Church Plate in Kent. Parochial Inventories: Acrise to Canterbury

( 241 ) CHURCH PLATE IN KENT.* BY OANON SOO'l'T ROBERTSON. PART II. PAROCHIAL INVENTORIES. ACRISE. F.nol! information furnished by the Rev. Edwa.rd N ewenha.m Hoa.re~ Rector of Acrise, I lea.rn that the Communion V easels used in St. Martin's Church, a.t Acrise a.re (i.) An Eliza.betha.n Cup (1562) of Silver, with Cover; (ii.) A Silver Fa.ten (1700) ; (iii.) An old A1mspla. te of Pewter; (iv.) A modern Fla.gon of Gia.as; a.nd (v.) a. modern Alms-dish of Wood. The CUP is 6 inches high, a.nd 8½ inches in diameter a.t the, mouth. Upon its bell-sha.ped bowl a.re engraved two horizon ta.I belts, ea.ch formed of sprigs of woodbine runnin~ between two fillets which interla.ce three times, a.t points equi-dista.nt from ea.ch other. The fillets a.re filled with pla.in W:like cha.sing. The stem ha.a a. knop, formed of one la.rge round moulding between two sma.ller ones. Immediately a.bove a.nd below the stem is a. moulding of sma.11c ontiguous lozenges. The foot is simply moulded. N ea.r the mouth of the cup, in the upper belt of engraving, a.re four HALL..xAJJXS( i.) ba.dly impressed; perha.ps a. sta.r; (ii.) leopard's hea.d crowned; (iii.) lion pa.ssa.nt; (iv.) da.te letter e for A.D. 1562-3. The COYER to this cup ha.ab ut one Jt.111ur,w hich a.ppea.rs u_pon its rim. It seems to be L.O. with a. sma.11c ross or mullet benea.tli it. The cup and cover to$8ther weigh 9½ ounces avoirdupois. The PATEN, 5½ mches in diameter, is of the purer qua.lity of silver called New Sterling, a.nd sta.nds on a. central conica.l foot. Its upper surface ha.a a. ca.ble moulding a.round the rim, a.nd baa.rs four l1ALL-lf.41lKS-(i.) In a. aha.pad escutcheon, Pa., with a, pellet below, a.nd a.covered cup above the letters l the ma.rk of Humphrey Pa.~e, whose house sign, in Gutter La.ne, LOndon, wa.s a. Golden ~ ; (ii.) Britannia.; (iii.) Lion's hea.d era.sad; (iv.) Court hand ca.pita.I G, the da.te letter for l '102-8. On the foot is a sma.11c a.ble moulding and the ma.rk of Humphrey Pa.yne. This Pa.ten weighs a.lmost 6 ounces a.vojrdupois. The PEWTERA LMS-PL.A.T9E½, i nches in diameter, ha.a the na.me ACRIS stamped into it. Embossed upon the metal a.re two ova.I shields, ha.ving on one the figure of a. bee or fly, a.nd a.round its edge the na.me .A.Q.UJl'JAD AOX:OMBE; on the other a. crown. a.nd a.round • Oontinuedtrom Vol. XVI., p, 439. VOL, XVII, u 242 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. the edge LONDON. In a rectangular shield we read, in three lines, "A. D.A.CKOMBE I WITHOUT ALDG.A.TE I London. Four marks, counterfeiting Hall-marks, are (i.) a crab ? (n.) a lion's head erased; (iii.) Britannia; (iv.) A.D. ADDINGTON (M.A.IDSTONE). The Rev. J. A. Boodle kindly examined the Sacred Vessels here. They consist of a Cup with Paten-cover (1664), a Flagon (1721), and a Paten (1718). I. This CUP is 8 inches high, and 4􀄒 inches across foot and mouth. On the bowl, which is 4! inches deep, are punctured the initials I C. The stem is plain. The H.ALL-M.ARKS are (i.) a sc􀄓ipt capital R in a shaped escutcheon, with a pellet beneath the letter; (ii.) leopard's head crowned; (iii.) lion passant; (iv.) date letter much worn, may be a black-letter capital 6-, indicating 1664-5. II. There is a P .A.TEN-COVER to this cup upon which the date letter is clearly the black-letter capital (!S'.- of 1664-5. As the other HALL-MARJCS are similar to those upon the cup we may fairlJ assign both cup and cover to the year 1664 5. The diameter of the cover is 4¾ inches, and its height is ¾ of an inch. III. The FLAGON is made of the purest silver, called New Sterling, and stands 11½ inches high (from the foot to the top of the rounded lid) ; the diameter of its mouth being 4¾ inches. It was made £or Addingt on Church in 1721, and presented by the Rev. John Boralston, who was then the Rector. 'l'his we learn from the following inscription upon its face:-" Glorim Dei. Opt'. Max'. In usum Ecclesim Parochialis de Addington Dat Dicat Dedicatque Johannes Boralston A. M. Predictm Ecclesim Rector Anno Dom'. 1721." Above this appear the shield and crest of the family of Boraston, of Worcestershire and Herts :-Quarterly arqent and sable, on a bend between 2 cotises gules, 8 crosses £ormy :fitchy or. Crest, out of a mural coronet sable, a griffin's head or (gorged with a fess between 2 bars gemel gules). Hasted says that the Rev. John Boralston was instituted to Addington Rectory on the 6th of August, 1702, died on the 9th of June 1741, aged 78, and was buried in this church. The H.ALL-M.ARKS upon the :flagon are (i.) WA; (ii.) F, the date letter £or 1721-2; (iii.) a lion's head erased; (iv.) Britannia. Beneath the foot is scratched the weight 49.18. IV. There is a PATEN, on central foot, 2 inches high, and 5¾ inches in diameter. The H.ALL-M.ARKS upon it are much worn, but the lion's head erased is discernible, and the date letter seems to be 0, £or 1718-9. ADI8H.A.M. The Rev. J. H. Carr, Rector of Adisham, has carefully examined the Sacred Vessels of bis church, and £urnished me with the main facts contained in the following description. There are 3 Communion Cups ; 8 Patens ; 2 Flagons ; and 1 Alms-dish. Two of the Cups are silver, of the years 166􀄔, and 1862, ADISHA'M. 243 each accompanied by a Paten made, for use with it; in the same year by the same maker; the third Cup is of plated· metal, but the third Paten is of silver, 200 years old. The Flagons and Alms-dish are of baser metal. I. The oldest CUP and PATEN were made in A.D. 1663-4, and seem to have reJ>laced some vessel or vessels, which bore the date 151717. Perhaps they contain the metal of an Elizabethan Paten. These inferences we draw from the fact that upon the existing P .A.TEN two dates, 15717 and 1663, are both inscribed; while the HALL-MARKS shew that the Paten was made in 1663, by H.N, wl10 made the Cup also. The date letter is a black-letter capital§; the HALL-MARKS are those of London (a lion passant and a crowned leopard's head). The maker has placed, beneath his initials, "H.N.," a bird, with a rose-branch in its beak. These letters probably indicate Henry N elthorpe, a London goldsmith and banker, whose shop in Lombard Street bore the sign of the Rose, in the year 16177.* The maker's mark is the only one legible upon the bowl, but the lion passant is legible beneath the foot. Both Cup and Paten have engraved upon them the Royal arms. On the Cup (not on the Paten) the royal shield is encircled by the Garter, with its motto, Honi soit qui maZ y pense, upheld by the Lion and the Unicorn, as supporters; and beneath is the royal motto, IJieu et rnon IJroit. The quarterings are those used by the Stuart sovereigns, from James I. to James II., viz.-1 and 41 France and England quarterly ; 2 Scotland ; 3 Ireland. Why these arms appear on the sacred vessels it is difficult to say, unless they were, in some sense, presented to the Vicar by a member 0£ the Royal Family. The Rev. Dr. Peter Du Moulin, Prebendary 0£ Canterbury, was Vicar of .A.disham in 1663, and he was also one 0£ the Chaplains in Ordinary to King Charles II. I have therefore, myself, little doubt that King Charles II., at the request 0£ Dr. Du Moulin, defrayed the cost 0£ replacing old Elizabethan vessels at .A.disham by these, which were made in 1663. I would especially draw attention to Dr. Du Moulin's conservative sense 0£ justice, in causing both dates, 151717 and 1663, to be inscribed upon the new paten . Beneath the foot 0£ the cup are engraved the initials 0£ the Churchwardens; probably those who were in office during the year 1663-4; thus, in 2 lines, "*W* .A.* I R*R* Ohur' Ward'." The CUP is 17¼ inches high, 3i inches across the bowl, 3i inches across the foot, and weighs 10 ounces. Its shape is very plain; it has no ornamental mouldings ; no knop. The stem is trumpet-shaped. The PATEN is 41 inches in diameter and weighs 4 ounces. II. The modern CUP and PATEN of silver were made in the year 1862-3, They were presented to a former Rector 0£ Adisham, the Rev. Henry Montagu Villiers, by two friends, in .A.pril, 18172. The Cup is a good specimen 0£ modern work, 17½ inches high. The bowl's mouth is 3f inches in diameter; its base springs from a nestlike wreath of ivy leaves, in silver applique work. The moulded stem * Little London JJirectory, 16'7'7, quoted by William Ohaffers in his Gilda .tl.u1ifabrorum, p. '70. n2 244 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. bas a hand.some knop in its centre. The octo£oiled. foot, 4i- inches in diameter, is inscribed with a cross 0£ St. Andrew and the words " H. M. V. £rom I. H. C and M. A. C. April 4, 1872." The H.t1LLMARKs are (i.) Victoria's head; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) black-letter small g; (iv.) T.P. in a rectangular shield. The Cup weighs 13¼ ounces. The PATEN bears a St. Andrew's cross. Its aiameter is 6½ inches ; its weight 5 ounces. III. The third PATEN, 0£ silver, was made in 1686-7. It is one of a pair which Archdeacon John Battely, Rector 0£ Adisham, purchased £or the two churches 0£ his benefice. One he gave to Adisham Church, and the other to Staple, which was then attached, as a chapelry, to Adisham. They are almost exactly alike, and were made by a goldsmith P.M., whose work is now rare. A tankard, made in 1682, now at Trinity College, Oxford, and some plate of the Corporation 0£ Chester, are examples known to Mr. Cripps. This Paten is 6f inches in diameter ; it stands on a central foot 2½ inches in diameter, and weighs 6½ ounces. On its £ace are engraved (in two lines) the words Deo Servatori I S. Beneath the foot are these words, in five lines, Ecclesire l De Adisham l J oannes Battely l S.T.P. I D.D. The HALL-M.ARKS on the £ace 0£ the Paten, near its rim, are-(i.) leopard's head crowned; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) small black-letter f; (iv.) illegible. The last mark appears again upon the foot, where it is legible, thus :-in a shaped escutcheon, P.M., with a mullet above and a fieur-rle-lis below the initials. As Dr. Battely was collated to the Archdeaconry of Canterbury on the 23rd of March, 1687, it is probable that these Patens were then dedicated by him as a thankoffering to God. He was Rector 0£ Adisbam-cum-Staple from 1684 until he died, in October, 1708, aged 61. The third CUP is 0£ Plated metal. Its height is 9 inches ; the diameter of its mouth 4 inches, and its weight 14½ ounces. IV. Of the FL.A.GONs, one is 0£ Pewter, the other of Plated metal. The PEWTER FLAGON is inscribed" .Llrlisham 1772." It is 9½ inches high ; its lid is conical and it weighs 2 pounds 10 ounces. The PL.A.TED FL.A.GON, with conical lid and splayed foot, stands 15 inches high, and weighs 3 pounds 8 ounces. On it is engraved the sacred monogram I.H.S, en soleil. V. The ALMS-DISH is 0£ brass. It was given, in 1869, by the Rev. Cyril Randolph, when he was Rector of Staple. Embossed upon its centre, is a representation of the Spies 0£ Israel carrying home a bunch 0£ grapes from Eshcol. The border is deeply embossed with a pattern formed of ovals large and small. ALDINGTON. The Rev. G. J. Blomfield, Rector 0£ Aldington, kindly supplied materials £or the following description, and also a drawing (made by his son) 0£ the Cup (1662) and Paten of Aldington (engraved in Part I., p. 69, and in Archmologia Oantiana, Vol. XVI., p. 393). The COMMUNION CUP has a conical or trumpet-shaped stem of ALDINGTON; ALKRAM. 