i i 4~isrj .-" ^ I 'JIM If -f ??• ^ j -— f - " ^ ..nlv * 3 4 *'«=& i MONUME ENGLANDl »^ f .^"^"^ ' ■|.MiVL"^'i 1-iT.i f W ■?? "l?!. .1, ^ J, 1. I. ■%. £.^^ . isoifrH) Qforttell UniuetBitg Eihratij atljaca, 2Jew] Inrk ..Car-negie--Cor,..orat-i.::ui- Cornell University Library NA 969.B9A2 V.1 An inventory of the historical monuments 3 1924 015 705 787 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924015705787 o H .. >. UJ 3 a C rii en ROYAL COMMISSION ON HISTORICAL MON\MENTS AN INVENTORY OF The HLSfORICAL MONVMENfS in BvCKNGHAMSHIRE VOLUME ONE i^i'^jiNMO DNIm 'MOA^KM^^^^^^ tA.S.CarUrftcii J9/I. LONDON: PUBLISHED BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATiONERY OFFICE. To be purchased, either directly or through any Bookseller, from WYMAN and SONS, Ltd., Fetter Iame. EC. OLIVER AND BOYD, TwEEDDAlE Court, Edinburgh; or E. PONSONBY, Ltd., ii6, Grafton Street, Dublin. Printed by JAS. TRUSCOTT and SON, Ltd., London, E.C. /'rice l^s- (>d. , TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE iv XI xiii xvii xxi List of Illustrations ...... Chairman's Preface --..... Terms of Appointment ...... Report --...... Sectional Preface ------- List of Hundreds and Parishes -.-.-. xxxi Map showing the division of the County by Hundreds - - xxxii Schedule A : An Inventory of the Ancient and Historical Monuments in South Buckinghamshire accredited to a date anterior to 1700, arranged by Parishes ........ i Schedule B : A List of Monuments selected by the Commission as especially worthy of preservation ------- 330 Glossary .---..-.. 335 Index ---------- 343 Map showing the position of the Monuments Scheduled - - 395 1,000 -Wt. L. 3290. 7/12. J. T. & S. IV LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS. PAGE 4 AMEESHAM. The Town : plan The Market Hall ^ The Almshouses ... ... ... ... • • • • ■ • • • • • • • " Houses in the High Street ... ... ... ••• ■•• ••• •■• ^^ The High Street, looking West ... ... ... ... .■• ••■ ••• 104 ASHLEY GREEN. Homestead Moat at Cxrove Farm : plan... ... ... •■• ••• ••• 1' Barn at Grove Farm ... ... ... ... ■■• ••• ••• ••• ^^x ASTON CLINTON. The Church : Piscina and Sedilia ... ... ... ... ... ... xxiv AYLESBURY. The Church: plan ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2.3 „ ,, from the South-east ... ... ... ... ■•■ ... 26 Font ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... xxvii The Town: plan ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 28 House, at the corner of Church Row ... ... ... ... ... ... 30 The Old King's Head Inn 37 BEACONSFIELD. The Church : Tomb in the Chancel ... ... ... ... ... ... xxiv ,, ,, Iron Chest ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 136 The Village : plan ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 43 The Old Rectory ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 44 BIERTON WITH BROUGHTON. The Church : plan ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 48 Chair ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 300 BLEDLOW. The Church : plan ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 52 „ „ from the South-east ... ... ... ... ... ... 51 ,> :, Interior ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 54 ,, ,, Font ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... xxvii Bledlow Cross : plan ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 57 BOARSTALL. The Gatehouse ... ... ... ... ... ... ... __ gg BRADENHAM. The Church : South Door BRILL. 61 The Church : Chancel Arch and Roof ... ... ... ... ... ... qa Farmhouse XXX BUCKLAND. The Church: Font BUENHAM. The Abbey : plan ,, ,, Claustral buildings The Village : plan House in High Street ... CHALFONT ST. GILES. The Church: plan Lych-gate and Cottages CHENIES. The Church : North or Bedford Chapel . . . ,, ,, Tomb in Bedford Chapel ... The Manor House CHESHAM. The Church : Niche in South Porch House in Church Street Codmore Farm House at Latimer CHILTON. The Church: plan ,, ,, Arches and Entrance to Eood-loft Effirry plan CHOLESBUEY. Earthwork COLESHILL. Bower's Farm Stocks Place . . . CUDDINGTON. The Church The Village : plan South Doorway plan DENHAM. The Church: Effigies ... The Savoy : plan ,, „ West front Denham Place : East front Tapestry, Plaster Ceiling, etc., in the Billiard Eoom Screen and Seats in the Chapel ... Hill House, etc., in the Main Street DINTON. The Church : South Doorway ... ,, West Doorway Upper Waldridge Farm PAGE xxvii 73 71 76 12 80 12 89 90 92 136 94 XXX 12 103 104 107 12 30 110 xxiv 112 xxvni 117 115 119 120 300 122 124 61 94 DOENEY. Dorney Court : plan ... from the North-east the Hall DORTON. Dorton House : the Hall ,, ,, the Staircase ... „ „ the Boarstall Horn DRAYTON BEAUCHAMP. The Church: Font ELLESBOROUGH. The Church : Monument Effigy ... Cymbeline's Mount : plan Chequers Court : North front ... ETON. Eton College : plan From Fifteen Arch Bridge The Church ; Exterior ,, „ Interior The School Yard The Cloisters . . . Upper School Lower School Staircase, in North Porch of Ante-Chapel plan from the South-west PAGE 129 129 130 134 269 136 FINC4EST. The Church FULMER. The Church : Monument GREAT AND LITTLE HAMPDEN. Great Hampden Church : Font . . . Little Hampdeji Church : North Porch Hampden House, from the South-west GREAT AND LITTLE KIMBLE. Fort, Pulpit Hill: plan GREAT MARLOW. Chapel at Widmer Farm Finnainore Farm HADDENHAM. The Church The Village HAMBLEDEN. The Church fr(jm the North-west plan Woodwork in the Tower Font 138 xxviii 139 141 152 122 143 144 Frontis'piece 147 149 150 269 157 156 158 xxvii 162 164 164 169 XXX 178 179 186 xxvii Vll HAETWELL. Hartwell House : plan " >, North front ... )) J, Grand Staircase HEDGERLEY DEAN. House opposite the Rectory HIGH \VYCOMBB. The Church : Interior ... The Town : plan Hospital of St. John the Baptist HITCHAM. The Church : Interior of Chancel with Monument HORTON. The Church : North doorway ... The Ostrich Inn, etc., at Colnbrook HUGHENDEN. The Church : Effigies in North Chapel ... IBSTONE. The Church: Pulpit ICKFORD. The Church : from the North-west IVER. The Church : plan ,, „ North-east Angle of Nave .. . ,, ,, Piscina and Sedilia ,, ,, Font LANGLEY MARISH. The Church : Interior with Oak Colonnade, etc. . The Almshouses Farmhouse at George Green LITTLE MISSENDEN. The Manor House : Staircase LONG CRENDON. The Church : plan „ Effigy Notley Abbey : plan ... ,, ,, from the South „ „ the Dove-cot ... The Town : plan The Court-House House LUDGERSHALL. The Church : from the North-west „ „ Capital in North Arcade PAGE 190 189 192 30 195 198 197 204 206 228 130 300 214 220 220 xxiv xxvii 224 228 30 269 236 xxviii 245 246 252 238 240 30 249 xxiv Vlll MARLOW URBAN. The Old Parsonage MONKS RLSBOROUGH. The Church : plan ... . • • ■ Whiteleal Cross : plan Whiteleaf Hill, showing Whiteleaf Cross from the North-west PENN. House, now two cottages PRINCES RLSBOROUGH. The Church : Interior of South Aisle showing window, piscina and recesses The Manor House : Staircase RADNAGE. The Church : plan ,, ,, from the South-east ,, ,, Interior of Nave, showing roof SHABBINGTON. The Church : North side SLOUGH. The Old Parish Church, Upton : Interior ,, ,, Upton: Oak Arch in South Aisle ... ,, ,, Upton : Alabaster Image ... STOKE MANDEVILLB. The Old Parish Church : ruins ... The New Parish Church : Font STOKE POGES. The Church : plan ,, ,, South Porch Tithe Farm ; Staircase STONE. The Church : North Arcade „ ,, Font UPPER WINCHENDON. The Church : Pulpit ... WADDESDON. The Church : plan ,, ,, Interior ... EfEpy WENDOVER. The Church : Capital in South Arcade The Town : plan Wellwick Farm Coldharboiu' Row High Street, showing Bosworth House, etc. PAGE 252 258 262 264 XXX 270 269 274 273 274 277 279 280 136 282 XXV ii 287 285 269 292 XXV ii 300 302 304 xxviii XXIV 307 311 12 319 IX PAGE WESTON TURVILLE. The Church : plan 314 The Village : plan 317 WEST AVYCOMBE. The Church Loft 319 WOOBURN. Deyncoiu't Farm ... ... ... ... ... ••■ ••• ■•• 324 WYRARDISBURY. Place Farm ... ... ... ... ••• ••• ••• ■■• ••• -^-^^ XI PREFACE A FEW informal A\'ord,s will not, I trust, be out of place b,y waj-- of introduction -^-^ to this Inventor}^ and may help to explain both the arrangement of these pages and the manner in which the monuments have been recorded. The volume contains (in addition to the terms of appointment and olhcial report) a Sectional Preface which, under subject headings, calls attention to any particularly interesting examples mentioned in the Inventory ; an illustrated Inventor}', with a concise account of the monuments visited ; a list of monuments that the Commissioners have selected as especially worthy of preservation ; a glossary of architectural, heraldic, and archaaological terms ; a map showing the topographical distribution of the scheduled monuments, and an index. Under the heads of parishes, arranged alphabetically, will be found a list of their respective monuments. The chronological sequence chosen is not perhaps scientifically perfect, but it has been found a workable basis for classification. The order adopted is as follows :■ — (1) Prehistoric monuments and earthworks. , 1 such ion of Buyers of the Royal Commission's Inventor}^ of the Historical tance. Monuments in Hertfordshire may obtain a hnen case similar to that used bub- in binding this volume on application to Messrs. Wyman & Sons, Ltd., nyself with a Postal Order value Is. 6d. A 2id. stamp should also be enclosed ^^^ ^^^^ to cover the cost of postage. same s with ement L calls ed by deals b2 XI PEEFACE J: V FEW informal words will not, T trust, be out of place by way of introduction to this Inventory, and may help to ex])lain both the arrangement of these pages and the manner in which the monuments have been recorded. The volume contains (in addition to the terms of appointment and official report) a iSectional Preface which, under subject headings, calls attention to any particularly interesting examples mentioned in the Inventory ; an illustrated Inventory, with a concise account of the monuments visited ; a list of monuments that the Commissioners have selected as especiallj' Morth}" of preservation ; a glossary of architectural, heraldic, and archi?eological terms ; a map showing the topographical distribution of the scheduled monuments, and an index. Under the heads of parishes, arranged alphabetically, M'ill be found a list of their respective monuments. The chronological sequence chosen is not perhaps scientificallj" perfect, but it has been found a workable basis for classihcation. The order adopted is as follows : — (1) Prehistoric monuments and earthworks. (2) Roman monuments and Roman earthworks. (3) English ecclesiastical monuments. (4) English secular monuments. (5) Unclassified monuments. In addition to dwelling houses, the English secular class (4) includes all such earthworks as mount and bailej^ castles, homestead moats, etc. To the section of unclassified monuments (5) are assigned all undatable earthworks, as, for instance, unopened tumuli. Each category of monuments has been under the care of separate Sub- Commissions, with Lord Plymouth, Lord Balcarres, Professor Haverfleld, and myself as Chairmen. The descriptions of the monuments are of necessity much compressed, but the underlyino- principle on which accounts of any importance are based is the same throuo-hout. Thus, in the case of ecclesiastical monuments, the description begins with a few words on the situation and material of the monument, together Avitli a statement as to the historical development of its various parts. A second paragraph calls attention, when necessary, to its more remarkable features. This is followed by a concise description, mainly architectural, of its details. A fourth paragraph deals Xll with the fittings of churclies in alphabetical order, while the concluding sentence gives a general statement as to structin^al condition. The accounts of less important buildings, whether secular or ecclesiastical, are still further compressed, and, in the case of secular monuments, consist sometimes of a single paragraph. The illustrations are derived from photographs taken expressly for the Commission, and reproduced by H.M.'s .Stationery Office, whose work, I think, deserves special recognition. They have been chosen rather for their educational than for their a?sthetic value. Had appearance alone been made the test of selection, many more might have been easily included. The map at the end of the Inventory shows the distribution of the moniunents, and incidentall}^ throws some light on the con- centration of population in the country at various times before the 3'ear 1700. The Glossary has been edited by Mr. C. R. Peers, F.iS.A., Mr. St. -John Hope, F.S.A., and Mr. Oswald Barron, P.S.A. The Index follows the rules laid down by a small Committee of the Commission, whose members, with a view to assisting in the co-ordination and correlation of archa?ological indices generall}^, adopted in a great measure the conclusions of the Index Committee of the Congress of Archfeological Societies. In conclusion I may add that no monument has been or will be included in our Inventories that has not been actually inspected and the account checked in situ hj a member of our own investigating staff. It may also be well to draw further attention to the fact that our Record cards may now be consulted by any properly accredited persons at our office in Scotland House. The cards contain drawings of tracery and mouldings as well as plans and sketches of the monuments — forming in truth the complete National Inventory — and will ultimately be deposited for public reference in the Record Office. In a work of such intricate detail there must be mistakes. But I hope these are neither numerous nor serious. Each account has been carefully checked, and nothing is mentioned that has not been personally examined. A further guarantee of accuracy lies in the fact that Mr. W. Page (CTcneral Editor of the Victoria County Historj') has served as a member of each Sub-Commission, and that Mr. C. R. Peers (Secretary to the Society of Antiquaries) has himself revised the reports of our investigators. I should also add that the Heraldry of the Inventor}- has been supervised by the Rev. E. E. Dorling, M.A., P.S.A. Nevertheless, I shall heartily welcome any corrections that may be sent to me, with a view to their possible inclusion in some future edition of this volume. The Historical Summary for the County will appear in the concludino- volume and will also be published separatel}'. BURGHCLERE. Xlll TERMS OF APPOINTMENT AND OFFICIAL REPORT. Whitehall, 28th Octobek, 1908. TLo KING lias been pleased to issue a Commission under His Majesty's Royal .Sign jManual to the folIoM'ing cft'eet : — EDWARD, /?. & I. EDWARD THE SEVENTH, by the Grace of C^od, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, to Our right trnstj^ and well-beloved Counsellor Herbert Coulstoun, Baron Bltrghclere ; Our right trust}^ and right well-beloved Cousin and Counsellor Robert George, Earl oe Plymouth, Companion of Our Most Honourable Order of the Bath ; Our right trusty and well-beloved Cousin Harold Arthur, Viscount Dillon ; and Our trusty and well-beloved : — David Alexander Edward Lindsay, Esquire, commonly called Lord Balcarrcs ; Sir Henry Hoyle Howobtii, Knight Commander of Our Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, President of the Royal Archajological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland ; Sir John Francis Fortescue Horner, Knight Commander of Our Royal Victorian Order ; James Fitzgerald, Esquire, Companion of the Imperial Service Order, Assistant Secretarj^ in the Office of the Commissioners of Our Works and Public Bnildings ; John George Neilson Clift, Esquire, Honorary Secretary of the British Archaeo- logical Association ; Francis John Haverfield, Esquire, Doctor of Laws, Camden Professor of Ancient History in the University of Oxford ; Emslie John Horniman, Esquire ; and Leonard Stokes, Esc^uire, Vice-President of the Royal Institute of British Architects ; GREETING ! Wlierca.s We have deemed it expedient that a Commission should forthwith issue to make an inventory ot the Ancient and Historical IMoniuncnts and Con- structions connected with or illustrative of the contemporar}' culture, civilization and conditions of life of the people in England, tixcluding Monmouthshire, from the earliest times to the year 1700, and to specify those which jseom most worthy of preservation : NoAN" know yc, that We. reposing great trust and contidcnce