A BRIEF GUIDE TO ALL SAINTS CHURCH BURMARSH

Sturdy and squat, the church of All Saints lies off the beaten track in the small village of Burmarsh. Set amongst  yew, sycamore and chestnut trees, and beyond a drainage dyke, it has watched over the village for over 800 years since being built by the monks from Canterbury after the arrival of William the Conqueror in 1066.  William had tactfully made his elder (and legitimate)  brother Odo Archbishop and had given him plenty of land.  Many of the churches on the Romney Marsh date from that time. 

Even before the arrival of the French, the Saxons were Christian and it is thought that the present Norman church was built on the site of an earlier small Saxon church.  To the right of the porch, the south wall is buttressed and one has the idea that the church has had several repairs and restorations during its long life.  The tower also has two large strengthening buttresses, set at unusual angles at the outer corners.

The porch dates from the nineteenth century and the 17th century  benches were brought out from the church and installed when it was re-ordered; it replaces an earlier porch.   In the early years the porch was a very important part of the church;  significant people would be buried as close as possible;  the village school would have been held here;  part of the marriage service was held here;  and certain notices affixed so that all could be aware of them.

Before going into the church, stop and look at the Norman arch encasing the door.  With the exception of the two arches infilling it, presumably added to reduce the rush of cold air in the winter, it is exactly the same as the Norman arches in the south and west walls in Dymchurch church. In Burmarsh a strange head or gargoyle looks out from the top of the arch and there is another, but in very weathered condition, over the window above the west door.  Another example of Norman work is the small window in the north wall in the chancel.  Other windows have been altered or added over the years.

At the end of the nineteenth century the interior of the church was modernised during the time of Rector J. C. W. Valpy (1876-1881) and the old box pews and three-tier pulpit and sounding board were turned out.  For the previous 200 years the interior would have looked very like the interior of Fairfield today.  Before that, there would have been no seats in the church and the congregation would have stood during the services.  Two mediaeval scratch dials  exist on the south wall between the porch and the tower, where the priest would have placed a twig or small piece of wood to indicate the time of the next service.  In the middle ages the decorative chevron moulding adorning the Norman arches would have been painted brightly and pictures would have been painted on the plaster below them.

Dividing the chancel from the nave is a fine screen erected as a memorial to two Burmarsh men lost in the first world war, Albert Butcher and Simeon Beale.  It is likely that in earlier years a rood screen was on the same site;  evidence would be from indents in the stone work, but in this case it lies in various fifteenth century Wills.  The wooden reredos under the East window was installed at the end of  the nineteenth century.  The painted inscriptions on the cross beams were added by the Rector, the Revd Edmund Ibbotson  (1897-1902)  and his churchwarden Albert Checksfield.  It is interesting to note that Albert Checksfield and his cousin Percy were both churchwardens. 

The stained-glass East window is believed to have been in memory of a former rector who was thrown from his horse and found drowned.  I believe this to be Henry J. Borckhardt who died in 1876 at the age of 53 and is buried in the churchyard.  The window is believed to have been made by the London firm of Clayton & Bell.

Association with the medical profession is evident:   it is known that the Royal College of Physicians were landowners in the early nineteenth century. A large plaque on the north wall is in memory of Edward Coleman, born in Burmarsh in 1764 who died at the Royal Veterinary  College in London in 1830 – in fact most of the memorials in the church are associated with the Coleman family.  In addition, William Harvey (1578-1657) physician and discoverer of the circulation of blood, was a native of Folkestone and regularly visited his aunt who lived in Burmarsh.

The bell tower measures about 12ft by 10ft at ground level  and is an important part of the church, holding six bells:  a Tenor and 2^nd, dated 1899 made by Mears and Steibank, 5^th and Treble,  1926, by the same makers, the 4^th and 3^rd late fourteenth century probably by William Burford of London.  In addition,  one of the three mediaeval bells which was cracked stands in the nave near the screen.  It bears the Royal Arms of England and the foundry mark of a foliate tree indicating it was cast by the royal bellfounder.   Known as the Magdalene bell, it is inscribed    NOMEN MAGDALENE CAMPANA GERIT MELODIE and weighs 8 cwt.  The bells have recently had new ropes costing over £1,000, the money raised by local children and visiting bellringers.

The font is on the left of the main door;  it is lead lined and the base supporting it has eight sides. On the south wall nearby hangs the eighteenth century Royal Arms, not dated to a specific year the date is merely George III (G 3^rd R).  This would have been the only decoration allowed in the church at that time and would have reminded parishioners that the King was head of the Church of England.  It is possible that the date would have been written on the frame;  it is likely to have been before 1801, the Treaty of Amiens, because the French fleur de lys is still included in the quartering.  Other coats of Arms signed by the same artist  “J. Marten, Tenterden” may be found at Upper Hardres, Hinxhill and at Staplehurst.

The most recent work was carried out in the last years of the twentieth century when the lead roof over the nave was taken away, recast and replaced;  the battlements above the south wall were replaced with  diamond-cut and distressed  Kentish Ragstone quarried in Cheriton at Nicholls Ragstone quarry.  Some of the funds for this work were raised by the villagers and some given by  English Heritage.  The total cost was £135,000 – a huge amount for a small village to find.  A source of annoyance also is that only two-thirds of this sum was spent on the actual building while one-third went on VAT and fees.

Although each generation has made changes and alterations, the church remains an oasis of quiet and peace, in silent witness to God – silent that is, unless the bellringers, either locals, or visiting, are making a joyful noise.                                                                

J. V. Holmes