245 beat.en silver, which Mr. Blom.field believes to be earlier than the bowl, which is not of hammered work. The soldering of these two par/2 together is evident. Upon the foot and st.em there is no dat.e letter, but the lion-passant IllLI,,,M.d.RK is seen inside the hollow stem. Around the top of the foot are engraved these words: " Pais bertsw, idow of Heni'y Roberts of Ash, grandson of Sir William Roberts of Willesden, Baronet. A tablet on the south wall of the chancel states. that Mr. Henry Roberts died on the 25th of February 171¼, and that his widow survived until the 11th of February 173f. She gave these Pa.tens to Ash Church, three yea.rs before she died. Her maiden name may have been Ridley. The H.t1LL-Jt.t1Bxs upon her Pa.tens a.re (i.) M, the date letter for 1727-8; (ii.) arowned leopard's head; (iii.) lion passant; (iv.) the badly-stamped ·mark of Thomas Tearle, 'Oiz., beneath a. arown, a. rose; and beneath the rose the initials T.T. Here, the initials on the die did not touch the metal, so they a.re not visible. The Churchwardens' accounts for 1634, shew that a. large and capacious FLAGON was then needed for the Communion wine. They state that during Eastertide in that year, at six celebrations of the Holy Communion, there were no less than 628 " pa.rtyes which reseved. "t The Flagon was probably of pewter at that time. There * The full text of the remarkable epitaphs is printed by Mr. Planohe in his book on Ash, .4. Oorner of Kent, pages 212-3. t Pla.uche's ..t Corner of Kent, p. 158. 250 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. is, in 1684, an entry of 5s. " payd to Simon barrowe's wife £or washing the Communion linan, and sc[o]uring the pllate and pewtar £or one year." Some change was made in 1641 ; perhaps a larger flagon was obtained. An entry occurs in that year of 4s. " more, laid out £or changing the communion :flaggon."* Probably the :flagon thus obtained, in 1641, remained in use until 1721, when Mrs. Eleanor Cartwright, spinster, gave to the Parish a valuable FLAGON, which was alienated, ten years ago, by the Vicar and Churchwardens, with the consent o:f the Vestry, at the instigation o:f the Rev. John Richards, Vicar, who considered that "the shape o:f the Flagon was highly inconvenient, and caused accidents." Given together with the large Paten, by this generous donor, her Flagon was probably made (as her Paten is) of the purer quality of silver (the New Sterling), which is now so rare. To replace this pious gift of the good Eleanor Cartwright, Mr. Richards and his Churchwardens obtained the FLAGON now in use. It is of claretjug shape ( or round bellied) with a handle, long narrow neck, and spout. It is 12 inches high, and at the widest part 5 inches in diameter. It is made, not 0£ the purer silver of the New Sterling, but of the ordinary old sterling silver. Mr. Richards caused to be inscribed upon it the following misleading legend ( copied from the old Flagon), "11he gift of Mr• Elen01• Cartwright to the Parish of .Ash 1721," and he added these words, "Pascha +nostrum+ immolatum + est + Christus," which encircle the body of the Flagon, at its widest part. Miss Cartwright's arms appear on the front 0£ the Flagon. The HALL-'M.AIIKS are similar to those on the Cups. There are 8 ALMs-:eLA.TES of metal, gilt ; all of the same size, 10¼ inches in diameter. Upon each is engraved a short text of Scripture. One bears the words, " To do ffOOd and to distribute forget not;" another, "Blessed is tlie man that provirJetli for the siolc and neeily ;" the third, " He that soweth plenteously shall reap also plenteously." ASH (Diocese of RooIIESTER). The Rev. J. A. Boodle visited Ash on the 30th of October 1886, and examined the Church Plate, a Cup (1565), a Paten (1712), with 2 Plated Vessels. From his notes I write the following description: The COMMUNION CUP at Ash, by Wrotham,is an Elizabethan vessel, made in the year 1565-6. It is devoid of engraved ornament, but is remarkable £or its dwarfed stem. There is a diRtinct conical stem (with a reeded moulding at its base and at its summit), yet the stem and foot, together, are but 2½ inches high, while the bowl is 4 inches deep. In its dwarfed stem it resembles the Elizabethan cups at Shadoxhurst, and St. Bartholomew's Hospital in Sandwich. The Elizabethan Cups at Mereworth, Wateringbury, and Yalding, which have no stem at all between the foot and bowl, belong to another category ; although in each of them the proportion between * Planche's Li. Comer of Kent, p. 195. ASH (BY WRO'l'HAM); ASHFORD. 251 the total height of the Cup and. the depth of its bowl is somewhat similar. The HA.LD-MA.RKS upon the Cup at Ash are (i.) lion passant; (ii.) crowned leopard's head; (iii.) an illegible maker's mark ; and (iv.) small black-letter iJ, the date letter for 1565-6. This Cup is 6½ inches high ; its bowl is 4 inches deep, and 3¾ inches wide at the mouth ; the foot is 3½ inches wide. The PATEN, '7¾ inches iD; diamete;, stands 2 inches high, upon a central foot. It was made m the reign of Queen Anne, from the purest quality of silver, called New Sterling; and is a silent memorial of the affection felt £or this Church and Parish by the Rev. Samuel Atwood, junior, Rector of Ash. He succeeded his father (who bore the same Christian name), in tl1e Rectory of this Parish, in March 1'70½, and he did much for this Church. A handsome altar• piece, which he gave, remained here until the present century. He died in April l '735. On the £ace of the Paten his name does not appear; the only inscription being as follows (in three lines), .A.sh I E::v Dono Reatoris I 1'713. Engraved on the foot of the Paten is the sacred monogram, IHS en soleil. The.HALL-MARKS are (i.) Britannia; (ii.) lion's head erased; (iii.) court-hand capital R; the date letter £or 1712-3; and (iv.) an illegible maker's mark, somewhat like that of Jos. Ward, which has an anchor between W and A. . The FLAGON and ALMS-DISII at Ash are both 0£ Plated metal. The Flagon has handle, domed lid, and spout. Its height is 9½ inches, to the top 0£ the lid; the diameter 0£ its drum is 4½ inches, and of its splayed foot 6 inches. Engraved upon it is the sacred monogm, m IRS en soleil. The Plated ALMS-DISH. is 6 inches in diameter. ASHFORD. The Rev. Canon Alcock, Vicar of Ashford, furnished such notes 0£ the Communion Plate of that Parish as enabled me to prepare the following description. It consists of 2 Cups (1632), 2 Flagons (1'710), an Alms-dish (1'780), and 3 Patens (1784). The two COMMUNION CUPS are similar in shape and weight; they were both, probably, made during the reign 0£ Charles I., but not perhaps in the same year. Both of them have plain bell-shaped bowls, 4 inches deep, and 4½ inches in diameter; they stand '7¾ inches high, and the foot of each is 4½ inches wide. The stems are conical; and curving down over their summits, are plain uncut collars. Simple mouldings intervene twixt the collar and the bowl. I. One CUP has no inscription, nor engraved work of any kind, nor any standard JfA.llKS; but it bears the monogram, CB, of a very skilful goldsmith, whose work was much in fashion between 1606 and 162'7. The weight of this cup is 13 ozs. 15 dwts. The same accomplished goldsmith made in 1619-20 the beautifol covered cup belonging to Linton Church, in Kent, which is engraved in Part I., p. 27, and .A.rchaJologia Oantiana, XVI., p. 351; he also made a cup, of equal beauty, which is now at Appleby, in the church of St. 252 OHURCH FLA.TE IN KENT. Michael, BongJi,te.* A plain cup, given to the church of Walton in CumberlandJ>y Mr. John .Addison,i. n 1624, was l!,lsom ade by C.B. .AJJ the Walton cup is 7 inches high, and weighs only half as much as the cup at .AJJhfordi,t is evident that the Ashford cup was one of the better examples of this goldsmith's plain cups. Of his large secular cups the Armourers' Company in London possesses a good specimen (their Helme cup), made in 1606; Messrs. Hancock, the goldsmiths, have or had another, made in 1625; and the Corporation of the Trinity House possesses one ¥Jade in 1627-8. IL '.rhe other CUP bears the London H.ALL-JU.RKB; and since The Ohronol,ogical List was printed, I have myself found on it the maker's mark, an eseallop-sliell in a shield which follows the shape of the shell. This maker made much plate; Mr. Cripps knows thirteen pieces of his make, and I have found three other examples at Kenmngton, Orpington, and Kena.rdington, bearing: the same escaJlop-abell. This Ashford cup is dated by a small italic p, the date letter £or the year 1632-3; and around the inside of its foot a.re engraved these words, "AB/iford• . A.11D.0o m. 1633. 13 ~. 12 dwt. Oost £3. 