in }-our kno^\-l?dge and ability, have authorized and appointed, and do by these Presents authorize and apjioint you, the said Herl^ert Coulstoun, Baron Burghclere (Chairman) : Robert George, Earl of Plymouth ; Harold Arthin-, Viscoiurt Dillon ; David Alexander Edward Lindsay (Lord Balcarres) ; Sir Henr}- Hoyle Howoi'th ; Sir John Francis Fortescue Horner ; James Fitzgerald : John George Neilson Clift ; Francis John Haverfield ; Emslie John Horniman, and Leonard iStokes, to he Oiu' Commissioners for the purposes of the said enquir}- ; And for the better enabhng you to carry out the purposes of this Our Commis- sion, We do by these Presents authorise you to call in the aid and co-oiDeration of owners of ancient monuments, inviting them to assist you in furthering the objects of the Commission ; and to invite the possessors of such papers as j'ou maj^ deem it desirable to inspect to produce them before you. And We do further give and grant unto you, or any three or more of you, full power to call before 3^ou such persons as you shall judge likely to afford j'ou'anj- information upon the subject of this Our Commission ; and also to call for, have access to and examine all such books, documents, registers and records as may afford you the fullest information on the subject, and to inquire of and concerning the premises by all other lawful m a^'s and means Avhatsoever : And We do by tbese Presents authorise and empower you, or am- three or more of you, to visit and personally inspect such places as 3'ou nuiy deem' it expedient so to inspect for the more effectual carrying out of the purposes aforesaid : And We do by these Presents A^ill and ordain that this Our Commission shall continue in full force and virtue, and that you, Om- said Commissioners, or anv three or more of you, may from time to time proceed in the execution thereof, and of everv matter and thing therein contained, although the same be not continued from time to time by adjournment : And We do further ordain that you, or any three or more of 30U, have liberty to report your proceedings under this our Connnission from tinu^ to time if you shall judge it expedient so to do : And (Jur further will and pleasure is that you do, with as little delay as possible report to Us, under your hands and seals, or under the hands and seals' of any three XV or more of 3^ou, your opinion upon the matters herein Rubraitterl for your con- sideration. And for the purpose of aiding you in your enquiries We hereby appoint Our trusty and well-beloved George Herbert Duckworth, Esquire, to be Secretary to this Our Commission. Given at Our Court at St. James's, the twenty-seventh day of October, one thousand nine hundred and eight, in the eighth year of Our Reign. By His Majestj^'s Command, H. J. GLADSTONE. EDWARD, R. & 1. Edward the Seventh, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the seas King, Defender of the Faith, To Our trustj^ and well-beloved Sir Schomberg Kerr McDonnell (com- monly called the Honourable Sir Schomberg Kerr McDonnell), Knight Commander of Our Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Commander of Our Royal Victorian Order, Secretary to Our Commissioners of Works and Public Buildings, GREETING ! Whereas We did bj^ Warrant under Our Royal Sign Manual bearing date the twenty-seventh day of October, one thousand nine hundred and eight, appoint Com- missioners to make an inventory of the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions connected with or illustrative of the contemporary culture, civilization and conditions of life of the people m England, excluding Monmouthshire, from the earliest times to the year 1700, and to specif}- those which seem most worthy of preservation : And Whereas a vacancy has been caiised in the body of CJommissioners appointed as aforesaid, by the death of James Fitzgerald, Escpiire : Now Know ye that We, reposing great confidince in you, do by these Presents appoint you the said Sir Schomberg Kerr McDonnell to be one of Our Commissioners for the purpose aforesaid, in the room of the said James Fitzgerald, deceased. Given at Our Court at St. James's, the tenth day of Apiilf 1 909 ; in the ninth j/^ear of Our reign. By His Majesty's Command, H. J. GLADSTONE. Whitehall. 30th May, 1910. The KING has been pleased to issue a Warrant under His Majesty's Roj^al iSio;n Manual to the foUowint;; effect- : — s GEORGE, R. I. GEORGE THE FIFTH, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the f^eas King, Defender of the Faith, to all to whom these Presents shall come, GREETING ! Whereas it pleased His late Majesty from time to time to issue Royal Gommis- sions of Enquiry for various purposes therein specified : And whereas, in the case of certain of these Commissions, namely, those known as — The Ancient Monuments (England) Commission, the Commissioners appointed bj^ His late Majest}^, or such of them as were then acting as Commissioners, v,'ei'e at the late Demise of the C'rown stiU engaged upon the business entrusted to them : And whereas we deem it expedient that the said Commissioners should continue their labours in connection with the said Enquiries notwithstanding the late Demise of the CroAvn : Now know ye that We, reposing great trust and confidence in the zeal, discretion and ability of the present Members of each of the said Commissions, do by these Presents authorize them to continue their labours, and do hereby in ever}- essential particular ratif}^ and confirm the terms of the said several Connnissions. And We do further ordain that the said Commissioners do report to Us under their hands and seals, or under the hands and seals of such of their number as may be specified iii the said Commissions respectively, their opinion upon the matters presented for their consideration ; and that any proceedings which they or any of them may have taken under and in pursuance of the said Commissions since the late Demise of the Crown and before the issue of these Presents shall be deemed and adjudged to have been taken under and in virtue of this Our Commission. Given at Our Court at St. Jcmiexs, the twenty-sixth day of May, one thousand nine hundred and ten, in the first year of Our Reign. By His Majesty's Command, R. B. HALDANE. XVll ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE ANCIENT AND HISTORICAL MONUMENTS AND CONSTRUCTIONS OF ENGLAND. REPORT / TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 1. May it Please Your Majesty, We, the undersigned Commissioners, appointed to make an Inventory of the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions connected with or illustrative of the contemporary culture, civilization and conditions of life of the people in England, excluding Monmouthshire, from the earliest times to the year 1700, and to specify those which seem most worthy of preservation, humbly submit to your Majesty the following Second Interim Report on the work of the Commission since its appoint- ment. 2. We desire in the first place to record our sense of the encouragement given to the work of the Commission by the gracious words which accompanied the accep- tance by Your Majesty of a copy of our Inventory of the Monuments of Hertfordshire. 3. More than a thousand copies of the Hertfordshire Inventory have already been sold, and we are glad to report this evidence of the appreciation of the general pubhc. 4. The subject of the present Report is the southern half of the County of Buckingham, which contains 102 parishes and 1,535 monuments, as compared with 149 parishes and 832 monuments in Hertfordshire. 5. We append to the Report a list (Schedule A) of the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions in this portion of Buckinghamshire which may reasonably be accredited to a date anterior to 1700. 6. This list has been referred for revision to the Local Archseological Society, and to the clergy and schoolmasters in each parish. Our endeavour throughout has been to frame authoritative and scientific accounts of the Monuments under review, and we are satisfied that no important example within the given period has been omitted. 7. We further append a hst (Schedule B) of those of the monuments in the County which, in our opinion, are especially worthy of preservation. 