A brief history of Castle Hedingham
Old pictures of Castle Hedingham
Pictures of snowy Castle Hedingham
Parish Records from 1698 – 1950s (burials, baptisms and weddings, plus the 1841 census)
St Nicholas Church, Castle Hedingham
(Page 2; click here for page 1)
Please click on any of the pictures for enlargements
The beauty and elegance of the Norman arches lining the nave are the first feature to strike visitors to this wonderful building. However, it has a great deal more to offer; from the Norman wheel window (visible in the picture above, and in close-up at the foot of this page), resplendent especially in the morning sun, to more hidden treasures such as the misericord carvings in the chancel.
The rood screen dates to the 15th Century, and includes carvings of animals and people. The characters are alive – grimacing, tongues out - preserved by a mediaeval craftsman's skill.
The
"Saxon Stone" is set into the wall of the South Chapel. I think it's
probably early Norman, though it could have been preserved from the
earlier church. It depicts a rather forlorn looking character; various
theories have been proposed as to the subject's identity!
One of my favourite features of the church are its misericords. Following the village tradition of wood carving the base of the choirmen's seats in the chancel are richly decorated.
One of them (pictured above) depicts a fox carrying off a priest (he's being carried by his legs; his cassock has fallen back towards his head), whilst preceding them is a wolf with a horn.
Against the North wall of the chancel stands the tomb of the John de Vere, 15th earl of Oxford. Alive at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, he was therefore unable to be interred at the de Vere's traditional resting place, Earls Colne Priory. The tomb was moved from the centre of the chancel during restoration work in the 19th Century. The figures of the earl and his countess are carved into the distinctive touchstone tomb.
Those of their children are carved into the sides, with their names above. Unfortunately, their sons are now obscured because they face the chancel's North wall! The earl's coat of arms are pictured above. He was a Knight of the Garter, so they bear the famous inscription, "Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense". A report read by Richard Almack Esq., F.S.A., at a meeting held at Castle Hedingham in 1853, described the coat of arms elsewhere as follows:
"The tomb of the de Veres, has the arms of the Earls of Oxford impaled with Trussell, and the effigies of the Earl and his wife. The supporters are a harpy and blue boar."
Click here to see more of the interior of St Nicholas – including some things visitors don't usually get to see! >>
The official website of St Nicholas Church covers the church community, with details of events and services, etc.