16 sh." It seems to have lost weight from usage; at present its wei~bt is only 13 oz. 8 dwts. These cups were probably obtained durmg the incumbency of the Rev. Edmund Hayes, who was Vicar of Ashford from 1622 until his death in August 1638. The one last named was evidently purchased by the parisli, at a cost of 5s. 7½d, per ounce. The Asliford FLAGONS are a ~ir, tall and handsome, made in the reign of Queen .Anne, from the purer silver of the New Sterling. Their maker was John Bodington, a well-known goldsmith, whose house st.ood in Foster Lane, Cheapside, nea.r the site now occupied by the back of the General Post Office, in London, nea.r also to Goldsmiths' Ha.ll. His shop was known by the sign of the Mitre; and Bodington used, as his trade ma.rk, a mitre, above the first two letters of lris name. Many examples of his workman~ ship a.re known. At W oodchurch there is a Paten, made by him in 1707; at North Cerney in Gloucestershire, a Communion Flagon; of his make, is mentioned by Mr. Crip_ps; who himself possesses an hexa.gonal chocolate-pot made by Bodmgton in 1715-6. Hunt and Roskell have an e::irly specimen of bis work, a cup and cover made in 1697-8; and there 18 another, of the same date, at Trinity College, Cambridge, called the Boyle Cup. One of his two-handled Cups (made in 1699) is in the possession of W. Boore, Esq. The .AJJh. ford Flagons stand 14 inclies high ; and the splayed foot of each is n-inches in diameter ; the mouth is 4½in ches wide. The domed lid, 1¾ inches high, is surmounted by a round knob. Engraved on the front of tlie drum is "Ashford," with IHS en sokil, and "JJia,·ch 27. 1711." Beneath the foot of one is engraved the weight 51.13 (it now weighs only 50ozs. 18 dwts.); and beneath the other 52.18 (this .flagon now weighs 62 ozs. 14 dwts.). The H.ALTrMARKB on each are (i.) Bodington's ma.rk: in a shaped .. Engr:i.ved in Ferguson's Old Ohr<'k Plate i11 tlte Dioce1e of Oarlille, ·p.177. ASHFORD. Cup, 7¾-inches ~i ma.de in 1632-3, by a. London Goldsmith whose mark is an escallop shell ASHFORD. 253 escutcheon, above the letters BO a mitre, below them a mullet or trefoil; (ii.) lion's head erased; (iii.) Britannia.; (iv.) Court-hand capital P, the dare letter for 11710-1. In the lids of the ila.gons these marks again occur, and a.re there very clear and distinct. The .ALMS-PL.A.TE, 9½ inches in diameter, ha.a on its rim a moulding fol'IX!edo f small hemispheiical 'bead$.I t was mooe in 1780-1 by Daniel Smith and Robert Sharp, London goldsmiths, whose shop stood in Westmorland Buildings. A cup and a fat.en given to Southtleet Church by Dr. John Thomas, Bishop o Rochester, in 1783, were also made by this firm. Upon the back of the Almsplate is engraved "kn.ford Pama, 1785." In the centre of the plate is the sacred monogram, IHS. en soleil. It weighs 12 ozs. 15 dwts. The H.4.LL-JWlKS upon it are (i.) ~. the mark of the makers; (ii.) lion paasa.nt; (iii.) crowned leopard's bead; (iv.) e, the date letter for 1780-1. There a.re three plain PATENS at Ashford, ea.ch with a beaded rim, similar to that of the Alms-plate. They were ma.de in 1784-o, by Hester Bateman, who carried on the business of a goldsmith at Bunhill Row in London, from 1773 until 1790, when Peter and Jonathan Bateman, probably her sons, succeeded her in it. In the following year J ona.tha.n seems to have died, and Anne Bateman, probably the widow of Jona.than, became partner with Peter. A grandson of H~ster Bateman may have been ta.ken into partnership in 1800, when the style of the firm changed into "Peter, Anne, and William Bateman." In 1805, Anne's name dropped out, perhaps she died in that year; and the business was thenceforward carried on by Peter and William Bateman. Heater Ba.t.emnn probably inherited the business in Bunhill Row from her father, when she was herself a widow; as the name of Bateman does not previously occur in the lists of London Goldsmiths. She seems to have ma.de a reputation for good workmanship, above the average of the trade. We cannot name an early example of her skill during the first five yea.rs of her tra.diI!g; but at Newnham Church we find a handsome set of Communion V easels ma.de by her in 1778--9; Mr. W.R. M. Wynne has a small two-handled tray of hers, made in 1782-3• ; Dr. Ashford poRSeases a cream jug ma.de in 1783-4, and a cake basket manufactured in 1'185-6, both bearing her ma.rk.t Mr. Cripps mentions a Pa.ten ma.de by her in the same year, as remaining at Ga:teshead Church; and a small Communion Oup at St. Paul's Church, Covent Garden, made in 1789-90.t Tunbridge Parish Church possesses au Alms-plate, made by Heater Bateman in 1784-5 ; and another example is the covered Oup belonging to the Ohurch at West Cliff, near Dover, which bears her mark, H.B. in script ca.pita.ls, within a lobed escutcheon. F.a.ch of the Ashford Pa.tens is 6 inches in diameter, and weighs 5 ots. 2 dwts. The * W. J. Cripps, Old Engli,,. Plate, 2nd edition, p. 81'1; and later oorreotion of initials. ·t W. Chaffbrs, Gilila Afl1'{fabrort1ni, pp. 159, 160. :j: OZcEt nglial• Plate, 2nd edition, p. 818. 254 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. HALL-MARKS upon them are (i.) H.B. in script capitals ; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) leopard's head crowned; (iv.) small Roman i, the date letter £or 1784-5. ASHURST. The Rev. Henry W. 0. Polhill, Rector of .Ashurst, took pains to supply notes of the Communion Plate of that Parish. It consists of a Cup (1623), a Paten (1728), and a Flagon of Silver (1870), with a Flagon and Paten of Pewter. The CUP, made in the reign of King James I., has around the middle 0£ its bowl one belt 0£ engraving. It stands 6 inches high ; the diameter 0£ its mouth is 3 inches, and of its foot 3½. It weighs 8½ ounces avoirdupois. The HALL-MARKS are (i.) small italic f, the date letter for 1623-4; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) crowned leopard's head ; (iv.) in a shaped escutcheon, 2 Roman capital letters, like IG. The silver PATEN, 6 inches in diameter, has, in its centre, the sacred monogram IHS en soleil. Its weight is 7¾ ounces. The HALL­ MARKS, faintly seen, are (i.) Roman capital N, the date letter £or 1728-9; (ii.) lion's head erased; (iii.) Britannia; (iv.) in a shaped shield L E, or L r. The silver FLAGON is inscribed ".Ashurst Church j Kent I 1870." It was made by George Lambert 0£ Coventry Street, London, and has upon its lid a simple Greek cross. It stands 9½ inches high ; the diameter of its mouth is 2¼ foches, and of its foot 4 inches. This Flagon weighs 18 ounces avoirdupois. The Pewter Flagon is no longer used. It is 11½ inches high, and 4 inches in diameter. The Pewter Paten is 6 inches in diameter, and has at its back a mark-in a plain shield, a dragon. AYLESFORD (Diocese of ROCHESTER). The Rev. Cyril Grant, Vicar 0£ Aylesford, has furnished me with £ull descriptions ·of the sacred vessels of that parish. They consist of a Cup (1627) with Paten-cover, a Flagon (1711), a large Paten (1724), and 3 Alms-dishes (1724 and 1858). The CUP , 7t inches high, and 10 ounces in weight, is quite plain. It has a knop in the centre of the stem, and its foot is rather deeper than usual. The bowl is 3¾ inches wide, at its mouth. · The HALL-MARKS upon it are: (i.) small italic le, indicative of the year 1627-8; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) leopard's head crowned; (iv.) in a heart-shaped shield, R.C., with a pheon below, its point downward. This R.C. made much Church Plate. Examples of his work are found at Lewisham Church, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, at Exeter .Cathedral, and elsewhere. It is probable that he had been long m the trade when he made the cup now at .A.ylesford. The same initials, but in a plain shield, with three dots below the letters, and three pellets above, occur on the Paten-cover at Throwley Church, which bears the date letter of 1599-0. A.YLESFORD. 255 The PATEN-COVER is 4¾ inches in diameter, and 1 tin height. It weighs 4 ozs. 5 ; and bears the same HJtLL-M.A.RKS as the Cup. The FLAGON, weighing 26 ounces, stands 11½ inches high, and was made in 1711-2 of the purer quality of silver, called "New Sterling." From entries in the Parochial Account-book for the y-ear 1712, which Mr. Grant kindly copied £or me, we learn that this flagon cost £13 lls. 6d. One half of that sum was given by the Vicar, the Rev. Thomas Tilson the younger; and the other half was contributed by the parish. The Flagon is of the ordinary type, with splayed foot 6f inches wide, tapering barrel, "S " handle, thumbpiece, and moulded lid. On the front of the barrel is engraved this inscription: "Ex sumptu Pa"t'oohim de Aylesford et Thomm Tillson Vioa"t'ii Oonjunotim .A.;D, 1711." Mr. Tilson, in July 1'702, succeeded his father, Thomas Tilson the elder, in this benefice. The father was Vicar of Ayles£ord and Rector of Ditton £or a quarter of a century, or more ; and the son held the same benefices during almost fifty years, from 1702 until 1749. At the same period a certain Edward Tilson, and after him his son of the same name, held together the benefices of Eyusford and Lullingstone from 1672 until 1748. Probably these £our Tilsons were connected with Henry Tilson, Bishop of Elphin, who suffered much during the Commonwealth, and was buried at Dewsbnry in Yorkshire, in 1655, aged 80. The HALL-MARKS on the Flagon are: (i.) 