St. Werburgh Church - Cliffe History

The parish and ancient village of Hoo dates at ieast   from the time of King Edward the Confessor and a church was   mentioned in the Domesday Book.

St, Werburgh was the daughter of Wulfere, King of   Mercia and granddaughter of Ercombert, King of Kent whose   wife Sexburga was Abbess of Minster in Sheppey.

In the Sanctuary of the church is a small figure of   the Saint with a goose at her feet. Her Festival Day is 3rd   February, the reputed day of her death.

Most records agree that the building of the present   church was commenced in the 12th century. The spire is   covered with shingles and is in the region of 60ft. in   height with a further 7ft. from its summit to the ball, it   is set on a battlemented tower of 55ft. in height, making a   total of 127ft. The top of the tower can be reached by a   staircase turret set in its north-west comer. The oid stone   walls of the church are built of Kentish rag stone.

The southern parapet of the church is battlemented   along its whole length, but the only portion of the north   side which remains so is the parapet over the porch. As   there are battlements on the south side facing the river and   none on the north they may well have been used as a defence   against marauders sailing up the Medway.

The entrance to the church is now from the north   side. There was at one time another entrance from the south   but that has been bricked up. The population of

Inside the north porch is a Holy water stoop set in   the wall, the windows have recently been glazed and an oaken   outer door fitted. In the past bargemen used to gather in   the porch before tide-time to discuss the weather and their   prospects of making a passage.

The church consists of nave, chancel and north and   south aisles. The length of the nave is about 70ft. and the   chancel about 26ft. The clerestories on the south side of   the nave were completely restored in 1962. The south aisle   was re-roofed at about the same time in oak with sheet   copper outer cover, but the north aisle was replaced in   concrete. In the nave the roof is supported by timber   pilasters ornamented with grotesque heads. Records state   that this re-roofing took place in 1786.

There is a considerable amount of ancient glass in   the church, some of it coloured. Some small figures can be   seen in tie glass of the upper lights of the chancel and in   the west wall of the south aisle. The design and colouring   is very soft and quite different from the stained glass of   the Victorian period. There are a number of memorial windows   of the 19th Century.

The East window is of three lights to the memory of   Thomas Hermitage Day and it shows the presentation of the   infant Christ at the Temple. The middle window in the south   aisle is a memorial to William Nicholson who died in 1880,   typical of the period. There is a superior stained glass   window in the North Alsie to the memory of Thomas Aveling,   who was proprietor of an engineering works in Rochester from   whence came the first steam rollers. In the North wall is   another window to the memory of his widow, Sarah. This shows   St. Cordelia, St. Werburgh and Queen Bertha of Kent.   Alongside the organ in the south wall is a window depicting   the Transfiguration with quite well- drawn figures of Christ   in the centre with Elias and Moses on either side. Ann   Durban, wife of John Durban who was curate-in-charge o1 this   church for 20 years has a stained glass window to her memory   in the west wall. She was Thomas Aveling’s mother.

The font is situated at the rear of the central   aisle. It is a plain octangular basin resting on a base of   the same form. The base is said to be Norman.

In the chancel and south of the altar are three   cedilla [seats] each having a canopy of finely carved   cinquefoil tracery. Each seat is divided by two light   columns of Purbeck or Bethensden marble. These seats were at   one time used by the monks and clergy when Hoo church was   under the patronage of the Priory of Rochester. The work   belongs to the early 15th Century. The reredos is of stone   and of comparatively modern design. There is evidence of   fresco painting in the chancel, but successive coatings of   cream wash have all but obliterated it.

In the north wall are a short series of stone steps   in a good state 01 preservation. These steps led originally   into the rood loft which went across the whole width of the   church. The corbels which supported the loft can still be   seen.

Set in the east wail of the north aisle is tie tomb   of Edward Lake ot Abbots Court. This tomb appears to be cut   into a recess or side chapel of an earlier age. At one time   a singing gallery existed along the west wall.

Two recently restored Coats of Arms, one Elizabethan   and one James i can be seen directly over the main door. A   panel was affixed to one of the pillars of the interior arch   of the bell tower bearing the date 16 JR 07 referring to   King James I.

There are several old memorial brasses In the church,   most of them in a fair state of preservation. The oldest of   these is of John Browne, a priest who was Vicar of Hoo from   1391 to 1406. This lies before the altar rail. There is also   a nice effigy of a layman I8in. In length datable circa   1430. In the nave are two identical laymen each I8in. Long.   Also before the altar rail are the settings of a man between   two women, the plates having been removed. There is besides   a fine figure of a priest, Richard Bayly [although his head   is now gone!] This is dated about 1412. There are figures of   James Plumley who died on 26th August 1640 and his wife Anna   with their three sons and four daughters. Within the altar   rails is a brass plate of a full length figure of Dorothy,   wife of John Plumiey who died in 1615.

At the entrance to the chancel is a small figure of a   man with a dog but the inscription is now gone. In the nave   is a brass slip to the memory of John Beddyll who died on   7th June 1500. Over in the south aisle are the important   brasses of Thomas Cobham, who died on the 8th June 1465 and   his wife Matilda. He is represented in elaborate plate   armour with a sword suspended from a belt in front. There is   a little dog at their feet. He was the Lord of the Manor of   Beluncle.

 

There are other and more recent stone and brass   plates. In the North aisle is a stone tablet with the names   of the dead of World War I. Underneath is a further tablet   to those who fell in World War II. There is a large granite   column in the churchyard also to the memory of the dead of   both wars.

The church contains a very fine ring of bells, the   oldest dated 1588. In 1995 the old six bells were augmented   to eight and rehung in a new steel frame situated lower in   the tower. The original oak frame is retained in the belfry.

Details of the bells: