The Chantry Chapel in St. Mary the Virgin Belchamp Walter

The Chantry - St Mary's Church - showing the Brownlow and Tudir vandelism

The remains of the Chantry Chapel are one of the most striking artifacts that you will find in the Church. The entrance arch is surrounded by Medieval Wall Paintings, the dates of their painting is under speculation.

The significance of this chapel seems to be overlooked by many who encounter it. This seems to be the case with the casual visitor and by those that visit the Church on a regular basis. Belchamp Walter and the country in the 14th and 15th centuries would have seen this chapel as an important feature. The description of the Privately Built Chapel (Chantry) on Wikipedia gives a clue to this significance.

The destruction of the chapel, presumably in 1574 if the graffiti on the right hand pillar is authentic, was due to reformation actions taken by the Tudors

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The definition of a Chantry: - from the Wikipedia page

Privately built chapel
Secondly, a chantry chapel is a building on private land or a dedicated area or altar within a parish church or cathedral, set aside or built especially for the performance of the "chantry duties" by the priest. A chantry may occupy a single altar, for example in the side aisle of a church, or an enclosed chapel within a larger church, generally dedicated to the donor's favourite saint.

Many chantry altars became richly endowed, often with gold furnishings and valuable vestments. Over the centuries, chantries increased in embellishments, often by attracting new donors and chantry priests. Those feoffees who could afford to employ them in many cases enjoyed great wealth. Sometimes this led to corruption of the consecrated life expected of clergymen. It also led in general to an accumulation of great wealth and power in the Church, beyond the feudal control of the Crown. This evident amassing of assets was one of the pretexts used by King Henry VIII to order the Dissolution of the Monasteries in England.

The descritption of the chantry from the Church guide.

Britsh History On-Line says:

Monuments: In nave — in N. wall (see Plate, p. 20), (1) said to be to Sir John Boutetort, 1324 or 1325, and Maude (Fitz-Otes) his wife,
arched recess probably forming canopy for former altar tomb and entrance to former chantry-chapel, moulded and two-centred arch, cinquefoiled, sub-cusped and carved with foliage and flowers, points of main cusps carved with grotesques, and on main spandrels four shields of arms alternately,

(a) a saltire engrailed, for Boutetort, and (b) bendy with a quarter, for Fitz-Otes; crocketed and moulded label with carved finial, moulded responds carved with foliage; arch flanked by square panelled buttresses with panelled, gabled and crocketed pinnacles, on buttresses numerous small shields of arms including Boutetort, Fitz-Otes, Boutetort with a label of five points, Fitz-Otes impaling Boutetort, and quarterly a bend, for Beauchamp;
at back of arch, moulded and carved springers of vaulted roof of former chapel, or canopy of tomb, springing from semi-circular vaulting shafts with moulded capitals.

The "said to be" statement is curious here as the shields of arms were identified ( I think correctly).

Shields of Arms

The description from BHO describes: "a quarterly bend, for Beauchamp" as seen on the Chantry Arch.

A bendy or bend is a diagonal stripe on the coat of alms.

Background to this page

Having seen this page found by those making an Internet search I have decided to add a bit more context.

The statement made by British History On-line that the tomb is "said to be of Sir John Boutetort, 1324 or 1325, and Maude (Fitz-Otes) his wife", is pretty much confirmed by the presence of the coats of arms that adorn the remains of the arch. There are also those of Botetourt, Fitz-Otho (Fitz-Otes impaling Boutetort) and de Beauchamp.

Inscription (carving/graffiti) on left column - BIQUG---- TUYU---? 1574 - probably the person commissioned to destroy the chantry. At first I thought this was a Civil War "fallout" but the dates do not match. I now think that the Chantry was destroyed 100 years previous to the Civil War.

This was due to the continuation of the English Reformation by the Elizabethan monarchy.

The destruction/removal of the Chantry Chapel is another example of the Lost Heritage that is rife in many English churches. The significance of the Botetourt connection to the village of Belchamp Walter is equal to that of the marriage between Geofrey de Mandeville to Rohse de Vere ans the possible destruction of a memorial that was located in the Chancel of St. Mary's.

The Chantry Chapel in St. Mary the Virgin Belchamp Walter

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