􀅳tt; (ii.) Britannia; (iii.) lion's head erased; (iv.) Court-hand capital Q, the date letter for 1711-2. The maker's mark probably contains the initial letters Lu of the surname of William Lukin, a London goldsmith, who lived in Gutter Lane ; but this is not absolutely certain. The large PATEN, '7½ inches in diameter, was a later gift from the same Vicar, Mr. Tilson. This we learn from the inscription, engraved in five lines, on the centre of the Paten, within au ornamental oval frame of foliage and scroll-work: " Puwm est I DOMINE I tibi Reado I T, TILSON. VIC. I AyZesfo"t'd j 172,¼." It weighs 10 ozs.; and stands l½ inch high. Its H.A.LL-M.A.RKS are: (i.) I, the date letter £or 1'724-5; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) leopard's head crowned; (iv.) a mitre, surmounting two initial letters which look like S.W. The large ALMS-DISH, 11¾ inches in diameter, and 26 ounces in weight, bears the same H.A.LL-M.A.RKS as the Paten, and was made at the same time. It is inscribed in its centre, " The Gift of Jl L.A.DY T.A.YLOR to the Pa"t'isk of .fi.ylesforrl,. T. TILSON. VIC. 172¾," The donor, Alicia, Lady Taylor, of Preston Hall, was a very remarkable person. The daughter of Sir Richard Oolepeper, Baronet, 0£ Preston Hall, who died in 1659, she was the only sister and heir of Sir Thomas Colepeper, the last baronet of that line, who, dying in 1'723, was buried in the south chancel of Aylesford Church. As her father died in 1659, she must have been born about 165'7. She was married, in or before 16'75, to Herbert Stapeley, Esq. (son and heir-apparent of Sir John Stapeley, of Patcham, in Sussex, Baronet), whose mother was Mary, daughter and co-heir of Sir Herbert Springett, of Broyle Place. By Mr. Stapeley, who was M.P. for 266 CHURCH PLATE IN Kl!.'NT. Seaford in 1679, she had two children, who died young. This gentleman died in or about 1690, during the lifetime of his father the baronet. His widow, Mrs. Alicia Stapeley, then married, as her second husband, Sir Thomas Taylor, 13a.ronet, of Park House, Maidstone; a gentleman of about her own age, born in 1657. By him she had a son Thomas, born in 1698, who succeeded to the baronetcy at the tender age of three years, when his father died in 1696. Lady Taylor being left a widow for the' second time, was again wooed, and was now won by her first-cousin, Thomas Cole: peper, a barrister, the second son of Sir Thomas Colepeper of Hollmgbourne. When ma.rried to her third husband, she continued to reside in Pa.rk House, near Maidstone, and retained the title of Lady_ Taylor, while she brought up and educated her young son, Sir Thomas Taylor. Her third husband, Mr. Colepeper, like his predecessors, died young ; and the unfortunate lady was also bereft of her son Sir Thomas Taylor, in the yea.r 1720, when he died at the early· age of 27; and his ba.ronetcy became extinct. Three yea.rs later, in 1728, Lady Taylor's only brother, Sir Thomas Colepeper died, and she then inherited Preston Hall and the whole of Lis estates. Needing a partner to share the mana~ement of such la.rge possessions as thus devolved upon her, she ma.rned, in October 1728,as her fourth husband, Dr. Jolin Milner, of Pudsey, Yorkshire. He must have obtained vast influence over Lady Taylor; for she settled upon him and his heirs the reversion in fee simple of all her estates, only reserving her own life interest. Like her J?revious husbands, Dr. John Milner did not long survive his umon with Lady Taylor. He died in Februar71724, havi.ng devised the reversion of Lady Taylor's estates to his brother Charles, who was, like himself, a physician, but who, unlike his brother, lived to a good old age, dying unmarried in 1771.• It was at the time of Dr. Milner's death that Lady Taylor gave this Alms-dish to Aylesford Church ; after her fourth husband, and all her children, had been taken from her by death. She lived on, . herself, for ten yea.rs longer, at Preston Hall, in her lonely, childless.widowhood, and died in April 1784, when she must have been nearly 80 years of age. The two smaller ALMS-PLATES a.re quite modern, made in 1858-9. They are each 9 inches in diameter ; and the rim stands 1 inch above the bottom. One weighs 14 ounces 10, and the other 14 ounces 5. On one is engraved a representation of the Good Sama.ritan ; and on the other appears tlie poor widow casting her mite into the treasl!l'Y. The former was num bared 156, the latter 157, by their maker. On the back we read, ".d. Gift to tke Parish of Aylesford from ~ Pr,c:nklgn:E sq,.of :trt ttobt1$.'' In the centre is engraved a cross having the figure of a Lamb in its midst. The Birmingham HALLMARKS are on it, as on the Cup, but the date letter is 1fl, £or 1832-3. The smaller CUP (little more than half the weight of the other) is 6 inches high. Its plain shallow bowl, only 1¾ inch deep, is 3 inches wide at the mouth. The hexagonal foot, 4¼ inches in diameter, has its edge formed by six semi-circles. Upon it is engraved a representation of our Blessed Lord upon the Cross, with two flowers at its foot. The knop, which is hollow, is perforated above and below with 6 trefoils, between tl1e 6 slightly projecting bosses of lozenge shape, on which are a few engraved lines. The weight of this cup is 6 ounces avoirdupois. The HALL-MARICS upon it are those of London: (i.) Queen Victoria's bead; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) black-letter capital 9J (1844-5); (iv.) leopard's head without crown; (v.) I.J.K., the mark of John Keith. The PATEN, accompanying this smaller Cup, is 4½ inches wide, and its rim stands i%-tlis of an inch above its base ; it weighs 2 ounces avoirdupois. In the centre is engraved the head of our Blessed Lord, crowned with thorns, within a cruciform nimbus, en soleil. The surface of the paten is chased with concentric circular lines, close together. The HALL-MARKS are those of London £or the year 1844-5, as on the Cup. The Flagon and the Alms-dish are not silver ; they are plated with silver, and gilt. The Flagon is jug-shaped ; 10½ inches high ; with an S handle, and a lid surmounted by a double Maltese cross. Its body is 4 inches in diameter; its foot 3½ and its mouth 2½ inches wide. It weighs 15 ounces avoirdupois. Upon the front of the body is the sacred monogram ib􀀃 on a shield within an engraved :BARPRESTON.; BARHAM. 259 qua.trefoil. In.scribed round the body is this text, "LA.TE IN KENT. at Kelsey's Manor House. He was Sub-Governor of the South Sea Company, and his younger brother was Sir Merrick Burrell, Baronet, whose title descended to Peter Burrell's grandson, Peter, who ultimately was created Lord Gwydir. Peter Burrell, of Kelsey's, donor of the Alms-plate, died on the 16th of April 1756. His Alms-plate (No. II.) is 10 inches in diameter; and its weight is marked on the back, as being 18=15. Its H.ALL-M.lllKS are those of 1711-2, as on Mr. Humphrey Style's Flagon. The Plate was 23 years old, when Mr. Burrell gave it to Beckenham Church. Of the CUPS, N os. I. and II. are alike, of plain silver, 7½inches high. The bowl, 4 inches deep and 4 inches wide at the mouth, exceeds in height the stem and foot taken together. They are but 3½ inches high; and the foot is 3½ inches in diameter. The weight of each cup is 12½ ounces avoirdupois. The HALL-MARKS are: (i.) 'cl.W. in an oblong stamp; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) leopard's head; (iv.) Head of George III.; (v.) R, the date letter for 1812-3. CUPS III. and IV. are gilt, and alike in their shape, which is that of a mediroval chalice, but one of them is larger than the other. Both bear these HALL-MARKS: (i.) H.L. above H.L., in a qua trefoil ; (ii.) black-letter capital A, indicative of the year 1836-7; (iii.) lion passant; (iv.) leopard's head; (v.) Sovereign's head. The bowl of each is hexagonal, and engraved with the sacred monogram fl)f; (black-letter) and the .A.gnus Dei. On each stem there is a handsome knop. Of the larger (Oup No. III.) the height is 8¾ inches, the greatest part of which is occupied by the stem and foot (the latter is 5¾ inches in diameter). The bowl is only 3¼ inches dee.I?, although its mouth is 4½ inches wide. The weight of this cup 1s 21 ozs. avoirdupois. OUP No. IV. is 7 inches high, but its bowl is only 2½ inches deep, although its mouth is 3½ inches wide. The foot· is 4½ inches in diameter, and the stem and foot together are 4½ incp.es high. This cup weighs 11½ ozs. avoirdupois. The TANK.A.RD, with a lid, is massive and handsomely embossed. It is in no sense ecclesiastical in: form or use; and no DALL-MARKS can be discerned upon it. BEOKENH.A.M (ST . .A.G.A.TRA.1 S ORA.PEL), The Oup and Paten used in St . .Agatha's Chapel were both made in Birmingham in the year 1867-8. The HALL-MARKS upon each. are: (i.) Head 0£ Queen Victoria; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) an anchor; (iv.) S, the Birmingham date letter £or 1867-8. The OUP is silver gilt and of medimval design, 8 inches high, and 3¾ inches in diameter at the mouth. It is partly chased. Beneath the foot are engraved" J. H. & 0°. 811." The P .A.TEN, likewise silver gilt, and 4¾ inches in diameter, is chased with a fl.oriated cross. Beneath we see" J. H. & 0°. 118." BEOKENH.A.M (ST. BA.'RNAnAs). The Rev. G. O. F. Griffith, Vicar, supplied particulars 0£ the Cup and Paten, both made in 1876, which ·are used in the Church of 􀅪t. Barnabas; first opened, as au iron church, in 1877. BECKENHA.:M, 265 The CUP, silver gilt, and designed upon the model of a medireval chalice, is 7½ inches high. Its :foot is 6 inches wide, but the mouth of its hemispherical bowl is only 4 inches in diameter. It weighs 20 ozs. Its HALL-MARKS are: (i.) Head of Q,ueen Victoria; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) A, in pointed shield with doubly cusped summit, the date letter :for 1876-7; (iv.) the mark of the makers Barkentin and Krall. The PATEN, silver gilt, has its centre sunk below its rim, and fits upon the bowl o:f the Cup. Its diameter is 6:! inches; and its weight 7 ounces. Its HA£L-11fARKS are identical with those on the Cup. The ALMS-DISH is of base metal, gilt. BEOKENHAM (CHRIST CauRoH). The Rev. W. Welsh, Incumbent of Christ Church, informs me that in his new church (consecrated in 187f;) there are no silver vessels. All are o:f baser metal, gilt. 'rhere are two Cups, a Flagon, two Patens, and an Alms-dish. '.l.'he Ou.PS (gilt inside) are 6½ inches high, and 4 inches in diameter, engraved with the sacred monogram en soZeil. The FLAGON is 13¾ inches high, with domed cover surmounted by a c1·oss. It bears the sacred monogram. The foot is 6 inches in diameter. The larger PA.TEN, 10 inches in diameter, likewise bears the sacred monogram ·IHS. The smaller PA.TEN, 9 inches wide, has no ornament. The ALMS-DISH is o:f brass, gilt. It is handsomely embossed, and. was presented to the church by G. Hooper, Esq., of Elmleigh, in Beckenham. BEOKENHAM (ST. MIOH.AEL A.ND ALL ANGELS). The Rev. E. R. Fagan, Curate in charge o:f St. Michael's, Beckenham (in which district an iron church was first erected i:μ 1878), states that the silver CUP and PATEN in use there are of the simplest kind. The CUP, 7½ inches high and 4 inches in diameter, has a knop on its stem, and round its bowl is engraved a grape vine. Upon the :foot is" IHC." It bears the London HALL-M.A.RKs. The PATEN, 6 inches in diameter, has a small cross engraved on its rim. The H.A.LL-M.A.RKS are those of London. The ALMS-DISH, of brass, 9 inches in diameter, is inscribed, " Goil Zovetli a clieerful Givm•." In its centre is a floriated cross. BEOKENH.A.M (ST. PAUL). The Communion Vessels of this modern church are all of silver. The Vicar, the Rev. Charles Green, informs me that three Cups, three Patens, and the Flagon, were all made during the reign 266 CHURCH PLA.TE IN KENT. of Queen Victoria, but that a fourth Paten, of larger size than the rest, was made in the reign of William IV. CUPS L and II. are each 8 inches high; with a foot 4 inches in diameter; and a bowl gilt inside, which is 3½ inches wide at the mouth. Each weighs 9½ ounces. The H.d.LL-N.A.RES are: (i.) G.F. ; (ii.) lion paaaant; (iii.) leopard's head; (iv.) black-letter y, the date letter for 1863-4; (v.) llead of Queen Victoria.. Upon them, upon the Flagon, and on Pa.tens L, IL, and ill., is this inscription, "P!UJ gijj of .