St. Lawrence, Chicheley, Buckinghamshire

Description

The parish church of St. Lawrence is an edifice in the Early English style, and consists of chancel, clerestoried nave of three bays, north aisle, south porch, with a room over it, and a central tower containing a clock and 6 bells, restored and rehung in 1905: the tower is of the time of Henry VII. the aisle dates from that of Richard II. the nave is of the 12th century, and the chancel was erected in the 18th century, and is said to have been designed by Sir Christopher Wren: a vestry was erected at the north of the chancel in 1914. The original holy water stoup remains at the south entrance: there are six stained windows: on the north side of the church, on the floor, is a brass, with effigies to Sir Anthony Cave, a merchant of the staple of Calais, dated 1558, another of remarkable character to Sir Anthony Chester, dated 1635, and a brass, representing a skeleton in a shroud, with a Latin inscription undated, but c. 1560, as well as a mural monument to Anthony Cave, erected in 1576: there is also a mural monument to the Cranmer family: the rood above the balustrade of the ringers' gallery was given by Mrs. Easson, wife of a former rector, the Rev. Utten James Easson M.A., in 1907 as a memorial to her mother: there are 200 sittings.

Church Records

The parish register dates from the year 1539.