Twelfth century stonework at All Saints, Burmarsh

Previous recording and analysis of the churches of St Nichol as, similarities Hope New of A 11 Saints Romney and revealed construction of 12th century rubble walls, which suggested common craftsmanship. Burmarsh was selected for analysis next because it has 12th century stonework of similar character. It is noted for its c .1130-60 south doorway.

The north wall of the chancel can be dated by the single splay roundheaded window with a single stone head, which is of the same building phase as the fabric of the surrounding wall (see extract of the drawing, opposite). It was the only large expanse of rubble walling that is unquestionably twelfth century, and was the only wall suitable for the production of the line drawing. The south wall of the chancel was rebuilt times; in later medieval the east end is dominated by a later window; the south wall of the nave' has buttresses suffered and a the addition of porch; and the stonework of the north wall of the nave is most indistinct.

The north wall of the chancel is a more consistent area of 12th century masonry than those recorded at New Romney and Hope, and was therefore easier to analyse. The resultant drawing, from large format rectified photographs, is at 1:10 scale and shows all the medieval fabric of the wall except at the extreme west end, which is obscured by poor pointing and a modern downpipe.

[fg]png|North wall of the chancel
All Saints, Burmarsh|Image[/fg]

The most obvious similarity with New Romney is the size and preparation of the stones, al though at Burmarsh they are slightly squarer. The stonework: mortar ratio is nearly identical in all three churches. The quoins are also remarkably alike, but this of little significance because it is commonplace. More importantly, whereas both Hope and New Romney reveal obvious lifts (vertical phases necessary in the construction of rubble and mortar walls, shown by horizontal lines on the drawing) averaging 450 mm, the Burmarsh drawing reveals lifts that are less distinct and average 610 mm. This includes an unusually tall lift of c.850 mm, but even excluding that, the average remains high at 505 mm.

Considering the very similar raw materials available to the masons, the less defined and taller lifts combined with a more ordered use of the rubble indicate that Burmarsh was built by different masons from those who built New Romney and Hope. A more comp 1 ete record of the surviving Romanesque wa 11 s in Romney Marsh is needed before an overa 11 picture of the craftsmanship of these simple churches can be gained.

Roland Harris