1698 Richard Forster M.A. formerly of BraseNose
College Oxon, sometime Usher of the Free School at Tunbridge,
afterward Master of that at Sutton Valence in Kent, & then Rector
of Beckly in Sussex, being presented by Sir Robert Filmer of East
Sutton, Baronet to this Church of Crundale was by virtue of a Retainer
to the Right Honourable Thomas Earl of Pembroke & Montgomery
(First Lord Privy Seal next Lord Pre.. of the Council and lastly Lord
High Admiral of England under King William ye 3rd as his Chaplain,
made likewise Rector here in May 1698.
Who finding the
Parsonage Hous in a very ruinous & dilapidated condition without
any Garret that had neither Window or Floor in, or stairs up to it
& being encouraged by the generous offer of his Patron to give
Timber to make the Hous better, he immediately caused a Cellar to be
dug at the Southwest End & the Rooms to be built over it, in the
middle floor of which was in his absense by the carpenters mistake
pitch something lower than that in the old Building over the Kitchen
and at Michaelmas 1698 came to reside in it with his family.
1699 He sealed the yards, which he found
fenced only with dead Birches and repaired the stable and took in part
of the Glebe Field for a Garden Planting it with several Apple trees
and being instructed by Sir Henry Filmer Baronet to East Church in
Shepey, he quitted p..tely.
1700 He built the
new hous & Gave adjoining to it. in the same year the parrish
union took down the old decayed shaft of the steeple and erected a new
one covering it for the most part with Lead and set up a new Rail
& Balichr(?)[Balusters?] the Chancel for which Rail &
Balichr(?) Sir Robert Filmer have the Timber.
1701 He tok down the old stair Case & two
Rooms on a Floor West and North and rebuilt them, furnishing two of
them besides a closet with wainscoat intirely, and a third in part.
1702 He new covered about 3/4 of the Chancel
and laid a new leaden Gutter with a new wall plate of Timber under it
being whiting and new glazing the whole. Neh. 13.4 Record mei Deus
etc
1703 By removing a great deal of Earth he
made a place for a Court on the North side & walled it round with
Brick & built a new Chimney in the old room over the Buttery and
built otherwise a necessary hous in the Garden. [the toilet]
In the same year - in the
night- betwixt the 26th and 27th of November there happened a most
prodigious and dradful Storm fatall to the Kingdom both at Sea &
land, which with the violence of its tempestuous wind overset two
great old Beeches which grew on the West near the Churchyard; one of
which with its top Boughs reacht the Roof of the Church at the
Southwest Corner & swept of abundance of Tiles & made way for
the Wind to carry away most of the rest, which drove some of them into
the severall Grounds called Branty & Crundale Field, the other of
the Beeches brought up the intire Skeleton of a Man wrapt in its
roots. By which it may be supposed that either the Churchyard extended
further of old than at present, or else that some excommunicated
Person or Felo de se [suicide] was there buried by the highway. This
skeleton lay with its feet to the East, as Christians Bury, whereas
the several bodies discovered this year 1703 to have been long time
burired on Tremworth Down by the highway not far from Warren wood
gate, lay all with their Feet Westward where a Roman Sepulture of
Burying Place may be supposed to have been by several Urns of
different shapes which have been dug up there, if they are not rather
to be calld LachrimaSones; besides some Patera [saucer] or wide flat
vessels the figures of all which are here exprest.
By the Tempest the body of the Church was
rendered altogether unserviceable for the Worship of God, so that the
Pulpit was removed for some time into the Chancel within the Rail,
& prayers were read at the Communion Table till the Body of the
Church was intirely new latted & covered with Tiles at the great
Charge of the Parishioners in the Spring following.
The two
aforesaid Trees the Rector with the consent of the Parish converted to
his own use,& at his own charge set up the Pews, Desks, Benches
& Wainscoat of Deal on each side of the Chancel without the
Rail.
1704 The carved Altar Piece of
East Country Oak was erected at the Charge of Sir Robert Filmer
Baronet and the two wings and Returns of the same wainscoat together
with the Communiion Rable were made at the Charge of the Rector.
1705 He planted a hedg crosse the Glebe from
the Corner of the Garden Eastward
1706 The
Back stairs dowwn into the Brewhous were
made
1707 The Walls of the old Hous &
those of the New Rooms wch her first built South West being of Timber
he rebuilt 'em all of Brick & alterd the windows. the whole Roof
except that on the North was new fram'd as like wise the Garret Floor
over the Kitchen wch before lay much lower & all raised to a
levell. The partitions in the Kitchen & Room over it were new made
& a Stove built in a closet. The cellar stairs were new laid &
the little room over them gaind. The Parlor floor over the Cellar, wch
at first had Con false nitcht was sunk to a levell with the rest ,
& the Room Wains-coated as were likewise the Window sides of the
Room over that & the kitchen, & Slats made to the Windows.
1708 An old decayed Barn wch stood on the
Southside very neer the Dwelling Hous was rebuilt & joined to the
other. and where it stood he walled in a little Garden. & built
the Well hous.