8. A fuller account of the monuments mentioned in these lists, with illustrations, will be found in the inventory which we have issued, under the advice of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, as a separate Stationery Office publication. 9. The form of publication of this Inventory is slightly different from that of Hertfordshire, owing to the adoption by the Commission of the recommendations of an expert Committee appointed by Lord Burghclere to consider the subdivision and form of the Inventories in counties where two or more volumes will be required. 10. This Committee consisted of the following gentlemen : — Rowland Bailey, Esc^uire, C.B., M.V.O., Controller of Your Majesty's Stationery Office ; John Murray, Esquire, M.A., F.S.A., Pubhsher ; C. T. Hagberg Wright, Esquire, M.A., Litt.D., Secretary to the London Library ; W. Page, Esquire, M.A., P.S.A., General Editor of the Victoria County Histories, and an Assistant Commissioner. With Lord Burghclere as Chairman and Mr. Duckworth as Secretary. 11. The following points were those to which the Committee gave especial attention : — (a) The units of publication and sale. (b) The desirability or otherwise of geographical subdivisions. (c) The position of the Historical Introduction. {d) The further subdivision of the volumes. (e) The form of binding. 12. The recommendations of the Committee were made in a reasoned Report to the Commission, dated 3rd August, 1911, and were as follows : — (1) Future Inventories to consist of not more tlian 500 pages to a volume and to be sold separately. (Pars. 3, 4.) (2) Each unit to represent some convenient geographical subdivision, and to contain the parishes within that subdivision arranged alphabetically. (Par. 5.) (3) The Historical Summary to be paged separately and printed with the last volume of a series, and also to be pubhshed in paper covers and sold separately. (Par. 7.) (4) Each volume to have a sectional preface deahng generally with the monuments inventoried in the volume. (Par. 8.) (5) Each volume to have a sejyarate index and glossary, a sketch map of the whole county divided into hundreds, a table of the hundreds and parishes included in the volume, and a coloured map showing the distribution of the monuments covered by the volume. (Pars. 5, 9.) (6) The volumes, with the exception in (3) above, to be bound in cloth or buckram. (Par. 11.) 13. It will be noted that in pursuance of these recommendations the Inventory of South Buckmghamshire is bound in cloth, and contains a sectional preface dealino- generally with the subjects of the vohime. The Historical summary will be reserved for the second or concluding volume, which will contain the northern division of the County. XIX 14. We regret that it is impossible to reproduce within the compass of our Inventory the drawings of tracery and the plans and sketches of the monuments visited which are to be found on the cards of record prepared by our Investigators. These cards, which in truth form the complete National Inventory, will ultimately be deposited for pubhc reference in the Record Office, but in the meantime may be inspected on application by letter by any properly accredited person at our offices in Scotland House. 15. We desire to call special attention to the assistance given to the work of the Commission by the members of the Buckinghamshire Archa3ological Society, who have revised and checked our hsts of Monuments in the County, and who, in Aylesbury, where the town was divided by us into convenient sections, detached one of their members to accompany each of our Investigators, and obtained introductions for them to the houses visited. 16. We have pleasure in acknowledging the courtesy and hospitality extended to ourselves and to our Investigators by the clerg)^ and owners of houses in the County. 17. We desire further to acknowledge our indebtedness, (1) To C. R. Peers, Esq., F.S.A., Official Inspector of Ancient Monuments under Your Majesty's Office of Works, Secretary to the Society of Anti- quaries, and an assistant Comnrissioner, who has served as a member both of the Ecclesiastical and Secular Sub-Commissions, and has himself visited practically all the Ecclesiastical and Secular Monuments recorded in our Inventory. (2) To the Rev. E. E. Dorhng, M.A., F.S.A., who has supervised the heraldry of our Inventory. (3) To the late Bishop of Oxford, who courteously gave us a general intro- duction by letter to all the clergy in his diocese. (4) To the clergy, who have freely opened their churches to our inspection. (5) To the parochial schoolmasters, who have given us special assistance in the revision of our preliminary lists. (6) To Mr. A. H. Cocks, F.S.A., a Vice-President of the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society, to Mr. W. Bradbrook, the Honorary Secretary, to Mr. r. H. Parrott, and to Mr. E. HoUis, Curator of the Museum at Aylesbury. 18. We desire further to express our acknowledgment of the good work accom- plished by our executive staff in the persons of Mr. J. Murray Kendall, Mr. J. W. Bloe, Mr. C. C. Durston, and Mr. W. Byde Liebert, who have been largely responsible for the sectional preface ; and to Miss G. Duncan, Miss E. M. Keate, and Miss M. V. Taylor. 19. We have already expressed our indebtedness to Mr. A. G. Chater, late Honorary Secretary of the Congress of Archseological Societies, for the work done by him as Assistant Commissioner in Hertfordshire. We have accepted his resignation with reo-ret. Mr. D. H. Montgomerie, F.S.A., a member of the Earthwork section of the Archseological Congress, has been appointed to succeed him. .; c 2 XX 20. Our investigating staff is now engaged on the Monuments of North Bucking- hamshire, which will form the subject of our next Inventory. Concurrently, work is being done and records made by Mr. Philip Norman, F.S.A., LL.D., to whom the primary investigations into the Ancient and Historical Monuments in the City of London and the Liberties thereof have been entrusted. Further work on the Monu- ments of Greater London is in progress under the immediate superintendence of Mr. Walter H. Godfrey, who served as an investigator during three months last summer in order to become fully acquainted with the methods of work and system of records adopted by the Commission. 2L It should be clearly understood that in thus entrusting the primary investi- gations in certain places to persons who, in our opinion, are especially qualified to make them, we do not in any way divest ourselves of our direct responsibility to the State with regard to the official Inventory. And we desire to place it on record that, except in respect of buried monuments, where direct evidence may not be obtainable, no monument has been or will be inventoried by us that has not been actually inspected and the account checked in sihi by a member of our own investigating staff. 22. An Inventory of the Monuments of Essex will follow on the completion of the Inventories of Buckinghamshire. Preliminary inquiries are already being made in this County, to which we hope to be able to devote our attention during the coming autumn. 23. We desire to thank the Essex Archaeological Society for its wiUing compliance with our proposal that the County should be divided into convenient districts, in each of which one or more of the Society's members will be responsible for the com- pilation of the provisional fists of monuments on which our future inquiries will be based, and for the action which it has taken thereon. 