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left a daughter, Juliana, who possessed this advowson
until her death. As she died without an heir the property went to the
Crown. In 1377 King Edward III granted the advowson for the Church to
the Abbey of Saint Mary Grace on Tower Hill, London. Except for a short
break it continued with the Abbey until the Dissolution when it was
granted by Henry VIII to the See of Canterbury. After a short time it
was re-granted to the King. It had five other owners before being sold
eventually to Multon Lambarde in 1793. The gift of the
"living" still remains with the Lambarde family. The present
patroness is Mrs Campbell, now living in Melrose, Scotland, a descendant
of the late W.G. Lambarde Esquire.
In the pavement of the Church are several tombs of the
Lambe family (see list of Rectors bearing the family arms) of three lambs carrying flags at the
slope. The carving of these is excellent, as is also that of the
Lectern, which may well once upon a time have been a bed post. The east
window is in memory of the Reverend Thomas Phelps who preached in Ridley
Church for fifty years. There are no brasses. A reference in a will
mentions a "Light of Saint Anne". James Winson, by will 1829,
gave to the Rector and Churchwardens and their successors, £1,000, on
trust to invest the same and apply the interest, or as much as should be
sufficient in keeping in repair and renewing the tombs and gravestones
of himself and family in the churchyard of this Parish, and to
distribute the residue, if any, yearly in bread to the poor. The
churchyard is believed to have been buried in for a thousand years.
Ridley Registers commence in 1632. They open with the words
"I answere to many of the early entries of Baptisms etc."
In them we read "In the year of our Lord 1702 in the second
yeare of ye reigne of Queen Anne ye 14th of March, Jane, wife of Wm.
Selby of ye Mote at Ightham, Esquire, daughter to Mr. Henry Stacey,
formerly Rector of this Church, did of her piety devote to ye service of
God in ye said Parish Church, one Paten and Silver
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Chalice for the Holy Communion." This Chalice
is a fine Wine Cup of Charles I period with baluster stem and has the
London hallmark of 1635 and the makers mark "R.W.". It is
difficult to name the maker, as in many cases in the early period the
name was not recorded, only the mark was used. On one side of the Cup
is engraved: "The gift of Jane Selby, wife of William Selby,
Esquire. Daughter of Henry Stacey who was Minister of this Church,
1703." On the opposite side is elaborately engraved the conjoined
Coat of Arms of the Selby and Stacey families. It is interesting to
note that the gift was made in 1703, but Henry Stacey died in 1647.
Unfortunately, we cannot trace what happened to the Paten mentioned in
the Register as being presented with the Chalice: the two silver
Patens at present in use are dated 1845 and 1846, and it is not
recorded who presented these.
Also "in the year of our Lord, 1706, Bridget, the wife of
Mr. John Ratis, Rector of this Church, did give a new Pulpit Cleath
and Cleath for the cushion of the same." There is also a
"True Terrier" (a true note of all landed property) of the
Glebe of Ridley delivered 16th October, 1666, to the
Chancellor of the Bishop, that states "The house has kitchen,
parlour, three butteries, three chambers, one barn and barnyard, a
garden of four acres with codling trees, and orchard of a rood, a
meadow with shaws of fives acres, a field once known as Barleydale
then as Parsonage Field of eight acres, another of ten with a shaw
of ten, another of seven with its shaw, and one other field known as
Newlands of seven and a half acres. There is also a list of incumbents
from 1562."
Inventory taken in the reign of Edward VI. 1547 1573
One vestment of thread and twine of
very
little value very
worn.
Six bad Altar Cloths of linen.
One bell.
One Paten (gilt). |