KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY  --Studying and sharing Kent's past      Homepage


Churches Committee
Kent Churches - Architectural & Historical Information

St Gregory & St Martin Church, Wye       TR 0540 4690

CANTERBURY  DIOCESE: HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Tim Tatton-Brown's Survey 1992

LOCATION: On the north side of the small market square (now mostly filled in) with the mid 15th century college immediately to the east, it is c. 140ft above O.D. on a terrace of the River Stour. A major crossing point of the river is just over ¼ mile to the west (now the 1638 bridge).

DESCRIPTION: Until the collapse of the crossing tower in 1686, this was a large cruciform church. The rebuilding with small chancel and south tower in 1706-7, left a church of only about half its original size.

Though the church is first mentioned in Domesday Book and was a 'Minster church' with a cruciform plan, the earliest visible remains date only from the 13th century. These consist of the west wall, including the west buttresses aisle walls and the west doorway (heavily restored with much new masonry). The surviving arcades in the nave must also date to the later 13th century. Four bays of arcading survive, with the beginning of a fifth arch visible on the north side at the east end.

No doubt as a result the founding of the new college by Archbishop Kempe in 1447, the church was rebuilt with new windows in the north aisle wall and a mostly new south side aisle wall (the aisle walls, however are on the same line as the 13th century walls, though no doubt they are higher with added creations). Buttresses were also added (or rebuilt) and a fine upper clearstorey was added to the nave with three-light windows above the arches. John Newman (BOE 505), points out that new piers were also made in the nave under the 13th century arches. New roofs were also made - shallow pitched shed roofs on the aisles (partly restored), and collar and rafter-roofs in the nave, which also have tie-beams on wall-posts. On the north side there may be traces of earlier windows below the mid 15th century three-light windows. There is also the block-up lower part of a north doorway opposite the south doorway. The south porch, with its chamber above, is also probably a 15th century addition, but it was given a new south wall and doorway (with Portland store quoins) in 1787. Otherwise no other medieval masonry survives above ground except the 15th century font.

With the college of the crossing-tower eastwards in 1686, little was done until 15 years later work started on building a smaller new chancel, with apsidal east end, and a massive but not very tall tower with diagonal buttresses. There is reused perp. mouldings for the south doorway, but brick windows in the bell-chamber above, which contains a new peal of 8 bells made in 1774.

Much reused masonry is visible in the lower external walls of the tower, as well as various date-stones of the rebuilding in 1706-7. The new early 18th century chancel still contains some of its original fittings (reredos + panelling), though a north doorway and window have been blocked (the latter covered by 19th century monuments internally). Still open in Petrie's 1808 view. An 18th century west window in the nave was replaced by a new 'perpendicular' one in 1878, which was in turn restored after bomb damage (1943) in the last war. The west faces of the west-facing buttresses also have early 18th century Portland stone facings. The 18th century galleries in the nave (along the S + W walls) were removed in 1878, and new pews were put in, and a new 'perp' window in Bath stone was put into the east end of the north aisle (vestry). The organ in the west gallery was moved to the chancel.

A major restoration after War Damage was carried out in 1950, and many other changes have taken place in the internal fittings over the last few decades. The organ is now at the east end of the north aisle.

Sir Stephen Glynne visited the church in 1845 when a c. 13th century north doorway was still visible. It is also shown beneath a shorter 15th century 3-light window in H. Petrie's 1808 view from the N.E.

BUILDING MATERIALS (incl. old plaster, paintings, glass, tiles etc.):
The medieval rubble walling is of flint and local ironstone, with Ragstone quoins, jambs etc., some small knapped flint in the 15th century rebuilding, and reused Ragstone and Caenstone (with occasional Reigate stone and Purbeck marble shafts) in the rebuilt eastern arm. Also some tile and brick. Port and stone quoins, etc., also used in the later 18th century and Bath stone in the 19th century.

EXCEPTIONAL MONUMENTS IN CHURCH:
15th century brasses, now on S. wall of nave. Also monument to Lady Joanna Thornhill (ob. 1708) in the chancel.

CHURCHYARD AND ENVIRONS:
Size & Shape: Large rectangular area around church, with strip extensions on N. + W.

Condition: Good

Earthworks:
None, but terracing down to W.

Building in churchyard or on boundary: Mid 15th century Wye college on E. boundary.

HISTORICAL RECORD (where known):
Earliest ref. to church: Domesday Book.

Evidence of pre-Norman status (DB, DM, TR etc.): Minster church (in D.M.) with several churches pertaining to it.

Late med. status (vicarage\appropriation): Appropriated to Battle Abbey 1384. Then vicarage bought by Abp. Kempe for his college c. 1447 (Rectory remained with Battle Abbey till Dissolution in 1539. (see Frampton op. cit. below).

Other documentary sources: Hasted VII (1798), 362-8.
Wills (Test Cant (East Kent, 1907), 377-381) mention the 'North Chancel' of Our Lady (1474+) and the altar of St Nicholas (1474+), presumably in the south transept. There was also an altar of St James (1494).

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD:
Reused materials: - Few Roman bricks. Much earlier materials reused in 18th century. tower.

Previous archaeological work (published\unpublished): 1948-1952 excavations of eastern arm unpublished. These uncovered the rough outline of the earlier chancel and north and south transepts. Fragments of the north transept were also revealed during drainage work in December 1990.

SURVIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL DEPOSITS: ? Good.

Outside present church: Good, though cut by later burials /vaults.

RECENT DISTURBANCES\ALTERATIONS:
To structure: New room added to east of S. porch in 1991 with door cut in porch wall.

To graveyard: Drainage ditching on N. + W. sides of church in Dec.1990 uncovered two burial vaults as well as fragments of the N.W. corner of the old N. transept.

Quinquennial inspection (date\architect): R S Barnes.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT:
The church and churchyard: Despite the total destruction of the eastern arm in 1686, and its replacement by a small chancel (with apsidal chapel) and squat with mid-15th century 3-light windows in the outer aisle walls and a fine new clearstorey and roof (only 4 bays survive).

The wider context: An important early Minster site which should have early and later Medieval remains surviving below ground.

REFERENCES: T S Frampton 'The Vicars, Masters or Provosts, and Perpetual Curates of the church of S.S. Gregory and Martin Wye', Arch Cant 28 (1909), 311-326.
S Glynne Notes on the Churches of Kent (1877), 123-4.

Guide Book: (1950) by S G Brade-Birks + G E Hubbard - revised 1976, 1979, and 1987 - needs updating.

Plans & drawings: Plan by A A Purvis (dated April 1949) in guide showing earlier eastern arm. View from N.E. in 1808 by Petrie.

DATE VISITED: 6/12/90 + 21/12/92                                      REPORT BY: Tim Tatton-Brown

To Kent Churches - Architectural & Historical Information Introduction          To Church Committee Introduction

For details about the advantages of membership of the Kent Archaeological Society   click here

Kent Archaeological Society is a registered charity number 223382
© Kent Archaeological Society December 2011

This website is constructed by enthusiastic amateurs. Any errors noticed by other researchers will be to gratefully received so that we can amend our pages to give as accurate a record as possible. Please send details too research@kentarchaeology.org.uk