St.
Thomas of Canterbury
Another contribution to this series, started by sadexploration,
is St. Thomas of Canterbury, East Clandon.
Construction of the present building had started soon after the
Norman Conquest of 1066 as the Benedictines of Chertsey Abbey
celebrated the rewards they had gained from supporting William the
Conqueror. In 1220 the church was to St Thomas, and around this
time the nave was extended with the building of the north aisle and
the chancel and the church began catering for those who made the
journey along the downs from Winchester to Canterbury to the shrine
of St Thomas.
The Benedictines accepted the rich offerings that these grateful
pilgrims made and, much like a modern charity, used the money to
provide alms for the poor and needy. The size of the church
indicates the considerable investment by the monks in the welfare
of the pilgrims and it is thought it may have been particularly
concerned with the sick and dying. The monks had their services
screened off from the parishioners by a carving of the crucified
Christ - 'the rood screen' - which hung, at the entrance to the
chancel, from the great beam spanning the church. Today you can see
the stairway to the rood loft and the rood beam where the hooks for
the rood screen are still visible.
In the early 1300s, Abbot John de Rutherwyck finished off the
works and put in the low side window in the chancel. This window
would have allowed the Sanctus bell to be rung in the open air for
the benefit of the workers in the fields. Later in the 15th century
the bell turret, supported on four great legs of timber, was
constructed to house the pre-Reformation bell to which two others
were added in 1679 and 1737.
After the Reformation in 1529 and the dissolution of the
monasteries, the manor and church of East Clandon were ceded to
King Henry VIII who in 1544 granted it to Sir Anthony Browne, his
Master of Horse, who converted the monastic building into a parish
church.
A straight forward micro. The cache is not within the churchyard
so do not try and look for it there - you won't find it!
The cache has a log book only plus micro certificates and hand
made micro churches but no pen so please bring one with you.
If anybody would like
to expand this series please do, I would just ask that you could
let sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church
numbers and names to avoid duplication