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Black’more.
A. 2576; P. 571. Vicarage, value £83. 4 m. E. from Ongar, and
4½ N.W. From
Ingatestone.
This once-important
place is now a quiet village. Jericho House, adjoining the churchyard,
though much
altered and modernised, was once a secret resort of Henry VIII. Here,
in June
1491*, was born his natural son, Henry Fitzroy, afterwards Earl of
Nottingham,
Duke of Richmond and Somerset, &c., &c, who died in
1536. On the
occasional disappearances of the king from court, it was the common
saying
among the courtiers that he had "gone to Jericho",
whence that still common phrase.
The brook, which runs near the house, is still sometimes called the
"Jordan". Here, in the
reign of Henry II.,
Sir John de Sandford founded a Priory for Augustine monks. It was
always a
small establishment, not a vestige of it now remains, except a portion
of the
Church (St Lawrence), now parochial. The W. end of the original church
is still
intact. It is of massive Norman work. The W. door is very bold, though
plain;
over it are two wide and round headed Norman windows, and above them
again is a
circular window. On to this the present edifice has been built. The
curious
pagoda-like tower contains 5 bells. It is of timber, like that at
Margaretting,
and is perhaps by the same skilful architect, as that church belonged
to
Blackmore Priory. The nave and chancel are of equal height and width;
and, with
their aisles, have one common roof. The building is of moderate size,
but
light, and of good proportions. It seems to be of the 14th cent.
(Perp.). The
first arch on each side next the W. end is a plain heavy "Norman
style" one. Over each
is a splayed window,
perhaps once part of a clerestory, but now looking into the aisles
merely.
Probably the massive Norman work at the W. end was preserved to serve
as the
foundation of a stone tower, which funds did not permit of, and a
cheaper
timber one was afterwards substituted. The aisle-arches on each side
are
similar, but the columns on the S. are octagonal, and those on the N.
clustered, all having plainly moulded capitals. In
the S. aisle are no windows**, probably
because the cloisters originally abutted thereon. In the N. aisle are
some 2-light
windows with flat labels. The E. window is small, with Perp. (16th
cent.)
tracery. The roof is of oak, with painted human portraits, the arms of
"France
and England
, quarterly,
and other shields". Parts
of the aisles are divided off in a very unusual manner by transverse
walls,
forming chapels. In the chancel is a very ancient and well worn stone:
“To the
memory of the just Prior, Thomas de Veer.” There
are many
inscriptions to the Smyth
family, including that to Thomas, who died in 1594, and with his wife
reposes
on a fine altar-tomb. The Register dates from 1602.
* Henry
Fitzroy was born in 1519.
** In 1877,
three windows were inserted in the south aisle, i.e. ten years before
publication of this piece.
Last updated:
24 March 2009
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