&loemarle Oator, Patr<>?t!oJ . S. Paul'a1 Bec'lccnl,am, 1864." Mr. A. Ca.tor, of Beckenham .t'lace, first co\18ln of Sir Jno. Fa.ma.by Lenna.rd, died in 1868; his third son, William, was Bector of Beckenham from 1873 to 1885. CUP No. III. was purchased, in 1876, with money given at the offertory. It matches Cups. I. and II. in shape and size. The HM,I,.M.4REIJ upon it are: (i.) H.L.; (ii.) lion paaaant; (iii.) leopard's head; (iv.) A, the date letter for 1876-7; (v.) Queen Victoria's head. PATENS I. and II. (given by Mr. Ca.tor) a.re each 6 inches in diameter ; they bear the same inscription and HALL-lt.UlEs as CUPS I. and II. PATEN No. III. (likewise given by Mr. Cat.or) is a large Plate,. 9 inches in diameter, having tbe sacred monogram IHS, with cross and nails, engraved in its centre. It bears the ea.me inscription as Pa.tens I. and II. ; but the HALL-JLUlKS upon it a.re : (i.) W.B.; (ii.) lion pasaant; (iiiJ 1 ~eopa.rd'a head; (iv.) p, the date letter.for 1830-1; (v.) Head of · g William IV. PATEN No. IV., purchased in 1876, matches Patena I. and II. in size and shape; but the H.n.r,.Jtt.1. .R KS upon it are like those on Cup_ ill., being the London marks for the year 1876-7. -rrhe FLAGON, given by Mr. Cat.or in 1864, is 11 inches high, of the modern jug-shape, modelled on meditevaJ. patterns. It bears the same inscription a.a the other portions of Mr. Cator'a gift. The JULL-MARKs a.re: (1.). TE..FF.. ; c1·1.· )I io n paeaant ; c1·1·1.· )1 e opa.r d' a ·h"-"~'1..1. J; (iv.) black-letter c, the date Jetter for 1858-9; (v.) Head of Queen Victoria. BECKENHAM (HoLY T.u.nnTY). The Churchwardens, Messrs. Francis Peek and John Dell, furnished particulars of the Communion Veaaela of Holy Trinity Church, Penge Lane, Beckenham, which was erected in 1878. They consist of two Cups and two Pa.tens of silver, with an Almadish of bra.as. The Vicar, the .Rev. S. Whitfield Daukea, informed. me later (in 1887) that a silver Flagon and a Spoon have recently been presented by Mr. and Mrs. Hennen. The CUPS a.re alike, in everything aave·the year of their manufacture. One was made in 18'76-'7, the other in 1877-8. Of each, the height is 7¾ inches; diameter of bowl 3¾, and of hexagonal foot 5 inches. There is a knop on the stem. The cups, gilt inside, a.re inscribed, "~alfttm $altttatff$ ~tipfam et uomen 1llh>mhd fnbotalto." The aa,cr~d monogram ms, en soleil, is engraved on BECKENHAM (H. TRINITY); BEKESBOURNE. 267 the foot 0£ each cup. The H.tl.LL-M.tl.RKS on one, which weighs 18 ozs. 4 dwts., are: (i.) SS; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) leopard's head; (iv.) A, in a pointed shield with its top indented by two concave curves, the date letter £or 1876-'7. The llt1.LL-J1I.t1.RKS on the other cup, which weighs 12 ozs. 17 dwts., are similar, but the date letter on it is B, indicating 18'7'7-8. The two P ATENS match and :fit the Cups. They are gilt inside, and bear the sacred monogram. That which bears the date letter A, 0£ 1876-7, weighs 4 ozs. 18 dwts. The other, weighing 5 ozs. 4 dwts., bears the H.tl.LL-M.tl.RK date letter.b, 0£ 18'75-6. The FLAGON, 0£ tbe modern jug-shape, weighs 27 ozs. 5 dwts. On its shallow lid stands an upright Maltese cross. The sacred monogram IRS en soleil is engraved on the £rout of the bulb of the body, around the centre of which runs this inscription, "Oliristus est irmnolafos Nostrum Pasaha." The H.tl.LL-M.tl.RKS are: (i.) in a quatrefoil J.A.F.H. with S in the centre; (ii.) lion passant;. (iii.) leopard's head; (iv.) H, the date letter £or 1883-4; (v.) Queen Victoria's head. The SPOON is of silver, perforated, and at the top of the handle is an Agnus Dei gilt. The brass ALMS-DISR is highly embossed, ana, has in its centre a boss of carnelian stone. It is inscribed, "􀅐O lJo goo'.IJ att'.IJ to lJi􀅑triimte forget not, for luitlJ 􀁁tttl, 􀁁atrifite􀁁 􀅒o'.IJ t􀁁 well plea􀁁e'.IJ." BEKESBOURNE. The Communion Vessels at Bekesbourne consist of two di:fferent sets ; one ancient, the other modern. The old set comprises an Elizabethan Cup (1564) with Paten-cover (1578), a Paten (1693), and an Alms-plate (1685). The new set, made by Hunt and Roskell in 1846, consists of a Cup, Paten, Flagon, and Alms-plate. The Vicar, the Rev. Henry J. Wardell, gave me much assistance in preparing the following description. The Elizabethan CUP was increased in height in 1846 by the addition of a new mouth. The new strip of silver is¾ of an inch deep. With this modern addition, the cup is '7¼ inches high; its bowl, gilt inside, is now 4¼ inches deep, and 3t inches wide at the mouth. The diameter of the foot is 3£ inches. The cup weighs 10 ounces avoirduJJois. Upon its bowl, the sacred monogram tf,t within a crown of thorns, was engraved in 1846. One belt of Elizabethan foliage encircles the bowl, immediately below the level at which its mouth originally stood; the modern addition now stands above the Elizabethan belt. 0£ the llALL-M.tl.RKS, that of' the maker is now illegible ; but the second initial in it is B; there are also the leopard's head crowned; the lion passant; and a black-letter g, indicating the year 1564-5. The PATEN-COVER, 3f inches in diameter, is inscribed, on the button, which is lt inch in diameter, "BEKSBORN I IN. A.n° JJmi l 1578." It is ornamented with one engraved belt of Eliza268 CHURCH PLATE IN: KENT. bethan foliage, without any interlacing fillets. This Paten-cover is now gilt inside, and weighs 2½ ounces avoirdupois. It bears no HA.LlrMARKS, The ancient PA.TEN, 6¾ inches in diameter, stands 1-g- inches high upon a central foot. In its centre aro engraved the words, " JJeo I Seruatori I S," within a circle. Upon the bottom of the foot, which is 2¾ 􀄇nches in diameter, are these words, "EaalesiCi3 I De Bealcsborn I Nicolaus Battely I A..M. I D.D.D." The weight 0£ the Paten is '7¼ ounces avoirdupois. The HALL-MARKS are: q, the date letter for 1693-4; the lion passant; the leopard's head crowued; and T.K., with a fish above and trefoil below the initials. The donor, the Rev. Nicholas Battely, M.A.., was Vicar of Bekesbourne from 1685 until 1'704, and at the same time held the Vicarage of Ivychurch in Romney Marsh; that is to say, he possessed both benefices £or nearly twenty years. He was a brother of Dr. John Battely, Archdeacon of Canterbury, and Rector of Adisham-aum-Staple. The Rev. Nicholas Battely was a learued and painstaking antiquary. He devoted many years to elaborate researches among _the manuscript records of t􀄈e M_onastery, and Cathedral, of Obrist Church, Canterbury.· His obJect had been simply to prepare a new edition of The Antiquities of Canterbury, which had been published in 1640 by William Somner, Auditor of Christ Church, and Registrar of the Archbishop's Court. Eventually, however, Mr. Battely amassed so large a collection of new matter that he added, to Somner's work, a second Part, which he called Oantuaria Saara, or the Antiquities of the Cathedral, Archbishopric, Priory, Archdeaconry, and all Religious Places in Canterbury. His work was not published until 1'708, about a year before his own death. On the title-page he describes himself as, "NICOLAS BATTELY, Vicar of Bealcsborn ;" and in the Prefaces he writes with great modesty, doing full justice to Somner, whose life and works he describes with eulogy aud reverence. Respecting himself he says, " Ever since I came into Kent I have received continual favours from the Very Reverend the Dean and Canons of this Church. By their Leave, and with their consent I have had free Access to the Archives and Library of this Church ; which I do hereby acknowlege with all Gratitude. Particularly I have been ever received by my very good Brother, Dr John Battely with all sorts of endearing Kindnesses, at his Prebendal-House in Christ Church; where I had the free Use of his Library, which is well furnished with Books relating to this kind of Study." Mr. Nicholas Battely died at Bekesbourne on the 19th of May 17'04. There is an old ALMS-PLATE, bearing the Loudon Hallmarks of the year 1685-6, but inscribed underneath with the words, "Bealcesbourn Ohurah 1846." The HALL-MARKS are: (i.) T.C., with a fish above, and a quatrefoil below, the initials; (ii.) leopard's head, crowned; (iii.) lion passant; (iv.) black-letter f), the date letter £or 1685-6. Whether this belonged to the ,church of old; or whether it was bought in 1840 when Mrs. Gipps gave a new set of vessels to this church, I cannot ascertain. The diameter of the plate is BEKESBOURNE. 