24. We wish again to record our imanimous appreciation of the services of our Secretary, Mr. George Herbert Duckworth, whose abifity, resourcefulness, and unfaiHng energy have been of the highest value to the labours of the Commission. Signed : BURGHCLERE {Chairman). PLYMOUTH. DILLON. BALCARRES. SCHOMBERG K. McDONNELL. HENRY H. HOWORTH. J. F. F. HORNER. J. G. N. CLIFT. F. HAVERFIELD. E. J. HORNIMAN. LEONARD STOKES. GEORGE H. DUCKWORTH {Sec7~eta7"y). Uth June, 1912. XXI SOUTH BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. SECTIONAL PREFACE. i. Earthworks, etc. : Prehistoric and later. South Buckinghamsliire is not rich in earthworks of any magnitude, and of the one hundred and twenty-eight examples, over one hundred are homestead moats, tumuh, or other works of minor importance. The Chiltern hills, which occupy a great part of the southern half of the county, contain many ideal sites for forts of the hill-top variety, but advantage does not seem to have been taken of them. On the other hand the Thames valley and the Vale of Aylesbury afford favourable situations for works of the mount and bailey and homestead moat types, such as were used in the middle ages for fortresses and domestic dwellings, and many still remain. Clijf Gamps : — At Danesfield, Medmenham, there is a good example of a cliff camp. Although now partly destroyed by a modern house and garden, it was originally enclosed on three sides by strong ramparts and ditches, the fourth side being covered by the sharp drop to the river. Hill and Plateau Camps : — Examples of the Hill and Plateau camps are found in Ashley Green, Cholesbury (Plan p. 107), Gerrards Cross, Great Kimble, Halton, Medm.enham and West Wycombe. One of the camps, that at Great Kimble on Pulpit hill (Plan p. 165), is especially interesting on account of its commanding position and the character of its defences, while the work in Bulstrode Park, Gerrards Cross, is the largest defensive earthwork in the county. Pile Dwellings : — Remains of a pile dwelling have been discovered at Hedsor, and some of the objects found are now in the County Museum at Aylesbmy. Ring-Works and Mount and Bailey Castles: — There are tAvo ring-works, one at Hawridge, and the other near West Wycombe, both well preserved ; the second work, known as Desborough Castle, has traces on the N. and W. of a larger and almost concentric line of entrenchment, probably of earlier date. Of the six mount and bailey castles, none shows any traces of masonry ; the most perfect is Cymbeline's Mount, in Chequers Park, EUesborough (Plan p. 139), which is an unusually small example of its class, and occupies a natural position of great strength : the other examples, in High Wycombe, Little Kimble, Little Missenden, Saunderton and Weston Turville parishes, are much denuded. Homestead Moats and a Village Enclosure : — There are sixty-five homestead moats or moated sites, many of them fragmentary. The best example is at Grove Farm, Ashley Green (Plan p. 17), where the strong outer moat encloses a smaller moat, within which are the remains of a stone gatehouse and curtain wall, and part of a small mediaeval building. Other good examples are at Quarrendon, Hardi- canute's Moat in Burnham Beeches, a third in Brays Wood, Wendover, and a fourth in Reddingwick Wood, Great Missenden, the last two being partly enclosed by outer works of inferior strength. In Rook Wood, Great Missenden, is a work known as ' The Castle ', but, owing to the levels, the ditches can never have held water. There is a well-defined village enclosure round the two churches at Lee. Turf-Cuttings : — The two crosses cut in the chalk of the hill-side above Whiteleaf, Monks Risborough (Plate p. 262), and Bledlow (Plate p. 57) are interesting, but nothing definite is known as to their origin. Miscellaneous : — Grim's Dyke or Ditch enters Buckinghamshire from Hertfordshire at the junction of Shire Lane with the road to Layland's Farm in Draj^ton Beauchamp ; it continues in a south-westerly direction, as shown on the map at the end of this volume, to a point a little N. of King's Ash, where it turns E. of S. to Woodlands Park, then curves round towards the W., descends the hill, and is faintly visible as far as the railway line. From this point there is a gap of nearly two miles before it reappears in Oaken Grove, about two-thirds of a mile S.E. of Hampden House, where it runs in a north-westerly direction : at its S.E. extremity there are two moated mounds. The dyke continues, Avith intervals, for about IJ miles, and then turns at right angles in a south-westerly direction through Monks Risborough and Princes Risborough to Lacey Green ; there it turns to the S.E., through Beamangreen and Park Woods, in Bradenham parish, where it dies out. A similar work bearing the same name appears at the W. end of the Cliil terns near Nuffield in S. Oxfordshire. The course of the dyke, which keeps chiefly to high ground, may be followed without any great difficulty, except between Woodlands Park and Oaken Grove, where it is completely obliterated. It consists of a single rampart and a ditch which, in general, lies S. or S.E. of the rampart. At its best the rampart is about six feet above the bottom of the ditch, which is three feet below the counterscarp and forty feet wide. Three Entrenchments may be assigned to the civil war of the 17th century, the most interesting and complete being the gun emplacements and mounds near Quarrendon. The other examples are — two fines of entrenchment N. of the church at Brill, and a work resembling a redan in plan, in a field S. of Great Kimble Church. ii. Roman Remains. Roman remains are somewhat rare. The Inventory records no town, and no more than ten dwelling houses, large and small together. One of these, at High Wycombe, was possibly the residence of a more or less wealthy landowner ; three others, at Chenies, Little Kimble and Hambleden, may have been comfortable country houses or farms ; two, at Ellesborough and Ixhill near Oakley, were apparently quite small, while of two at Brill and Hughenden we know as yet next to nothing, and for two others at Stone and Long Crendon we have only indirect evidence. Roman Roads :—(\.) The road now usually called Akeman Street runs along the N. edge of the district in its course from Bicester, or rather Alchester, to Aylesbury and Tring, but only parts of the modern road seem to follow the Roman lines. The five-mile stretch from Oxfordshire to Sharps Hill, near Ludgershall, and the six- mile stretch from Aylesbury to Tring are singularly straight, and obviously of Roman origin, but the ten miles between Sharps Hill and Aylesbury show no satisfactory traces of Roman work. Near Ludgershall and Piddington the road was known as XXlll Akeman Street as early as a.d. 1294 ; whether the name was used further E. in the middle ages is uncertain, (ii.) Icknield Street, Avhich follows the escarpment of the Chilterns from the Thames into Bedfordshire and beyond, was in origin probably a British or other pre-Roman route. But near Little Kimble it may have been utihzed in Roman days ; there it passes Roman sites and runs with something like Roman straightness. These two roads plainly do not mean much traffic ; they confirm the testimony of the inhabited sites. South Buckinghamshire was, doubtless, in Roman days, in large part woodland, and in large part ill watered, as it is to-day. We may conclude that it was then a pastoral and half forest area with a sparse population, mostly shepherds, cowherds, swineherds, and a still smaller supply of large and civihzed houses. iii. Ecclesiastical and Secular Architecture. BUILDING MATERIALS ; FLINT, STONE AND BRICK. Of the churches described in this volume, more than half (65 per cent.) are built of flint. The flint churches are bounded on the N. by the Icknield Way, where a group of eight is found close together on the N. edge of the chalk hills. The walls of Langley Marish and Stoke Poges Churches afford interesting examples of herring- bone pattern of the 12tli century. Burnham Abbey (Plate p. 71), Medmenham Abbey, and the chapels at Great Hundridge Farm in Chesham and at Widmer Farm (Plate p. 169) in Great Marlow are flint buildings of the 13th century. The principal secular building of flint is that at Grove Farm in Ashley Green, of the 15th century (Plate p. xxx). Of the 17th-century flint buildings an interesting group is found in the S.W. corner of the county, of which Hambleden Manor House, of c. 1604, and Borlase School at Marlow, of 1624, are good examples ; the best instance elsewhere is Wellwick Farm in Wendover parish, dated 1616. (Plate p. 311). The stone churches (34 per cent.) lie in the Vale of Aylesbury and N. of it Notley Abbey, Long Crendon (Plate p. 246), of the 13th century, Boarstall Gatehouse, of the 14th century (Plate p. 58), a barn at Towersey, of c. 1500, and Hartwell House (Plate p. 189), of early 17th-century date, are the best examples of stone secular buildings, and