Page 12

Twinstead...

One of 15 churches in North Hinkford

within the Chelmsford Diocise

Chelmsford Cathedral

North Hickford Deanery

Page 1

A Guide to

Twinstead Church

St John The Evangelist

All your generous donations are put to the maintenance

of the building enabling future generation to appreciate

its importance as part of the fabric of our village as well

as a place of worship and a place of quiet respite from

the busy world we live in.

Page 2

Pictures from as it was in

1800(From a picture to be seen at the rear of the church)

to as it is 2012 ....

Page 11

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are grateful and we offer a huge thank you to

parishiners for their support and help in putting this

Guide together.

A combined effort by all

.. for the photograghs

... for the proof reading

....for the Printing

... for the layouts

and also to

Margaret King (Mrs Vicar !) for her guidance

Welcome and enjoy !!

For more details of our village look up

www.twinstead.org.uk or

Revd Margaret King 01787 269385

Revd Val Gagen 01787 371787

vcn 20120531

Page 10

1322 Hen. De Kynsmesford

1309 (sic) Hen. De Turmecester

1330 Hen. De Waymouth

1336 Ric. De Chadderlegh

1337 Hamelinus de Godelegh

Phil. Youngman

1372 Rog. De. Hardingham

1391 Joh. Norton

1392 Tho. Bradenholm

1396 Joh. Newman

1398 Rob. Fille

1398 Joh. Pykworth

1400 Joh. Sudbury

Walt. Newman

1428 John Harwood

1432 Tho. Waghen

1437 Nic. Kesteven

1437 Joh. Smith

1440 Tho. Turner

1443 Thos. Bolton

1447 Joh. Laseby

1448 Joh. Justyce

1451 Joh. Stevens

Pastusius Martyn

1464 Joh. Hammerton

Will. Lincolne

1476 Joh. Marchall

1483 Tho. Ennock

1491 Ad. Wynn

1493 Edm. Short

1503 Edw. Potter

Chr. Serle

1511 Donaldus Magre

1516 Ric. Knight

1528 Tho. Mannering

Chr. Newton

1555 Roc. Holywell

1567 Chr. Johnson

1581 Will. Carr

1615 Gamal. Carr

1663 Andr. Weston

1679 Nat. Reeves

1699 Hen. Wind

1703 Edward Collins

1739 John Carr

1780 George Marriot

1793 Robert Gray

1838 H.V. Shortland

1878 Thos. Myers (49th)

1913 A.H. Manning

1914 A.R. Murray

1915 H.M. Shuttleworth

Priest-n-charge until

1930 Rector Wickham &

Twinstead

until 1933

1933 T.H. Evans

1944 W.J. Fleming

1952 J.F. Haynes

1958 G. Howard-Davies

1959 A.V.G. Cleall

1963 W.D. Kerr

1975 B.A. Carew

2005 Margaret King

Eoin Buchanan

ROLL CALL OF INCUMBENTS

Page 3

Page 4 Page 9

The Wyncoll Effigies

The family of Wyncoll held the Manor of Twinstead in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

The effigies of the second Isaac Wyncoll, his wife Marie and his five daughters (but not

his son Isaac, which has been lost) are engraved on brass and are fixed to the north wall of

the church. Underneath them the following is inscribed on brass :-

‘Here lyeth buryed Marie Wyncoll the wife of Isake Wyncoll Esq. Daughter unto

Sir Thomas Gaudy of Gaudy Hall one the Judges of the Kings bench who deceased the 4th

daye of January anno domini 1610 who had issue one sonne and five daughters.

“Vivit post funera virtus’.

It was the second Isaac Wyncoll (d. 1638) who built an earlier Twinstead Hall, which was

greatly improved by Sir James Marriott at the end of the eighteenth century in a Georgian

style and eventually pulled down in 1900.

His great grandson, the fourth Isaac Wyncoll, who died in 1681, made the following

bequest in his will :-

‘ISAAC WYNCOLL, of Twinstead in the County of Essex Esqr. By his will

dated the 1st of March 1681, amongst other things Declares his mind and will

to be as Followeth uits; Item my will is, that Such person or persons as from the

time being shall enjoy the premisses meaning Twinstead Hall, or receive and take

the rents and proffits thereof shall yearly and every year for ever, Cause to be

Killed upon the premisses at Christmas time in every year one good Bull in good

plight and case to be Killed upon the premisses, and give out all thereof Except

the Hide, with assistance and derection of the church wardens and overseers of

the poor for the time being of Twinstead, aforesaid, and the poor people of the

severall parishes of Great Henny, Pebmarsh, Lamarsh, and Alphamston, in the

Said County of Essex’.

This bequest is written out on a large board and is fixed to the West wall of the church.