269 9f inches; im rim stands ftha of an inch above its base. Scratched beneath, ia a. note of im weight, "17-17." Upon im face ia engraved the sacred monogram t{Jt, within a. crown of thorns ; a.a on the new veaaela. The new veaaela, a.11 inscribed underneath, " BE.A.K.ESBOURN CHURCH 1846,'' "The Gift of Jane the Wife of George G°ipps [Qf llowltit~] Esquire,'' a.re a. Cup, Flagon, Pa.ten, and Alma-plate. They a.11b ear the same London IJ.tLirllABK8 of the year 1846-'7, viz.: (i.) R.H., in an oblo~ shield;' (ii.) lion pa.aaant; (iii.) leopard's head, not crowned; (1v.) black-letter ca.pita.BL; (v.) Ileaa of Queen Victoria.. The generous donor was Jane, youngest daughter of John Bowdler, F.aq. (one of the founders of the Incorporated Church Building Society). Her brother, the Rev. Thoma.a Bowdler, wa.a well known a.a Secretary of the Church Building Society. Iu 1810, Mias Jane Bowdler married Mr. George Gippa, eon of George Gippa, Esq., of Ha.rbledown, who had been M.P. for Canterbury. Her nuaba.nd did not then poaaeaaHowletta, but took hie bride :first to Ileden, and afterwards to Bourne Park, which was subsequently sold to Mr. Matthew Bell .About 1816 Mr. Gip~ purchased, and removed to Howletta; where, fifty-four yea.re later, Mrs. Jane Gippa died, on the 15th of April 1870. The CUP ha.a on im bowl the sacred monogram (f)C within a c1'0wn of thorns. Im height ia 7t inches; its bowl, nearly a. hemi-aphere in shape, ia 3 inches deep, and 3¼ inches wide at the mouth. There ia a knop on im stem. . The FLAGON is of the " Camden shape ;" resembling an emaciated example of the "round-bellied" or "pear-aha.pea'' veaaela used in the time of Queen Eliza.beth. Im height is 9l inches, to the top of the small domical lid. The diameter of the body at its widest pa.rt ia 5 inches; of the foot 4 inches; and of the mouth 2 inches, but the ~out projects another ha.If-inch. Three belt.! of engraving, in the Elizabethan style, encircle this ~on; one round the middle of the body, oue near the li_p, and a. thud on the foot; in the last-named belt, grapes aud vine fea.vea form the ornament.!. Each belt ia flanked by raised ribs of·meta.l. The sacred monogram ia engraved on this fl~n, a.a on the other veaaela. The ALMS-PL.A.'!'~ 'of this new service, ia 9f inches in diameter, and its rim stands 1 inch above its base . .. The PATEN, of Mrs. Gippa'a ,rift, ia 7t inches in diameter, and ftha of an inch high. It has ttie sacred monogram above, and inac_ri_ptionbae neath, exactly similar to those on the Alma-plate. HowLETTa, the residence of Mrs. Gippa, the donor of the new Plate, was for several centuries a. noted seat in the pariah of Bekeabourne. It wa.ap oaaeaaed aucceaaivelyb y the I.ea.a.ctah, e Palmera, and the Ha.lea baronets of the later creation. The old house, however, wa.a pulled down when Mr. Bnugh purchased it a. hundred yea.re a.go, and he built a. new house upon a. spot not far .from the old site, but outside the pariah of Bekeabourne, and within the • These two words are omitted on the Cup and li!agon. 270 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. precinct of Well, in Ickham. This was purchased, about 1816, by Mr. George Gipps of Bourne Park, whose ancest.ors had long been lessees of the Great Tithes of Bekesbourne. Howleth! being close to the boundary of the two parishes of Bekesbourne and Ickham, is much nearer to Bekesbourne Ohurch than it is to that of Ickham. BELVEDERE (ALL SAINTS). In the modern Oh urch of .All Saints, built by Sir Oulling Eardley in 1856-'7 on Lessneas Heath, within the old boundaries of the ancient parish of Erith, all the Oommunion V easels are of Plated Metal, and the Alms-dish is of Brass. The Rev. Hector McN eile, while Vicar of All Saints, Belvedere, furnished the following description. There are two OUPs, 8l inches high, and gilt inside, which weigh 11 ozs. each. The FLAGON, 10 inches high, and weighing 88 ounces, has a spout, and a handle. Upon it is a maker's mark, J. 0., surmounted by crossed keys, and tlie figure 4. The PAT.EN, 'Tt inches in diameter, stands 8½ mches high, on a central stem. It weighs 18 ozs. The Brass ALKS-Dls:e:, 14 inches in diameter, has in its centre a boss, formed of a polished pebble. Around the rim runs this inscription, " All things oomeo f Thee , there is in the middle a. thin, projecting, round moulding engraved with one line of hyphens, or "gouttee de sang." Between the stem and the bowl there is a. reeded moulding, and another between the foot and the stem. The foot has a. belt of h[.P,hens, and a.t its edge is a.n egg-and-tongue moulding. The weight of the cup is enhanced to 2'1¼oz a. avoirdupois by the insertion-of lead into the stem. The HA.LL-XAllKS a.re: a. small bla.ck-letter lJ, the London letter £or 1561-2; lion pa.asa.nt; crowned leopazd's bead; and the maker's mark, in a. shaped shield, a crescent with one mullet within its horwi and one above each horn. 282 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. The PA.TEN-OOVE&, 4½ inches in dia.metier, 1¾ high, stands on a central foot or button that is l¼ inch in die.metier. It weighs 4 ozs. 40 grains troy. Around it there is engraved a belt similar to the upper belt on the bowl of the cup. The JI4LL-W.RKB are: a small black-lettier c, the London lettier for 1560-1; lion passant; crowned leopard's head ; and a crescent with three mullets, as on the cup. Biddenden Flagon made in 1592-8. The handsome gilt FLAGON, given to the Ohurcli in 1618, weighs 42 ozs. 5 drams troy; it stands 12¾ inches high. Pear-shaJ?ed, with a handle that curves out 81 inches from the neck, which 1s 3 inches in dia.metier; its bowl is 6 inches in die.metier at its central or widest part. The round foot is 4f inches in die.merer. Engraved just above the foot are these words: "89mholuma morise ccleriEN-lHLSIN G'l'ON. 283 Bancroft gave a set of Oommunion Plate to this chur􀅺h. If so, he probably gave the Elizabethan Cup as well as this Flagon. The learned Dr. John Bancroft (nephew of Archbishop Bancroft) was born at Estwell, Oxou, cfraa 1574; his father was Christopher Bancroft. He was admitted a Student of Christ Church, Oxford, in 1592. By the favour of his uncle he was appointed Rector of Orpington in 1608, and held that benefice £or many years. In the following year he was elected Master of University College, Oxford, and obtained also the rectory of Woodchurch in Kent, and the Prebend of Mapesbury in St. Paul's Cathedral. Next year he acquired the rectory of Biddenden, to which he was inducted in April 1610; and he held it, with Orpington and .Woodchurch, and the Mastership of University College, for more than twenty years. In 1632 Dr. John Bancroft was promoted to the bishopric of Oxford, but with his see he continued to hold Biddenden and part of Orpington, both of which he visited occasionally. During one of his visits to Kent, in 1633, Bishop Bancroft was authorized by the Archbishop of Canterbury to consecrate a private chapel in the house of Sir John Sedley, at St. Olere, in Ightham. Bishop Bancroft died at Westminster in 1640, and was buried at Ouddesden. This Flagon, so elaborately adorned, forms an admirable memento of the bishop's coU11ection with Biddeuden. The name Biddenden is engraved in punctured letters upon a shield on the top of the cover. The 11.t1.LL-M.t1.RKS shew a capital P, the date letter £or 1592-3 ; a liou passant; a crowned leopard's head; and maker's mark not meutioned by Mr. Cripps nor by Mr. W. Chaffers, a shaped shield bearing a monogram of the letters TR. They appear twice ; on the neck, and again on the top of the lid. Beneath the foot are punctured these words, " Oitnoes 39: 3 qua1•ters." I am indebted to Miss Peterson (daughter of the rector of Biddenden) £or drawings and a photograph of the Flagon and Cup. The handsome ALMS-DISH, 11 inches in diameter, l¼ inch high, bears three London H.ALL-.M.ARKS f'or 1761-2, underneath. It weighs 31 ozs. 1 dram, and has a broad gadrooned edge. On the convex centre is engraved the sacred monogram IHS, en soZeiZ. Around the rirn of the dish this inscription is engraved, "In Honorem Dei Pro Saarm JfJualiaristim Usu Banc Patinam HuiniZlime Ojfert Joliannes Ponifrett Genm·osus." Similar words are eng1•aved beneath the dish. The donor was buried here, May 13, 1762. He possessed a good estate in Biddenden. Two ALM:S-PL.A.TEs, 8} inches in diamete1•, are not of silve1'. Two PEWTER ALMS-PL.A.TEs, one 9J inches, the other Sf in diameter, are inscribed BIDENDEN; they are no lo11ge1• in use. BILSINGTON. From the Rev. Francis M. Cameron, the vicar, I have obtained a drawing and description of the ancient silver Oup and Paten284 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. Cover (circa 1680) belonging to his church. There is also a modern electroplated set of Communion Vessels, consisting of 2 CuPs, a FL.A.GON, a PATEN', and an ALMS-PLATE, all presented to the church in 1827 by the Rev. Robert Pope, who wa1:1 then curate 0£ the parish, and the owner 0£ some land in Bonnington. The CUP, 6¾ inches high, has a stem 8 inches long, with knopmoulding in the middle, a foot 8½ inches in diameter, and a bowl which forms the greater part 0£ the vessel, being 8¾ inches deep, and about 8½ inches wide at the mouth. On the £rout 0£ the bowl is the sacred monogram IH8, with cross and nails, en soleil; and near the mouth, directly: above the monogram, is "Beilsin,qton, 1630.'' Underneath the foot is written" Thomas Raynolcle, 0. W."; and there also we find the only HALL-MARK to be seen upon the cup ; it is the device 0£ the maker, a five-petalled flower, with stem and lea£, within a plain shield. This maker is represented by many pieces 0£ Communion Plate in Kentish Churches. At Burmarsh, at East Langdon, and at Stodmarsh we find examples of his art. A note, respecting the repair 0£ this cup, under the foot. in 1827, is also scratched The PATEN-COVER bears the same maker's mark as the Cup. It has no other mark, but on the " button," or ·£oot, is engraved "Beilsington 1680." BIROHINGTON. The Rev. J.P. Alcock, junr., describes the Birchington Church Plate as an old Cup (1678), with Paten-Cover (1678), and a Paten (1678), together with a new Cup and Paten. The old CUP, 8½ inches high, has a very capacious bowl 5 inches deep and 4½ inches wide at the mouth. The foot 0£ the cup is smaller, being only 3¼ inches in diameter. On the stem there is the usual round moulding to form a lmop. On the bowl the sacred monogram IHS, with cross and nails, en soleil, is thrice repeated and gilt. The HALI,.MARKS on the bowl are: (i.) T.C, with a fish above the initials, as on Church Plate at Canterbury (St. Dunstan's, St. George's, and St. Pater's), Charing, Minster, Paddlesworth, Rcreocwunlveder;, (Siiui.t)t olino n (pDaosvsaenr)t,; a(invd.) sWmoaollt tbolnac;k -l(eiit.t)e r leao, ptahred L's onhdeoadn date letter £or 1678-9. Upon the foot is engraved: "Tke chalis of BircMngton made in 1/ yeare of our Lorcl 1678. Jolin A'!flwin, Minister. John Goar, } Churchwardens." John Orealc, The PATEN-COVER, 5½ inches in diameter, is inscribed "BircMngton Church Plate 1678." The old PATEN, 6 inches in diameter, has its surface slightly engraved and gilt. In the centre is engraved the sacred monogram IHS, en soleil, which also appears upon the button or foot. On the top 0£ this Paten are the same HALL-MARKS as on the Cup. On the foot underneath is the lion passant only. BIRCHINGTON-JHRLING. 