Some Monumental Inscriptions of Lympne Church

Some Monumental Inscriptions of Lympne Church, noted by Rev Bryan Faussett noted 1757. Kindly typed up for the website by Pat Tritton.

In The Chancell.
1. On a Flat Stone, with this Coat. (Dexter side not drawn, but inscribed FINCH as before, Page 7.11. Per salt. c’changed arg. & gu. 4 ++lets c’changed [Agst. this coat is written] These are Arms of TWYSDEN). Here lieth interr’d The Body of Mrs Sarah, ye Wife of Mr John Finch of This Parish, who departed this Life, Aprill 19th 1702. In The 37th Year of her Age. She had Issue 2 Sons, namely Tilden, who lies interrd at Saltwood; and William who lies in this Church Yard. He died in ye 2d. Year of his Age. Here also lieth ye Body of John Finch of Limpne Gent. Eldest Son to George Finch of Wye, Gent. by Mrs Jane Twysden his First Wife, Daughter to Thomas Twysden of Wye Gent, long since deceased. Baptised in ye Year of Our Lord God 1635, on Michaelmass Day, and was interrd under this Stone 7 Feb. 1707/8. Aged 73.

2. On Another Flat Stone. Here lieth The Body of Elisabeth, Daughter of Peter BOWNEY, Minister of this Parish, and of Elisabeth his Wife. She departed this Life May 31 A.D. 1671. Aged 1 Year and 7 Months. And, must it be so? Yes, ye know,/That, Death, because of Sin’s our Foe./Nor Young, nor Old, nor Rich, nor poor,/Can ‘scape Death’s Stroke, it is so sure./When many spend much Time in Pleasure,/Thou soon was’t took to Heaven’s Treasure./Rest, Little Corpse, from Sin and Pain,/Till Soul and Body meet again./Then, Thou that read’st, think, what here lies;/And, in Thy Day, learn to be wise.

3. There is a very Ancient Altar Tomb in the South Wall of this Chancell; but The Inscription is entirely defaced and gone.

In The North Isle.
4. On a large Flat Stone – with this Coat. [On a bend 3 f-de-l. between 2 wings (or leaves) fessewise]. Here lies interr’d The Body of Captain Isaac BATCHELOUR, who being commission’d to serve his Majesty, under an honourable Title, in the Militia of this County was discharged by Death, 26 May 1681. Aged 40. Whose sorrowfull Widow, Mrs Margaret Batchelour as a Pledge of her Respects for his surviving Memory placed this Stone for an imperfect Monument of his Deserts, and her Affection. Since a Life-vanquish’d Captain here doth lie,/Death hath a Sting, and Grave The Victory./But, hold – Can he be vanquish’d, whose last Breath/Challeng’d The Grave, and triumph’d over Death?/No. He but changed his Quarters, and march’d on,/To meet his Captain of Salvation./Under whose more auspicious Command,/He’s now commission’d in a better Band./Where Souldiers all are Saints, and Heav’n The Prize;/And Pray’rs and Praises their Sole Exercise./Thus fights our Captain, and proclaims his Cause,/In Thund’ring Peals of Halleluiahs.
Under The Same Stone lieth ye small Reliques of Margaret Batchelour who died an Infant, and was buried Nov. 19 1680. He had, by his Fore-mention’d Consort 3 other Children; Elisabeth, Mary, and John.

5. On Another Flat Stone. Here lieth The Body of The Revd. Mr Henry BAGNALL, Vicar of Limne who left One Son Henry now Rector of Frittenden. He departed this Life, Nov. 23 1748. Aged 75. Rebecca his Wife caused this Stone to be laid.

6. In The Body of The Church are 4 Ancient flat Stones without Inscription. One of which has been formerly inlaid with Brass.

7. This Church seems to have been larger; but, it consists at present only of The Chancell, Body, and Side Isle, to ye North. It has a Tower Steeple, which stands about The Middle of The Building, with 5 Bells; all made by Robert CATLING, in ye Year 1742.

8. At The Bottom of The Hill on which the Church, and a Deacon’s House stand, was The famous Portus Lemanis of The Romans; now called Studfall Castle. Its Contents within ye Walls seem to be about 9 Acres. The Walls are above 12 Feet Thick; their Height not to be guess’d at, as there is not any Part of them whole. *Roman Tiles or Bricks, are laid in Them in Layers, or Courses, at certain Paralel Distances; I think about 5 Feet. (*See Dr. WOODWARD’s Account of some Roman Antiquities, discover’d near Bishops Gate London, P.20). These Tiles have their Edges or Ends, turn’d up; which, I imagine, was done in order to lock them, as it were, to one another; and, not to make them take ye firmer Hold of The Mortar, as Dr HARRIS seems to think. For, upon Examination, I found they were laid in such a concatenated Manner; The End of ye One clasping the End of The Other; and, by that Means, linking The whole Layer of them together. From Durovernum (or Canterbury) To this Place, The Roman Military Way, call’d Stone Street, may be fairly traced, lying strait and conspicuous at this very Day. I think, with Dr. GALE and Many Others, that this was, certainly, The Portus Lemanis of The Romans. The Ingenious Mr SOMNER, however, would rather have it to have been New Romney. But I think ye Reasons wch. he gives in Favour of his Opinion, are easily refuted.

9. The Church is dedicated to St. Stephen. It is a Vicarage, in The Gift of ye Arch Deacon of Canterbury. The Present Vicar is Mr Claudius CLARE, viz. 1757.

10. [Inset, loose, is the upr. pt. of pp.159-60 of Gent. Mag. 1756 "now first publish’d from the MS" of Wm. GOSTLING, communicated to a friend in 1727, abt. a sinking of land at Lymne, abt. 1725, after a very wet season].

Index of Names and Places

Names Index
BAGNALL 5
BATCHELOUR 4
BOWNEY 2
CATLING 7
CLARE 9
FINCH 1
GALE 8
GOSTLING 10
HARRIS 8
SOMNER 8
TWYSDEN 1
WOODWARD 8Places
Bishops Gate London 8
Durovernum (or Canterbury) 8
Frittenden 5
New Romney 8
Portus Lemanis 8
Saltwood 1
Stone Street 8
Studfall Castle 8
Wye 1General
Captain 4
Militia 4