an interesting structure is the stone bridge at Ickford, dated 1685. Pudding-stone is found in courses of the walling of Upton Church, Slough, and Dennerhill stone in the foundations of a number of churches in the neighbourhood of High Wycombe. Brick is not found in churches until a late date. The earliest known brickwork is at Eton College, for which the bricks were made at Slough in the middle of the 15th century. Of 16th-century work there are well preserved examples at Chequers Court, EUesborough, Chenies Manor House (Plate p. 62), Dinton Hall, and the Manor Houses at Brill and Stoke Poges : Stoke Poges Church has a brick chapel and Hitcham Church a W. tower, both of the 16th century. Early in the 17th century the church at Fulmer was built completely of brick, with plaster dressings in imitation of stone, and Langley Marish and Dorney have 17th-century brick towers. Valuable dated examples of the 17th century are Langley Marish Almshouses, 1617 (Plate p. 228), Dorton House, 1626, Amersham Almshouses, 1657 (Plate p. 8), and Market HaU, 1682 (Plate p. 4). Good detail is found in the chimney stacks of Chenies Manor House (Plate p. 92), Wellwick Farm, and the Manor House at Stoke Poges. Bricks of an abnormal size (14in. by 6in. by 3Hn.) probably of late 16th and early 17th-century date, are found in the wall surrounding XXIV Horton cliurcliyard and in a wall of a house, formerly the Grammar School, at Amersham, and at Hazeldean, Wendover, where they are of various lengths up to 20 inches. Timber-framing occurs chiefly in secular buildings, though the 14th-century porches at Stoke Poges (Plate p. 285), and Upper Winchondon Churches, and the 15th-century porch at Little Hampden (Plate p. 162), should be noticed. The earliest secular examples are the Savoy at Denham, Huntercombe Manor House at Burnham, and Bell Farm at Eton Wick, all probably of the 14th century. About twenty buildings contain external and internal evidence of 15th-century work. The best are the Old King's Head Inn at Aylesbury (Plate p. 37), No. 47, High Street, Amersham, Codmore Farm at Latimer (Plate p. xxx), the Church Loft at West Wycombe (Plate p. 319), and the Ostrich Inn at Horton (Plate p. 228). Of 16th- century buildings, Dorney Court (Plate p. 129) is the finest and most complete example. Of 17th-century houses Upper Waldridge Farm, Dinton (Plate p. 94), and dated examples at Stone, 1601, Wendover, 1621, Monks Risborough, 1627, Lower Winchendon, 1676, and Amersham, 1678, deserve mention. ' Wichert ', a local white earth mixed with chopped straw, is used as walling in a niunber of 17th-century cottages at Haddenham, Dinton, Lower Winchendon and Cuddington. Ecclesiastical Buildings. Iver is the only church which contains any definitely pre-Conquest work. The naves of Bradenham and Little Missenden Churches are possibly of the 11th century, while nearly half the old churches contain remains of the 12th century. Upton Church, Slough, is one of the most complete 12tli-century buildings, and its chancel has the only example of 12tli-centmy vaulting. The W. tower and nave of Fingest (Plate p. 156) are also of the 12th centur}^, and are peculiarly interesting as an example of a ' tower-nave ' plan, where the tower is of massive proportions and the ground floor originally formed the nave, opening into a long and narrow chancel, which is the present nave. Other good examples of 12th-century work are part of the N. arcade at Stone (Plate p. 292), part of the S. arcade at Waddesdon, the S. doorway of Dinton, the N. doorway of Horton, and the N. and S. doorways, at Bradenham. Among the more notable 13th-century churches are those at Haddenham and Ickford, the large cruciform church at Aylesbury, and a church of the same tj^pe of plan at Long Crendon. Bledlow has N. and S. arcades of c. 1200 and a late 13th- century W. toAver. High Wycombe has good 13th-century Avindows, with carved capitals in the jambs and a S. porch which is remarkable for its vaulting, wall arcading and doorway. The Avindows in the N. AvaU of the chancel at Little MarloAA^ the W. doorway of Dinton Church and the very fine arch of carved AA'ood at Upton church also deserve mention. Biorton furnishes the most complete example of work of the 14th century, and has excellent detail in its Avindows and arcades ; its central tower is the best of that period. At Ludgershall the figures on the capitals of the nave arcades are unusual, and tlie arcades at Wendover also have figures, faces, animals, etc., finely carved in clunch. There is some remarkable Avindow tracery at Weston Turville. Good Avork of the 15th century is more difficult to find, but the nave arcades of High Wycombe and the quire of the Eton CoUege Church stand out as specially notewortliy. The interesting oak colonnade, dated 1630, at Langley Marish (Plate p. 224) is possibly a unique piece of constructional Avoodwork. WENDOVER PARISH CHURCH. Capital in S. Arcade ; 14th-century. IVER PARISH CHURCH. Piscina and Sedilia in Chancel ; 1 3th-century. LUDGERSHALL PARISH CHURCH. Capital in N. Arcade ; i4th-century. ASTON CLINTON CHURCH. Piscina and Sedilia in Chancel ; 1 4th-century. CUDDINGTON CHURCH. South Doorway ; c. 1260. BEACONSFIELD CHURCH. Tomb in Chancel ; 1 5th-century. EXAMPLES OF STONE CARVING. XXV Sixteen churches have low-side windows, all of one hght, with the exception of those at Denham and Great Missenden, which are of two Hglits. The only window which retains an old shutter is at Bledlow, though others are rebated and have hooks on which to hang a shutter. The roof of the nave at Haddenhani lias simple but ornamental work characteristic of the 14th century ; of the secular roofs, those at the 8avoy at Denham, Bell Farm at Eton Wick, Huntercombe Manor House at Burnham, and the Old Parsonage at Marlow can be assigned to that century. The best 15th-centurv church roofs are at Great Missenden, Monks Risborough, High Wycombe (aisles), Aylesbury (transepts and chapels). Fleet Marston (nave), Penn (nave), Radnage (nave, Plate p. 274), and at Ickford and Great Hampden (porches). The best 15th-century secular roofs are those of No. 47, High Street, in Amersbam ; Blackwell Hall and Codmore Farms, Chesham ; Putnam" Place, Penn ; Deyncourt Farm, Wooburn (Plate p. 324) ; and of a house at Frogmore Farm, Saunderton. Of the 16th centur}'-, the best examples are at Dorney Court, of c. 1510, No. 1, Church Street, Aylesbury, and the former Grammar School at Amersham. Of the 17th century, the roof of the chancel at Brill (Plate p. 64) is a curious and interesting example. Monastic and Collegiate Buildings. The only considerable traces of monastic remains are in buildings that once belonged to the Augustinian order, at Burnham (Canonesses), Long Crendon, and Great Missenden. At Burnham Abbey (Plan p. 73), they afford an interesting and fairly complete illustration of the plan of a monastic establishment of moderate size. At Notley Abbey, Long Crendon (Plan p. 245), the remains are of much larger buildings and have been very much defaced, but the Guest-house, now a farmhouse (Plate p. 246), still stands, though it has been considerably altered ; onlj^ parts of the claustral buildings remain, and there is no definite trace of the church. At Missenden Abbey there are remains of the S.W. and E. ranges, very much altered and enlarged. Of the other monastic establishments there are above ground no more than fragments of walling, worked stones, etc. The mediaeval collegiate plan is finely illustrated bj^ the one example at Eton (Plan p. 152), where the original arrangement is still clearly shown, and, generally speaking, is preserved by present-day usage, in spite of alterations and additions, and the alienation of parts of the buildings from the purposes for which they were first intended. Secular Buildings. The Bell Farm at Eton Wick is a good example of a simple plan of moderate size, and the Savoy at Denham, a larger building, had a hall with aisles ; the Savoy was built not later than the beginning of the 14th centur3^ and Bell Farm in the second half of the same century. Another interesting house of the 14th century is now Nos. 54 and 56, in Church Street, Chesham (Plate p. 94). The 14th-century halls of Huntercombe Manor House at