285 The new OUP, 8¼ inches high, and 4¼ inches wide at the mouth, has an hexagonal stem and knop ; the foot, 5¼ inches wide, has jewels on :five compartments and if)c on the sixth. It was presented to this church in 1878 by a lady, who gave also a new PATEN, 6½ inches in diameter, with the '' Lamb and Flag" engraved in its centre, and six jewels on the rim. The HALL-MARKS are those of London, £or 1873-4 ; both vessels were made by Cox and Sons. BIRLING. The Oommunion Vessels at Birling are described by the Rev. J. A. Boodle as consisting of 2 Cups, one dated 1617, and another circa 1685; a Tankard, for use as a :flagon (1697-8) ; a Paten (airaa 1813) ; 1 old silver Alms-dish ; and 1 Alms-plate of plated ware. OUP No. I., which has ornaments of Elizabethan character, is 7¾ inches high, and weighs 10¾ ozs. avoirdupois. Its bowl, 3¾ inches deep, and 3¼ inches wide at its mouth, has one central belt of engraving, formed of horizontal fillets which, interlacing, cross over and ex:change their levels, as in Elizabethan belts. It bears these punctured letters and a date + W.R. + R.D. + 1617. The stem has, at its middle, a knoplike moulding, not of one smooth curved surface, but swelling into convexities, more like a mediawal knop, than we .usually see on Qommuuion cups. There are no HALL-MARKS. The outer rim of the foot is ornamented with the " egg and tongue " moulding. CUP No. 2, which fa 7 inches high, has a plain conical stem without lmop or moulding and a bell-shaped bowl. This bowl is capacious, being 4¼ inches deep, and Bf inches wide at the mouth. On it is engraved the sacred monogram IHS, with cross and nails, en soleil. Above this monogram is the maker's mark twice repeated, near the mouth, PD, with two mullets above and one below the initials, all in a plain shield. There are no other HALL-MARKS. The foot, 4¾ inches in diameter, is so moulded that it and the stem together resemble a trumpet's mouth. The weight 0£ this cup is a 11¼ ozs. avoirdupois. From the shape we may assign it to the seventeenth century, probably airaa 1685-6; but the maker's mark is not mentioned by Mr. Cripps or any other writer so far as I know. The PATEN, 6¼ inches in diameter, stands 1 inch high, upon a central foot. It bears the sacred monogram, as on Oup No. 2. Its . h . ,.,1. • d . Th ( " ) OR · we1g t 1s , 2 ozs. avoir upo1s. e HALL-MARKS are : 1. WS m a square stamp; (ii.) lion rampant; (iii.) leopard's head crowned; (iv.) S ; (v.) the head 0£ George III. The TANKARD, to which a spout 01• lip has been added that it may serve as a flagon, stands 5¼ inches high without its lid. It is of the highest quality o:f silver, and was made by John Sutton of Lombard Street. Its diameter is 4! inches, and its weight 26 ozs. avoirdupois. The HALL-MARKS are: (i.) SV in an o:val; (ii.) :Britannia; (iii.) lion's head erased; (iv.) Oourt-hand :B, the London date letter for 1697-8. Upon the handle are the initials of its original 286 QHUROH PLA'l'E IN KENT. owners, the Dampiers, W!;>M, When ven to Birling Church it was thus inscribed : " Presenteil by Mrs. Jane P. Phelps to tke Okurck of BirZing, Olwistmas Day, 1854." This lady (nee Lupton) was the widow o:E the Jiev. Thomas Prankerd Phelps, whose brother, H. D. Phelps, was Rector 0£ Snodland £or sixty-one years (1804- 65). His mother, nee Elizabeth Dampier, was a first-cousin of two well-known Etonians, Dr.1'homas Dampier, Bishop of Rochester 1802-9, and Sir Henry Dampier, a Judge. This tankard bears the initials of their grandparents, Wm. and Mary Dampier, of East Hall, Blackford, Somerset. The donor's eldest so11 was Vicar of RBeircltinorg o1f8 R50i-d6le4y, , aKnedn th. er second son, Canon T. P. Phelps, is still The .ALMS-DISH, '7! inches in diameter, and weighing 8 ozs. a"\Toirdupois, bears no HALL-MARK to decide its date. It seems to have been made £or a soup plate in a silver dinner service. In the centre is engraved " a fess dancettee between three mullets pierced," probably the coat of a More, Delamore, or Wessenham. Attached to the pointed base of the shield or pendant from it is a roundel with some figure upon it. Probably this was the badge of an Order, perhaps that 0£ the Bath, or of St. Michael and St. George. The ALMS-l'LATE, 9 inches in diameter, is of plated ware. BISHOPSBOURNE. The Communion Vessels here are described by the Rev. T. Hirst, Rector of Bishopsbourne, as a Cup with Paten-Cover (1706), a Paten (1683), an .A.Ima-dish (1698-9), and 2 Pewter Flagons. The CUP, '7 inches high, has a bell-shaped bowl 4 inches in diameter at the mouth. It bears no HALL-'f,1.ARKs, but round the foot are engraved these words, " Deo et EcclesiCB ile Biskopsborn in Com. OantiCB sacrum 15'7'7, refectum et auatum." Whence we gather that an Elizabethan Cup, given to the Church in 15'7'7, was exchanged for this larger one. The date at which this was done is stated upon the Paten-cover to be 1'706. All silver worked in that year would be of the higher quality of metal, called New Sterling, so that the value of the Cup was increased; thus the words "refectuni et auatum" are explained. The PA.TEN-COVER is 4½ inches in diameter; on its under side are engraved these words, "Deo et EaalesiCB ile Bislzopsborn in Com. CantiCB Sacrum Anno Dom. 1'706." The rector in 1'706 was the Rev. Dr. George Thorpe, Prebendary of Canterbury, and rector both of Ickham and Bishopsbourne. On his monument in the cathedral he is called the Reverend and Hospitable George Thorpe. The Sacred vessels used in this Church were all renewed during his incumbency. The PA.TEN, 8 inches in diameter, is inscribed, "Deo et EcalesiCB ile Biskopsborn in Com. CantiCB Sacrum 1683." The HALL-MARKS, not meaaskileyr 'lse gmibarlek, naoret dae cliipohne rpeads.s ant, a crowned leopard's head, and a The ALMS-DISH, 18 inches in diameter, was made by William BISHOPSBOURNE-BL.A.CKHE.A.TH. 287 Andrewes 0£ Mugwell Street, London, in 1698-9, from the higher quality 0£ silver generally known as "Queen Anne," or New Sterling. It is inscribed, "Deo et Ecclesice cle Bislwpsborn in Oom,. Oantice Sacrum 1698." No doubt Dr. Geo. Thorpe wrote all these inscriptions which are similarly worded., although engraved at three distinct periods. The HALL-MAllKS on this Alms-dish are: (i.) Court-hand 0, the date letter for 1698-9; (ii.) lion's head erased, the Goldsmiths' Hall-mark for New Sterling silver; (iii.) Britannia, the Imperial mark denoting New Sterling quality; and (iv.) William Andrewes' mark AN. The two FL.A.GONS are 0£ pewter. BL.A.0KHE.A.TH. The Church 0£ the Ascension, Blackheath, formerly a 0hapel-ofEase to St. Ma1•y's, Lewisham, was then called Dartmouth Chapel. It was consecrated as a parish church on the 3rd of May 1883. The Communion Vessels, presented in 1831 by the Rev. and Hon. Dr. Henry Legge (Vicar 0£ Lewisham 1831-79), are a Cup (1655-6), a Paten (1717-8), a Flagon (1791-2), an Alms-dish, and an Apostle Spoon. A description 0£ these vessels was furnished by the Rev. John James Fawcett Neville Rolfe (Perpetual Curate 1877-88 and Vicar 1883-4), with the help of Dr. J. J. Howard, Miss Berkeley, and Miss H. E. Upton, who made the sketches from which our woodcuts are taken. The CUP, though very plain, is 0£ interest, because it was made during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell in 1655-6. It bears these HALL-MARKS: (i.) W.R.; (ii.) leopard's head crowned; (iii.) lion passant; (iv.) Court-hand S, the date letter £or 1655-6. Its height is 6! inches, the mouth is 4 inches in diameter, and the foot 3½ inches. It wejghs about 7 ozs. Upon the front of the Cup is engraved the sacred monogram IHS with cross ar..d nails, en soleiZ, in the ugly form which is shewn upon our woodcut of the Flagon. The PATEN, 8f inches in diameter, stands 3 inches high, upon a central foot, the base of which is 3¼ inches in diameter. On the centre of the Paten if! engraved the sacred monogram IHS as on the Flagon. The HALL-.M.A.EKS are: (i.) indistinct; (ii.) lion's head erased; (iii.) Britannia; (iv.) B, the date letter £or 1717-8. 288 OHUROH PLATE IN KENT. It weighs 15 ozs. 8 dwt.s. troy, and is made of the New Sterling or "Queen Anne " silver. The FLAGON is 9¾ inches high to the top of the lid, which it.self is l¾ inches high. The diameter of the foot is 6 inches. The handle is an inch broad. The Flagon weighs 80 ozs. troy. Upon it is the sacred monogram with cross and nails, en soleil. The H.A.LL,M.4.II.K8 are: (i.) lion passant; (ii.) crowned leopard's head; (iii) q, the London date letter forl791-2; (iv.) head of George III. The ALMS-DISH, 9½in ches in diameter, weighs 11 ozs. 7 dwts. troy, and resembles a lal'ge soup plate. In the centre is the sacred mono~ as on the Flagon. ~he JUI,L-Jt.tRKH are: (i.) K.P.; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) leopard's head without crown; (iv.) k, the da.te letter for 1825-6; (v) head of George IV. The silver-gilt APOSTLE SPOON shewn opposite is an interesting example of Danish or German manufacture, '1½in ches long. The' back of the bowl is seen in the woodcut. The foreign haJl-Il)ark appears as an F upside down, beside the rat-tailed end of the stem ; but it is only the date letter, and the mark denoting nationality is lackin.J?. The coat of a.rms of the original owner of the spoon with tlie initials of himself and his wife, R.O. and l3LEAN (ss. OOSMUS AND DAMIAN). 