The church of St Mary the Virgin has stood in the village for more than one thousand years and has a rich history, but it also has several mysteries which are unsolved.
The tower with its spire is unusual and is known as a ‘candle snuffer.’ There are only three other churches in Kent with similar spires. These are at Willesborough, New Romney and Bexley. The reason for the design is not recorded, but the generally accepted theory is that it was used as a navigation marker for boats sailing along the River Medway because the church is situated high on a hill making it clearly visible from the river. Another theory is that when the bells were installed in the tower the gap between the octagonal top and the square base allowed the sound of the bells to escape uninhibited. However, the true reason remains unclear and unconfirmed.
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The St Mary's tower with its spire is unusual and is
known as a ‘candle snuffer.’ |
Inside the church situated on the right just before the Lady Chapel, the top part of a wall painting is visible. When the church walls were scraped of emulsion before re-painting during the 1940s, Reverend Lightburne made a series of drawings of the painting which depicts scenes from the life of Saint Spiridon, patron saint of the Ionian Islands.
The unanswered mystery is why scenes from the life of a saint in a distant land are depicted on the wall of Upchurch church? The most likely theory is that somebody who participated on one of the crusades to the Holy Land returned home with the story and it was then made into a wall painting. Another theory is that the Carmelites who founded a convent in Aylesford established a settlement in Corfu where they had a devotion to Saint Spiridon in 1242. A convent also existed in Upchurch until some point during the fourteenth century and this may have been the connection with the Carmelites. The building now known as Wayside in Horsham Lane is believed to have been the possible site of the convent due to its closeness to the church although conclusive written proof does not exist.
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Could the two brasses in St. Mary's Church, Upchurch
be a memorial to Hugh and Joan Herland? |
Near the entrance to the vestry, brasses of a fourteenth century couple can be viewed on the wall. These are memorial plates taken from the floor under the church organ. The couple are identified as a wealthy merchant and his wife from the mid-fourteenth century. Although records of Upchurch residents from the period are scarce it’s known that King Richard ll’s royal carpenter Hugh Herland and his wife Joan resided in Upchurch from the 1370s to 1391. Because Hugh Herland was rewarded with ‘passage of wool’ by the king as a reward for work he had completed at Queenborough castle and other locations it meant that he had become a member of the merchant class with the right to trade in wool. Could the brasses be of Hugh Herland and his wife? Although the couple moved from Upchurch to Kingston-Upon-Thames in 1391 after they had inherited property in the area through Joan’s family, their burial in Upchurch is a possibility but is not conclusive. Other wealthy residents may have lived in Upchurch during the fourteenth century but Hugh Herland and his wife are the main recorded candidates for the brasses.
Edmund Drake, the father of St Francis Drake, served as vicar of Upchurch from 1560 to 1567 but mystery remains regarding his burial place in the churchyard. This is because marked graves before the eighteenth century no longer exist there. However, Edmund Drake stated in his will that he wished to be buried in the churchyard beside his son Edward who had died in infancy. Lady Eliot Drake confirms in her book about the history of the Drake family published in 1911 that Edmund was definitely buried in Upchurch churchyard. Although this evidence exists the exact burial place of Edmund Drake remains unknown.
Village folklore suggests that a secret passage leading from the church to the building known as Wayside opposite in Horsham Lane exists. This is possible because when Henry VIII broke relations with Rome and introduced Protestantism, government officials were sent to persecute priests and confiscate the wealth from Catholic churches. This led to secret passages being constructed in churches as an escape route for priests to avoid arrest or persecution. An inspection of the cellar walls in Wayside has not shown any evidence of an opening or passage which may have been blocked in the past.
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Was this once the entrance to a secret passage leading to
Wayside in Horsham Lane? |
When restoration work took place in the church in 2002, the raised platform on the floor of the children’s area to the left of the main entrance had to be moved. This revealed a sealed arched vault. After consultation with an archivist a decision was made not to investigate further as it would have meant a longer closure of the church which had already been closed for the restoration work for almost a year. Therefore, the mystery of a secret passage remains unsolved.
Although the mysteries connected with the church remain, at least the evidence available allows for thought and an interesting discussion.
About David
David Wood was born, raised and still lives in Upchurch today. He is able to write from personal experience about village life and the changes that have taken place over the years, making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable and detailed historical study of the village.
David's book, ‘Memories of Upchurch’ is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters.
Price £12 + £3.50 postage and packing.
David Wood