Burnham and of the Old Parsonage at Marlow are still open to the roof, and retain much of their original arrangement. The finest example of the mediseval hall is at Dorney Court (Plate p. 130), where the solar wing also remains comparatively unaltered. A house in Market Street (No. Ill), and another (No. 67), in Castle Street, Aylesbury, are good examples of mediteval town houses with halls on the first floor. The Old King's Head Inn, at Aylesbury (Plate p. 37), is also a good medifeval building, planned about a courtyard and retaining two bays of a fine hall. The remains of a building of late mediaeval date and of considerable size are incorporated in Chilton House, and there is a 15th-century vaulted cellar at Chenies Manor House, which is itself of mid 16tli-centurY date, and a good example of the period (Plate p. 92). Chequers Court (Plate p. UO), built in 1565, is a fine example of early Renaissance architecture, and Brill Manor House, Avhich is of shghtly later date, has a curious plan, much influenced by a former building, of which only fragments remain ; in both of these houses the effort for symmetry is of interest. Hartwell House (Plate p. 189), is the finest example of early ITtli-century work. Wellwick Farm at Wendover, 1616, and Upper Waldridge Farm atDinton, are good examples of simpler AAork. Dorton House, built 1626, and Denliam Place (Plate p. 119), of late 17th-century date, are fine buildings and their plans have been but little altered. There are no good examples of cottage-architecture of an early date, but there are a large number of small houses at least as early as the 16th century : many of these are of rectangular plan, with two rooms on each floor and a central chimney stack ; L-shaped plans are also common, and every possible modification of both types is to be found. A farmhouse (No. 26, Plate p. xxx) at Brill is a good example of smaller work of the middle of the 17th century, and a house at Chilton (No. 6), dated 1683, illustrates the plain rectangular plan common about that date. There are a number of small buildings of the same period throughout the district, but especially in the south. Clreat Hundridge Farm at Chesham offers an example of a mediteval domestic chapel, and there are remains of domestic works of a defensive nature at Ashley Green. The finest example of a mediaeval gatehouse is at Boarstall (Plate p. 58), a castellated structure of the 14th century. There are fine barns at C4range Farm, Towersey, and at No. 89, Walton Road in Aylesbur)?-, and tithe-barns at St. Osyth's, Aylesbury, and at the Tithe Farm, Stoke Poges. At Notley Abbey is a large dove-cot (Plate p. 252), and at Aniersham Rectory and Bowers Farm at Coleshill are old well-houses. The late 17th-century windmill at Brill is also AAorthy of note. Fittings. Altars : — Only two pre-Reformation stone altar slabs remain intact, one at Ickford, which has been re-dressed and is now placed on a 17tli-century Communion table, and the other at Little Hampden, which retains its consecration crosses and now forms the step on Avhich the modern table stands. Of a third at Stoke Poges all except the part embedded in the wall has been destro.yed. j5eZ/.s .• — Two at Bradenham and one at Loe bear the name of Michael de Wymbis, who worked in London c. 1300. Only five bells by this nuxker are known. At Langley Marish three bells cast in 1649 bear the name of the founder. W. Whit- moro, and those of his agents, Benjamin Stile and Michael Trenley, and it is possible that they were cast on the site. Sanctus bell-cotes remain over the gables between the nave and chancel at Ludgershall and Oakley. Brasses .-—The largest collections of brasses are at Eton. TaploAV, Chenies and Dmton. The earhest brass, of 1 340, is a floriated cross with the figure of a civihan, at Taplow, and is perhaps the finest in design and workmanship ; Ihe latest is an mscription of 1670 at Chesham. Only three belong to the 14th century. Of the many brasses of ecclesiastics there is a remarkable series at Eton, and the figure of an Austin canon at Upper Winchendon is especially interesting. Of mihtary brasses that at Drayton Beauchamp, of 1368, has scaled sollerets and splinted jambs. Two at Stokenchurch, of 1410 and 1415, are early examples of complete plate armour, and their I^Vench inscriptions are unusual at 'tliat period, Plate armour Avith besagues IVER. 12th-century. DRAYTON BEAUCHAMP. 12lh-century. STONE. 12th-century. HAMBLEDEN. 12th-century. BLEDLOW. 12th-century. AYLESBURY. 1 2th-century. SSSs-'SST^ BUCKLAND. 1 3th-cenlury. GREAT HAMPDEN. I 3th-ceniury. FONTS. STOKE MANDEVILLE 1 ^tU „„ ,.. xXvn can be seen at Lower Winclienclon, of c. 1420, at Dinton, of 1424, and at Stoke Poges, of 1425. Another military brass, at Waddesdon, of 1490, is large and elaborate, and IS of special interest, since it shows the date in Arabic numerals : it was concealed when the chapel at Eythrope, for which it was made, was desecrated early in the 18th century, and was only discovered in the second half of the 19th century. Penn Church contains a military brass of 1641, which is an unusually late date for this type of memorial. Inscriptions at Chearsley and Little Marlow record gifts to the church, and a reference to ' Our Lorde's Prayer ', of 1548, at Waddesdon is unusual. There are many civihan brasses of all dates, but none, except the Taplow brass, of special interest. Chairs : — That at Bierton Church, with an elaborately carved back, of c. 1600, IS noteworthy (Plate p. 300). Late 17th-century chairs upholstered in velvet, one of which is dated 1663, are found at Langley Marish and Beaconsfield Churches, and at Langley Marish are some early examples of the use of cane in chairs. Chests : — The earliest is at Wooburn Church, of the 13th century ; a chest at Great Kimble has media?val ironwork ; and those at Upper Winchendon, Ludgersliall and Hawridge Churches are probably mediseA^al. A chest at Aylesburj^ Church is of c. 1500. The finest chest is the large one at High Wj^combe, possibly of the 16th century. The majority of the others are of the 17th century ; dated examples remain at Chesham, of 1624, High Wycombe, of 1687, Hitcham, of 1684, and Little Missenden, of 1690. A chest of deal at Fingest, of the 17th century, shows an early use of this material. Consecration Crosses : — There can be no doubt about two of these crosses : that at the W. end of the N. aisle of Aylesbury Church was probably one of the twelve internal consecration crosses, and is in very good condition, while the other, at Beaconsfield, is much weather-worn, since the stone on which it is carved is built into the external W. face of the tower of the church. There are traces of an incised and painted cross on the wall at the back of the sedilia in Great Missenden Church, and there are, in addition, some doubtful cases. Cupboards : — A vestment cupboard at Ajdesbury Church, of c. 1500, is a rare survival, and has swinging ' perks ' for the vestments. A cupboard at Dinton is dated 1612. Those containing the library at Langley Marish are of the 17th century. Easter Sepulchres : — A small but richly carved example is in the church at Aston Clinton, and there is another at A3desbury. Fonts : — Of the illustrations on the opposite page a group of seven, of which Nos. 5 and 6 are typical, is peculiar to the southern part of the county, and are known genericallj^ as ' Aylesbury ' fonts. That at Bledlow is the earliest and crudest in workmanship, and appears to have been heightened by a piece inserted in the stem ; that at Aylesbury is the most ornate. The 15th-century font at Stoke Mandeville has an interesting carved panel showing the chrismatory or box containing the hol}^ oils used in baptism, etc. The font at Penn has a bowl of uncertain date covered with lead. No early mediaeval font covers remain. Onl}/^ one cover is dated, that at Dorton, of 1631. Glass : — The church glass as a whole is fragmentar}^ The onlj^ remains of 13th-century glass are at Aston Sandford and Lee. The best specimen of 14th- century glass is at Hitcham (Plate p. 204), where enough remains to show the scheme of glazing, with the nine orders of angels and the four evangeHsts, etc., as subjects. Other good examples of the 14th century