289 A.A., a.re clearly engraved. It is an interesting bit of silver. The Apostle's figure at the end of the handle may represent St. Paul, as he hold.a in his hand a sword, point downward. BLEAN (SS. CosMus AND DAMiilT). The Communion Vessels at Blean Church are all of plain silver, a Cu_p (1'720), a Pa.ten (1'720), a. Flagon (1'790), and an .Alms-plate (1'790). The Rev. Headly Willson, Curate-in-charge, sup• plied a description of them. The CUP, 6 inches high, has a bellshaped bowl 8 inches in diameter at the mouth. The stem and foot a.re together trumpet-like, but the foot has three convex mouldings. This Cup weighs 5 ozs. avoirdupois, and was ma.de by Timothy Ley of Fenchurch Street, London, in 1'720-1. He ma.de much church plate, and examples of hi.s work in Old Sterling silver are found in several other Kentish Churches, e.g. at Betteshanger, Borden, Eastling, Elham, Hythe, !wade, and Newchurch; other churches have specimens of his earlier work in New Sterling silver, as at Tunstall and St. Lawrence, Thanet. The H.AI.L-M.illKS a.re: (i.) E, the date letter for 1'720-1; (ii.) leopard's head crowned; (iii.) lion passant; (iv.) T L in a. round stamp with a cinquefoil between two pellets both above and below the initials. This was Timothy Ley'a 'mark on Old Sterling silver. The P .ATEN-COVER, ma.de by the same Timothy Ley in the same year, is 81 Spoon s.t Blaokhea.th. inches in diameter, and stand.a lt inch nigh. Its weight is 2 ozs. avoirdupois. On its back is roughly cut the date 1'720. The H.4I,I,.lll11K8 a.re similar to those on the Cup. The FLAGON, 12 inches high, holds one quart. Its spla~d foot is 'l¼ inches in diameter, but the mouth is only 4 inches Wlde. It has no spout; its lid is dome-shaped, and it has tne usual handle. It was ma.de in 1'790-1 by Peter and Jona.than Bateman of Bunhill Row, London, as we learn from the HA.I,L-H.4.llK8: (i.) r:.· in square stamp; (ii.) lion pa.ssa.nt; (iii.) leopard's head crowned; (iv.) p, date letter for 1'790-1; (v.) head of George Ill Thi.s Flagon weighs 41 ozs, avoirdupois. VOL, XVII, U 290 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. The ALMS-DISH is round, 9 inches in diameter, and weighs 9¼ ozs. avoirdupois. BOBBING. The Church Plate 0£ this parish is handsome, and consists 0£ a Cup (circa 1665), a Paten (circa 1665), a Flagon (1803-4), and an Alms-plate (1809). Major Richard Knight of Bobbing Court, Churchwarden of the parish, wrote a description of these· vessels. The CUP, 7¼ inches higb, has a wide conical bowl, 3! inches deep, and 4f inches wide at the mouth. 'l'here is no knob on the trumpet-like stem. The foot is 4¼ inches wide. There are no H.ALL-MAJIKS on this Cup, which weighs 12 ozs. Upon the bowl are engraved the arms of Sir George Moore, Baronet ( 0£ Maids Morton, Bucks), "on a chevron* 3 fleurs-de-lis between 3 martlets, over all the red hand of Ulster," impaling the arms ot' his second wife, Frances, daughter and coheiress of Henry Sandford,t Lord of the Manor of Bobbing, "er11iine, on a chief gules 2 boars' heads couped or." The arms are surrounded by stiff feather-like mantling peculiar to the time of Charles II. Beneath the armorial bearings is this inscription: '' The guift of S1• George Moore and I kis Lady to the Church of I Bobbing in Kent.'' When Mr. Sandford died in 1660 his daughter Frances inherited the Manor of Bobbing, but Sir G. Moore was not created a Baronet until 1665, so this gift must have been made in or after .A..D. 1665. Sir George Moore died without male issue in 1678, and was buried in Bobbing Church ; consequently this Cup must have been given between the years 1665 and 1678. A board in the church on which benefactions are recorded ascribes to "Sir George Moo1·e Ba1·t. a Silver cup and plate for the Oommunion.'' This Sir George Moore, in right of his wife, was Patron 0£ the Benefice, and in 1672-3 he exercised his privilege by presenting to the Vicarage of Bobbing the Rev. Titus Oates, who subsequently acquired such notoriety for his infamous action against Romanists. The PATEN, a silver plate 8 inches in diameter, and 1½ inch high, weighs 10½ ozs. It bears the same arms and inscription as the Cup. * Upon this Cup Sir George Moore's arms are thus engraved, and they are thus blazoned on his tomb in Bobbing Church; but Hasted, in his History of Kent, vol. vi., p. 198, describes the arms of Sir George as on a fess three fleurs• de-lis between three mullets. t Mr. Henry Sandford and Sir Geo. Moore resided in the ancient house of the Cliffords, old Bobbing Court, which stood on the eastern side of the highway and some distance from it. The existing house, called Bobbing Court, stands on the opposite or western side of the highway. Mr_. Sandford's father was Henry Sandford of Birchington, whose daughter Elizabeth married Sir Richard Gurney, Lord Mayor of London in 1641. Sir Richard possessed Bobbing Manor, but alienated it to his brother-in-law, Henry Sandford, who was born in August 1596. He married Elizabeth Pankhurst of Mayfield, Sussex, and by her had one son (who died young) and five daughters. He was Receiver-General for the counties of Surrey, Sussex, and Kent. BOBBING CHURCH PLATE. BOBBING-BONNINGTON. 291 The FLA.GON, 10 inches high, bas a domed lid, a handle, and a spout. It weighs 34 ozs. Its H.ALL-:DfARKS are: (i.) T.L.; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) crowned leopard's bead; (iv.) H, the London date letter for 1803-4. It is engraved on one side with the sacred monogram IHS en soleil. It bears on the other side, in a shaped shield, the arms of Valentine Simpson, of Bobbing Court, impaling those of his wife, Sarah Hopper, who was his first-cousin, and whom he married at Sittingbourne on the 12th of Nov. 1778. The armorial bearings remind us that their mothers, Mildred and Frances Pettit, were the grand-daughters of the Rev. Edward Pettit,* vicar of Sibertswold (1686 to 1709), by his wife Susanna Pilcher, daughter and coheir of Stephen Pilcher, of Coldred. The arms of Valentine Simpson were : quarterly, 1 & 4 Simpson, 2 Pettit, 3 Pilcher ;t and those of his wife Sarah were: quarterly, 1 & 4 Hopper, 2 Pettit, 3 Pilcher. There is on the front of the Flagon this inscription, " Tlie Gift of Mrs. SARA.H SIJID?SON, of Bobbing Oou1·t, to the Oliurak at Bobbing, Jan. 29, 1838." The ALMS-DISH, 9 inches in diameter, is a silver plate with gadrooned moulding on its rim. It weighs 15 ozs., and bears these HALLMARKS: (i) 11]":; (ii.) lion passant; (iii.) crowned leopard's head; (iv.) 0, the London date letter £or 1809-10; (v.) head of George III. The impaled arms and crest of Val. Simpson and his wife Sarah are engraved in the centre of this alms-dish. The crest is au ounce's head, pean, erased, gules, collared gemellee sable. There is on the rim this inscription, " Tlie Gift of Valentine Simpson I of Bobbing Court, Gentleman I to the Oliurah of Bobbing I 7th A.ur;., 1809." This gentleman was Patron of the living, and his son, the Rev. George Simpson (born 1785), was Vicar of Bobbing from 1818 to 1840, when he was succeeded by his son, the the Rev. George Stringer Simpson (born 1814), who is s􀃼ll the Lord of Bobbing Manor and Patron of the benefice, which he resigned in 1872. BONNINGTON. The Communion Vessels here are: a Cup (1757-9) of silver,and two Patens of pewter. The Rev. Francis M. Cameron, the rector, * Three treatises, written by the Rev. E. Pettit, are now in Mr. Simpson's library at Rose Hill, Bobbing. They are : (i,) Visions of t!te Reformation, printed in 1680; (ii.) -Visions of Pu1•gatory (1683); Visions of Government (1684). t The coats are thus blazoned : SIMPSON, per bend sinister indented, erminois and sable, a lion rampant oounterchanged of the last and or; on a canton gules a covered cup a1'flent, PETTIT, E1·mine, a chevron gules, between 3 cock pheasants' heads, couped, azure. PILCHER , Argent, on a fess dancettee gules, between 3 torteaux, a fleur-de-lis or. HOPPER Azu1•e a chevron ermine, between 2 pomegranates slipped and leaved or in 'chief; ;nd a Catherine wheel in base 01•, u2 292 CHURCH PLATE IN KENT. kindly supplied a drawing, made by one of bis daughters, of this Cup, whicli is of unusual form, being really a porringer, not a Cup. G~: 011vnconi. "'7.s.J The CUP has two handles, and is inscribed, " 0. Boninton 1759." The letter 0, eridently stands for " 01,urc'Jr.."T he bowl of the cup is 8f inches deep,. and its mouth is of the same width. The whole cup stands 5 incnes high; and its foot is 8 inches wide. Each handle projects nearly 2 inches from the bowl. Beneath the foot is scratched the weight 9 oz. 9 p[ennyweights]. The H.A.LL-Jt.ABKB a.re: a lion passant, and the circu]ar stamp of the makers (Thomas Whipham and Charles Wright, well-known gold- 0. smiths), which bears their initials thus: T.W. As their mark was w. first registered thus at Goldsmiths' Hall in 1757, we know that this cup must have been made in 1757, 1758, or 1759. .A.t Frinsted Church and at Postling Church a porringer was used, as a Communion Onp, until 80 yea.rs a.go. The two P .A.TENS, of pewter, are 5!l inches in diameter, standing each 1t inch high, upon a central foot 2f inches wide. Upon the to_p of each pa.ten is en~ved the name Bonington; and beneath eacli is stamped the name Henry Fieldar, and between his two names stands a rose-in-sun between two dovecote. BORDEN. There a.re here a Cup (1625-6), Paten-cover (1625-6), Flagon (1726--7),and Pa.ten (1715-16), respecting which the Rev. F. E. Tuke supplied information. The CUP, 8½ inches high, and 8½ inches in diameter at the mouth, was bequeathed by a former Vicar of Borden, the Rev. Thomas Everard, who 'held the benefice from 1611 to 1619. He likewise beq_ueathed 6 11,cres of land in 13orden 11,nd Stockbury for the use BORDEN-BOUGHTON ALUPH. 293 of the poor. The cup is thus inscribed, "~ dono Tlwmas Bvet•artl nuper ed shield, with some object befow the monogram ; (ii.) crownecf leopard's head; (iii.) lion passa.nt; (iv.) italic h, the da.te letter for 162~. The PATEN-COVER, 4¼in ches in dia.meter, ha.an o inscription, but baa.rs the sa.me H.ALL-M.ABK8 a.a the Oup. The FLAGON, 12¼ inches high, a.nd 4½ inches wide a.t the mouth, wa.s ma.de by Timothy Ley:, of Fenchurch Street, in 1726-7, a.nd was presented to this church by John a.nd Eliza.betli N a.pleton. It is inscribed, " T/,e Gift of John Napleton, of this Pari,sk, atUl :EUzabeth hi,s wife, to the Ol,,urcl,, of Borden ~D. 1725." I£ the da.te on this inscription is correct, it is probable tha.t John N a.pleton bequeathed the money in 1725, a.nd his executors purchased the Flagon. The II.ALirM.41'KB a.re : (i.) in a. circula.r eta.mp, T.L., with a cin