Jn 16 same year he undertook the Ceiling of the
Church for the value of an 8d Sen: to bee pd at 35:v.val payment last
of wch payment was to be made at Easter in the year 1711 the whole
charge of the Parichioners was 7L.12s [£7.12shillings] the rest he
bore himself & the work was finished in the Spring of the year
1709
1711 The Pews in the Body of the Church
were rebuilt upon a Platform of good Oak & furnisht with Matts to
sit & kneel on by the Rector for wch he was by Agreement to be
reimburst in Seven years, which with the Oil & Color for painting
was accounted at no more than £37.14.6 The Parish being neither
charged with the prime Cost of the Tiles wherewith the Body of the
Church was new paved, nor with Workmanship of painting wch was
performed by his own Servant. He gave likewise the new Pulpit of East
Country Oak & new paved the Chancel within the Rails.
1712 The North Door Case was rebuilt & a
new Porch made of Brick & one of the Side Coves converted into a
Vestry by Boarding & ceiling it & making a Chimney & a new
window, & Securing the Arch by the Rector. In consideration of
which the yearly payment to him was advanced to £8.15s for the
Remainder of the seven years. The Parishioners were likewise to be at
the expence of fetching stone steps from Canterbury & paving tiles
from Boughton Blean where with the Chancel was in the same year adornd
by him; where he new built likewise the North Window. In the same year
he took down an old decayd low built stable & rebuilt it of Brick
& raisd a Pigeon Loft over it.
In ther Expences the Rector was
assisted by some of his friends who were Proprietors of Lands in the
Parish whose Benefaction he thinks fit to make a grateful Memorial of
since they lessend the Charge of the Parishioners & his own
likewise.
Sir Robert Filmer Baronet the Worthy
Patron of the Church & son and Heir Apparent Edward Filmer Esq.
gave two Ash Trees wch being converted into Money amountd to
£2.10
William Brodnax Esq. gave Brick Earth & the Use of
his Kiln.
Richard Thornhill Esq.
Robert Whitehead
Gent.
Andrew Johnson, Baker
& the Governors of
the Hospital of St. Thomas London, gave each of two Oak Trees &
Peter Gott Esq. gave one. 9 in all wch were used about the Platform,
Porch & Vestry. [this oak tree donation was
noted 20 Nov 1710 in the hospital minutes book. Click
]
Bonham Hays Gent. gave 20
shillings
William Chapman & William Ruck eleven shillings
a piece
Francis Barrel Esq. Proprietor of Ashenfield gave one
Guinea. [21 shillings]
GeorgeCarter of Winchcomb Gent. in the
year 1705 gave a decent Silver Chalice for the Communion
Service
Mrs Katherine Carter Widow (his mother) gave this
Painting of the Queens Arms
& Mr Robert Carter of
Bilting (his Uncle) gave the Writing of the Creed, the Commandements
& the Lords Prayer in the year 1710
And Mr Knight Carter
(one of his younger brothers) gave a green velvet Cushion for the
Pulpit.
1713
In the year
1713, Upon Tremworth Down there was one Grave opend, near those
mentiond before in which there were found 3 urns, two on the right
side of a Skeleton betwixt the Skull & the shoulder with their
orifices dipping Eastward and the third standing by the left knee.
The
dimensions of All these Earthen Vessels that were taken up 1703 &
1713 were in inches and the parts of an inch as follows.
| No. |
Perpendicular
Height
Inches |
Diameter from out to
out
At the top |
Diameter from out to
out
At the bottom |
| 1 |
4 inches and
1/4 |
3 inches and
6/10 |
2 inches and
1/4 |
| 2 |
3 inches and
1/10 |
3 inches and
4/10 |
1 inch and
4/10 |
| 3 |
2 inches and
5/10 |
7 inches
and 3/10 |
4 inches
|
| 4 |
5 inches and
8/10 |
2 inches and
1/10 |
1 inch and
3/10 |
| 5 |
4 inches and 1/10
|
1 inch and
5/10 |
1 inch
|
| 6 |
3 inches and
4/10 |
3 inches
and 1/4 |
2 inches and
1/4 |
| 7 |
4
inches |
3 inches
and 5/10 |
1 inch and
9/10 |
A
further account of all which may be seen in Dr Harris's History of
Kent. Part 2 pa 89
1713 The Rector new paved
the Kitchen with large Tiles
1716 He gave a
new door to the Vestry at the Church and built up a new Brick wall
against the Road and along the Garden in liew of an old Hedg. and on
the Southside of the Barn he set up a Brick Wall and made new doors
& repaird the East end.
1719 He built a
little stable of Brick at the Church yard Gate & tiled the Roof,
for the Convenience of himself & his Parishioners, whenever any of
them should think Fit to ride to Church - At the Parsonage hous he
made some alteration in the lower part of the Roof in the front,
putting up a Mundelion Cornish & covering it with lead.
1724 He new tiled almost the whole Westside
of the Chancel & fixd the defective Rafters & made good the
Eves
1725 He built the Summer hous in the
Parsonage Garden.
|