This Isaac Wyncoll Charity (or Bull Money) is now administered by the Charity Commis-

sion. Instead of a bull being killed, a small sum of money is distributed to the needy at

Christmas.

The Third Church

Fixed to the West wall is a coloured sketch of the third church in 1858, shortly before it

was pulled down. It is a copy by Mrs. Shortland, wife of the Rector at the time, and shows

some of the dilapidation. The original which she copied appears to be signed ‘S.M.C.

1839’. See back cover.

Robert Gray

A marble stone to Robert Gray is on the north wall. He was Rector for 45 years.

1792-1837. (End)

Page 8

Brass Rubbing and Arms of

Issac Wyncoll Esq 1638

Page 5

History

Twinstead Church is the fourth to be built on this site. It is known that the first was a

venerable old church which by 1790 had become a ruin. Sir James Marriott of Twinstead

Hall constructed a building in a classical style to be used both as a church and for musical

purposes, but the Bishop refused to consecrate it. This second church was pulled down

and the materials were used to run up a third church. The foundation stone of this church

is now mounted on the wall of the Walled Garden which once belonged to Twinstead Hall.

The Rector in 1858 described the third church as ‘a very inferior structure with no

ecclesiastical character attaching to it, which became so dilapidated that to rebuild it was

a necessity.’ It was replaced by the present church in 1859. It was consecrated on 20th

October 1860 by the Right Reverend Joseph Cotton, Lord Bishop of Rochester. At that

time there was no Diocese of Chelmsford, and Twinstead came within the Diocese of

Rochester. The Rector at that time was the Reverend Henry Shortland, who was rector for

40 years (1838-1878).

Details of Construction

The architect was Henry Woodyer, and Sir Nikolaus Pevsner has described the building as

follows :-

‘Red brick with a wild admixture of black and yellow brick decoration outside

and with bands and trellis inside. It is all very much in the style of Butterfield.

The large, low, pointed window in the chancel, almost like a triangle, is also a a n

oddity.’

The strained glass in the east window is by Hardman, and it has splendid rich blues and

purples, which Sir Nikolaus Pevsner has described as remarkably good.

In the vestry is a Register of Burials dating back to 1813, and on the fly leaf of this register

are details of how the money was raised to build the church and how this money was

spent.

The parishioners unanimously agreed to a Church Rate of 5 shillings in the pound, and

later added a further 8 pence in the pound with which to build a wall to enclose the

churchyard on the south and east sides. The landowners and tenants and other inhabitants

of the parish also contributed donations. There were also other grants and subscriptions.

The total raised was £2050 and in addition the value of the materials taken from the old

church was £350.

Messrs. Elliston of Ballingdon was the building contractor and was paid £1323. The

architect was paid £118 and Hardman (stained glass) £231. The Faculty and Consecration

cost £49. There were many other specialised craftsmen’s expenses.

The addition to the churchyard was consecrated by the Bishop of Colchester on 25th

August 1954.

Page 6 Page 7

Points of Interest

It is thought that this church is one of only four of this type to be built, and that this is the

only one in a rural setting.

Vestry

In the vestry are two items of interest :-

A carved chair of about 1700.

A scroll of the Glebe land dated 1794.

The latter is a coloured survey of eleven separate pieces of land, varying in size from ¼

acre to nearly 3 acres, in the parish of Twinstead, by John Kingsbury, Land Surveyor of

Melford. The total acreage was 14½.

Organ

It was built by Henry Jones of Fulham, London. 1865-70. The pedals were added by

Speechley of Dalston. It was demoved from East Bergholt Congregational Church in

1967 and presented to Twinstead Church by Gerald and Hugh Flower and Doreen

Dawson in memory of their parents Clement and Helen Flower.

Chair in Chancel

This chair was made for the use of the Chairman of Halstead Rural District Council. On

re-organisation in 1974, the Council gave it to Mr. Kenneth Nott of Pelham Hall. He was

the last Chairman of the Council 1965-1974, and he donated it to Twinstead Church.

Bell

The bell was probably by John Bird in the early 16th century and was rehung in 1976 at a

cost of £295.

Graves

There are two gravestones of special interest :-

(a) Lucy Norman

She was the wife of Peter Norman, gardener, to whom she bore 17 children. She

died 10th April 1791 aged 53. Sir James Marriott of Twinstead Hall placed this

gravestone which reads ‘Respect the dead and imitate her virtues’. One of her

children was a boy who was blind, but learnt to play the organ.

(b) 4 Harrington Brothers

Eric (18), Dennis (16), Gordon (12), Norman (10) were accidentally killed on 3rd

September 1944. They died playing with bomb detonators taken from the bomb

dumps alongside the roads in the Pebmarsh – White Colne area.