The information sheet from St. Mary's Belchamp Walter

There will be a different version displayed on a computer as there will be on a phone.

The information sheet was originally written in 1965.

The guide was re-typed and a version from 2014/2015 has been uploaded. Some discrepancies were corrected at this time.

The old (1960's) version has some interesting statements that seem to have been omitted from the re-type.

The Author of the orignial church guide

At the time of writing the first version of this page it was not known who the author of the Church Guide that was found in the Church around 2015. Since that time a copy of the guide has emerged signed by Samuel Philip St Clere Raymond, dated 1965.

In my original interpretation of the Church guide I made the following observations:

The fact that the original version of this guide is now 57 years old I think that it is safe to say that more information has come to light since 1965. My speculation that the author was influenced by the clergy and that there were no references to the memorials in the chancel, make sense now knowing the author.

The Chantry, Castle Hedingham and the Civil War.

The significance of the English Civil War with respect to the artifacts and clergy of St. Mary's.

The guide states:

The author of this website sees this statement about the Civil War, the fate of the Chantry Chapel and the reasons for the connection to Botetourt as a gross over simplification.
There is little doubt that the church was supplied with a clergy by Colne Priory and the Priory was founded by the de Veres. The connection between Sir John Botetourt, the de Vere's and Castle Hedingham are not documented anywhere I can find.
Sir John married Maud Fitz Otes from Gestingthorpe and hence the possible reason for the Chapel.

The fate of the de Veres at this time was also complicated, at the time of Sir John's death there was much going on in the de Veres lives. Dates will have to be checked but favour with the monachy was not certain.
The de Veres have a checkered history with the royals, as seen in 1215 (Magna Carta) and various seiges before that time. More laterly the deVere's were also active on the Lancastrian side of the War of the Roses.

Changes

Some of the changes, ommissions and clarifications from the original guides are detailed here.

It is difficult to define what the most glaring errors are, however, the text should be viewed with the author in mind. The significance of the family is understandably down-played. The early history of the Manor of Belchamp Walter was also not well documented at the time of the writing of the guide, although Thomas Wright does detail the "fortunes" of the "family" in his "History and Topography of Essex, 1836. Again, I can understand the "down-play" of the family name as Thomas was likely to have been given a lot of the background of the family by a member of the family. Thomas does describe the Church before the "Renovations" and there are some items mentioned in the 1965 guide that were left out of the 2015 version, this most notebly was the reference to a memorial in the Chancel to one of the Earls of Essex (much defaced - Geofrey de Mandeville - 1st husband of Rohse de Vere (daughter of Aubrey de Vere).

What Thomas Wright says in his 1831/36 account of the area (specifically the Church):

Along with the significance of the Sir John de Botetourt chantry and the connection to de Mandeville (through de Vere) both of which are not covered by the guide, they may be too obscure for a Church guide. The monument to an Earl of Essex has long-gone due to the Victorian "Renovations" but chantry arch needs to be explained.

The de Veres founded the priory at Earls Colne, the community named for the Earls of Oxford. The monks at Colne Priory were almost certainly the artists for the Murals in the Church as they were also the artists of the Mural in Great Canfield. Canfield and Hedingham (motte and bailey) Castles were both built for Aubrey de Vere, who was the patron of Great Canfield Church. Matthew Paris died before the Nave was constructed. Besides, St. Albans was probably too distant from Belchamp Walter and there was already a connection to Colne Priory.

Whether the relationship between the de Botetourts and the de Veres was known by the author of the guide was known, it was certinly not as an "overlord" for the de Veres. Sir John was probably too busy being Edward II's Admiral of the fleet and manager of his armoury at St. Braivel's Castle in the forest of Dean. The possible heritage of Botetourt as the illegitimate son of Edward I was probably unknown to the author, although most historians say this is un-proven. It is not known whether Botetourt ever lived in Belchamp Walter but his did marry into the Fitz Ottes family of Gestingthorpe. There may or maynot have been a dwelling on the site of the current Belchamp Hall. The Elizabethan house was probably built in the 16th C.

There is also no mention that the Manor was sold to the family by the Wentworths and Tyrells. There is a Tyrell coat of arms in a stained glass window on the South of the Cancel.

George Washington Brownlow

Perhaps the biggest error is the description of the Brownlow paintings on the altar. The correction was made to reflect that the second painting was of "Supper at Emmaus", not "The Last Supper". It is not known when this was determined.

However, a report on the restoration of the Brownlow paintings has come to light and the painting on the altar is referred to as "The Last Supper".

Other things that possibly could be included

There is no mention of the 17th C. stained glass in the window on the North of the Cancel.

There is also no mention of the coats of arms on the East face of the tower, inside the nave. These are of anitcedants of the family and the current family creast. Again, their ommision is likley avoidance of making it all about them! One of the crests is thought to be Stern of Essenden, Herfordshire.

Both the first version of the Church Guide and Thomas Wright's account mention a "Gallery" or "Orchestra", this was removed when the new organ Organ was installed in 1867/8.

The firsi version of the guide calls for "a more efficient and labour-saving form of heating" to replace "the rather unsightly "Tortoise" stove". This, again is ironic as there are current plans to restore this stove.

In conclusion, reagarding the differences in the Church guides the question is what is actually correct? Is it likely the John Botetourt was an "overlord for the de Veres" and lived in Belchamp Walter, it is in no doubt that it is his chantry as there are coats of arms for the de Botetourts, the Fitz-Otes and de Beauchamp families remaining on the arch. Is it likely that the wall paintings were the "hand of" Matthew Paris?

The font

Quote below is from "An Essex Parish - Its History and Romance - Belchamp Walter" - EADT date unknown.

The quote above is not featured in the previous guides. I am not sure who "we" are.

References and/or sources

The first two Church guides have no sources quoted. The sources quoted on a new (draft) guide are incomplete and do not represent where the information was obtained. In no doubt much has been taken from Church records/archives, but references to RCHME and shakespeareandbeyond are not really helpful.