arcade (the eastern arch pinched). Central southern pier a later insertion, octagonal but with similar mouldings to rest of arcade, with additional stylised foliation on abacus. Continuous hood mould carried over arches. Two string courses at clerestorey level, one forming base of clerestorey windows, the other raised over to form drips. Roof of 6 renewed slender crown posts. Lean-to aisles. Double chamfered chancel arch, the inner order carried on polygonal corbels with stiff-leaf sprig. Pierced quatrefoils to left and right, and upper stage of nave east wall stepped back. The quatrefoils pass through to trefoil headed arched reveals in chancel. Five bay chancel, with 2 string courses, the upper raised over windows to form drips as in nave clerestorey. The south eastern window has a discontinuous string with the reveal carried down to the lower string, the other window reveals are all splayed. Triple lancet west window with trilobed heads and detached, ringed shafts. Small roundel in gable head. Braced rafter roof. Fittings; piscina in chancel and large moulded and cusped piscina in north aisle;another in south aisle. Aumbry with arched head in north wall of chancel. Altar rails, reredos, candelabra, font box-pews all C19. C18 chandelier in tower of 2 tiers of 5 branches over 10. The octagonal inserted pier in the nave bears a Dominical Circle to compute Holy Days, carved in 1327 and very rare. Wall Paintings; over chancel arch, 4 tiers of roundels, Cl3, 28 of them in all with devices of a trefoil flower, doves, lion and dragon, associated with the rood (corbels survive for a rood loft). Two C18 painted text cartouches nave north wall, dated 1721. Two hatchments of the Bargrave family and sculptured Royal Arms over tower arch, dated 1821 and given by Thomas Moulden of Statenborough House. Monuments; brass in the chancel to Thomas Nevynson, d.1590. Figures of ruffed Knight and his Lady, almost 3 feet long with inscription and arms , reset before the altar Iron tilting helm hanging on wall above surmounted by Nevison crest. Wall monument to John Broadley,d.1784, signed J. Bacon, London, 1785. Medallion portrait bust with oak leaf wreath, the staff and snake of the medical profession and obelisk shaped background. Edward George Bays, d . 1801, wall plaque of an urn in half relief signed Coade and Sealy,Lambeth. Monuments in south aisle to Thomas Pettman, d.1791, wall plaque with urn on reeded column with a shield in relief leaning against its base. Thomas Boteler, d.1768 (erected 1774), black and white marble plaque with enriched scrolled sides and segmental head. John Paramour, d.1737, large white marble architectural wall monument, with Ionic columns supporting broken pediment with achievement on base of 3 cherubs heads. Removed from the chancel in 1865. Reverend Drue Astley Cressener, d.1746, a pair to the last described monument. Facing each other and set into two of the piers of the south arcade are 2 identical black marble plaques with scrolled sides and achievements and gold lettering, to Reverend Richard Harvey,d.1772, and Catherine Springette,d.1762. Robert Bargrave;d.1779. Wall plaque in nave with obelisk on enriched neo-classical style base with cameo portrait and urn. In the north aisle, monuments to Sarah Boteler,d.1777, by William Tyler. Black obelisk surround with figure of a woman leaning on draped urn, pointing towards her infant son, who reaches up to her. She died in childbirth. Richard Kelly,d.1768. White marble hanging cartouche with cherubs heads. Quite coarse. Captain John Harvey,d.1794, signed J.Bacon, London. Inscription on a large black obelisk,below it a circular relief of the battle of Ushant, the "Memorable First of June", with an an angel holding scales and a victor's palm. Said to be from the monument in Westminster Abbey commemorating the battle.(See B.O.E. Kent, II,pp. 307-8).
Listing NGR: TR3110854779 (7)

Additional references (8-10)

Historic England archive material: BB74/02571 Exterior view of the largely 13th century church taken from the west, showing the earlier square tower.
BF082953 ST MARY THE VIRGIN'S CHURCH, EASTRY File of material relating to a site or building. This material has not yet been fully catalogued. Copyright, date, and quantity information for this record may be incomplete or inaccurate.

1979, Arch Cant vol 95, p 121 (Article in serial). SKE54977.

<1> OS 6" 1960 (OS Card Reference). SKE48367.

<2> MHLG (2067/11/A) September 1960 10 (OS Card Reference). SKE46998.

<3> F1 ASP 19-JUN-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42186.

<4> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2010, Negative Watching Brief: St Mary the Virgin's Church, Eastry (Unpublished document). SKE16796.

<5> DOE (HHR) Dist. Dover 26-Nov-1987 (43) (OS Card Reference). SKE40429.

<7> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<8> Dover District Council, 2013, Dover District Heritage Strategy (Bibliographic reference). SKE31372.

<9> Charles Coulson, 2018, Prior Henry (1285-1331): Rescuer of Eastry Church (Article in serial). SKE51642.

<10> Field report for monument TR 35 SW 18 - June, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6133.

Sources and further reading