are the representation of the Virgin and Child at Monks Risborough, and heraldic glass at Langley Marish, Drayton Beauchamp, and Little Kimble. The most complete specimen of the 15th century xxvni is the E. window of the church at Drayton Beauchanip, representing ten of the apostles ; small examples are the figure of St. Peter at Lower Winchendon, and the heraldry at Chesham and Chesham Bois. There are only a few remains of the 16th and 17tli centuries ; the greater part of the glass at Stoke Poges is of foreign workmanship. The Old King's Head Inn at Aylesbury contains the onl}^ example of 15th- century glass in a secular building. The figures of Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots, with their coats of arms, now at Stoke Park, Stoke Poges, are excellent specimens of 16th-century glass. The 17th-century glass is chiefly confined to heraldic subjects, as in Denham Place, Dinton Hall, Upton Court at Slough, Chequers Court at EUesborough, and Boarstall Gatehouse. Lecterns : — The bronze or latten lectern at Eton College Church, of the 15th centiuy, is worthj'^ of special notice. Monuments : — There are mihtary effigies of the 13th century at Ashendon, Chilton and Hughenden, the first being of poor workmanship. At Hughenden (Plate p. 130), the effigy is one of a curious collection brought together in the 16th century, and, with another, of late 14th-century date, has been partly re-cut ; the rest are crude forgeries of earlier styles. In the largo effig}^ of c. 1340, at Waddesdon (Plate opposite), the three body garments are still plainly visible. At Aylesburj^ there is a much defaced alabaster effigy of c. 1390, showing soUerets. There are no effigies of the 15th century. The Peckham monuments at Denham (Plate opposite), of the 16th century, are good illustrations of armour and costume: the lance-rest of the knight is a late example, and the ridge on the left pauldron is a curious detail of uncertain purpose. At Chenies, in the Bedford Chapel, there is a fine collection, beginning in the N. aisle with the defaced effigies of a knight and his lady, of c. 1385, continuing with an elaborate altar tomb of alabaster, of 1555 (Plate p. 90), and followed by a succession of Russell monuments to the present day ; their historical importance is great, though their value as illustrations of costume is some- what impaired by the voluminous garter and peeresses' robes. At Ickford there is a curious monument of 1595, and there are fine monuments Avith effigies at Dorney, of 1607, at Hitcham, of 1624, and at Fulmer, of 1631. One of the most interesting of this period is at Chilton, of 1608 (Plate opposite), where the armour of Sir John Croke, of late 16th-century style, resembles the suits made by Jacob Topf. Effigies with careful details are those at Long Crendon, of 1605 and 1626 (Plate opposite), and the beautiful figure of a lady at EUesborough, of 1638 (Plate opposite). The wooden skeleton on Provost Murray's tomb at Eton, and the ' cadaver ' at Hughenden are good examples of this type of memorial. There are no examples of the elaborate altar tombs of the 14th and early 15th centuries. At Beaconsfield there is an altar tomb in an arched recess, which is typical of the tombs of early 16th-century date, and is probably of London manufacture (Plate ]). xxiv). In addition to the alabaster monuments and effigies at Chenies already mentioned there are also fine examples at Aylesbury, of 1584, Stoke Mandevillc, of late 16th-century date, Dorney, of 1607, Bierton, of 1616, Hambleden, of 1618, Eton College Church, of 1623, and Pawley, of 1632. Stoke Poges, Chenies, Upper Winchendon and Chilton provide examples of funeral helms, and at Haddenham there is a close helmet of the 16th century which has traces of gilding and is apparently genuine. Verv few of the headstones in the churchyards'are of a dato before 1700. Paintings .-—The finest decorative paintings are at Little Kimble Church. During the 14th century the walls of the small nave must have been completelv covered with a decoration of figure-subjects, of which enough remains to be of the MONUMENTAL EFFIGIES 1: of an unknown man , C.l'340i Waddesdon C hurch . 2: of Sir Ldmund Peckharn, died 1564, and 0: of his wife. ■ 15T0; Denham Church. 4. -of Sir John Crol^e .died 1605; Chilton Church. 5:of Sir John Dormer, died 1626; LongCrcndon Church. 6: of Lady firidgef Crobe , died 1638; Llle^borough Church. Inchei 1 2 9 6 3 ll ll lll lll l SCALE Fezt. EEEf J/iurray /eL greatest interest ; a large figure of St. George and the vigorous drawing of some of the smaller figures are especially noteworthy. Little Hamixlen Church is also rich ni paintings ; they are in a fragmentary condition, but range from the 13th to the 15th century. AtChalfont St. Giles there are some higWy interesting figure-subjects, probably of the Uth century, unfortunately much faded and defaced. At Hadden- ham is a good example of the plain, masonry-pattern decoration of tlie L3th century ; and there is similar A\'ork at BedloAv, Avith the remains of a large figure of St. Christopher, and some 17th-century texts. The elaborate series of paintings at Eton, of 1-178-80, are almost com- pletely hidden by the modern quire-staUs, and are said to have been partly defaced when they were uncovered in the 19th century. At Monks Risborough there are traces of colour decoration on the E. bay of the roof and the rood screen has crude panels which have been re-painted. In the same parish, in a farmhouse (No. 18), is an early 17th-century wall-painting of ■Adam and Eve', and there are some 17th- century figure-subjects at Hulcott Manor House. At Denham Place is a painted and modelled frieze of late 17th-century date, and at Huntercombe Manor House, in Burnham, there are fine painted ceilings of the same period. Piscinae : — There are interesting 12th-century pillar piscinae at Slough and Towersey. The only examples of double piscinae of the 13th century are at Chalfont St. Giles, Tver (Plate p. xxiv), Princes Risborough, Stoke Poges and Weston Turville, the first and last being the most remarkable. Basins in windo^\'-si]ls are to be seen at Bledlow and Burnham, Bledlow C!hurch having two basins of the 13th century in one window, and a third in another windo\\ . Plate : — The 14tli-century paten at Bierton is tlie only example of churcli plate of a date before the Reformation. The Turville communion cup is the earliest post-Reformation cup, and is of 156.5 ; Dorton has a cup and cover paten of 1568, while 14 churches have cups of 1569. Pulpits : — The pulpit at Upper Winchendon is of peculiar interest owing to its 14th-century workmanship. At Ibstone there is a good example of the 15th century. In the chapel at Denham Place there is a pulpit of late 15th or ea,Tly 16th- century date. The others are of the 17th century, the earliest dated examples being at Langley Marish, 1609, and Shabbington, 1626. Sedilia : — Iver possesses sedilia of the 13tli centur}' (Plate p. xxiv), but the most elaborate examples are of the 14th century, at Aston Chnton (Plate p. xxiv), Hambleden and Langlej^ Marish, and the remains at Great Missendcn. Staircases : — The most noteworthy staircases are of the 17th century, at Dorton House, dated 1626, Bradenham House, Tyringham Hall, Cuddington, dated 1609, Hartwell House (Plate p. 192), with elaborate newel-heads, Hampden House, Little Missenden and Princes Risborough Manor Houses, and Eton College, of c. 1694 ; these are all of oak (Plate p. 268). At Upper Waldridge Farm, Dinton, there is a staircase of elm, and at Parsonage Farm, Iver, another of deal, both probably of late 17th-century date. Tiles : — The finest set of mediaeval tiles is that at Little Kimble Church. These are of the same design as the tiles found at Chertsej'- Abbey ; manj^ churches possess a few, though of simpler character. Miscellanea : — The following details deserve notice because of their rarity : — The Boat-stall Horn at Dorton House (Plate p. 136), probably of the 15th century. A Bier at Ludgershall and Trestles at Chenies, both of the 17th centurj-. A Bread-bin and Butler's Desk in the College Buttery and the Posts and Arches in the Lower School, at Eton College, also of the 17th century. The iron Hour-glass Stands in :