All Saints Longhope


All Saints Longhope

Hi,
Longhope (hope means an enclosed valley) belonged to the Abbey of Lyra in Normandy and then to the priory of St Mary and St Florence in Monmouth, as recorded in a taxation return dated 1299. In 1340 it was transferred to the Crown and the first traceable incumbent was inducted on 1 Oct 1340.

Aunt Joan sends greetings to her Australian neices and nephews.
May God smile on you today,
Elizabeth

Two sides of the cottage to the left and the church to the right. You can see that the road between is narrow. The village extends along this road for maybe a mile.
Taking a closer look at the first cottage, notice how close the wooden beams are, on the original, now western, end. A sign of the wealth of the owner-builder.

These views look to the north and to the east over this half of the church yard to the lovely farming lands in the valley

The 14th century entry porch down 3 steps, also the southern transept, now used as a chapel. The small detail image shows the window above the door, and the sun dial, photographed at 10.30 sun time, or 11.30 daylight saving time.

This tablet high on the south wall, outside the sanctuary, mourns the death of 'Judith 7th daughter of John Arrowsmith DD by Mary Percival his second wife who lived truly pious and died March ye 13 1710 the much lamented wife of George Ven MA Vicar aged 52'.
At first I thought the stone was for a baby, now I see that husband George is proud of his wife's ancestry.

This tablet in the Sanctuary is for the Very Revd John Probyn of Manor House Longhope, Dean and Archdeacon of Llandaff, a son of Edmond Probyn Esquire of Newland House, and has ancestors buried within Newland Church, Forest of Dean. He is buried in the family vault beneath the Chancel

In the early 1700s the patronage of All Saints' Church was in the hands of the Yate family who lived in The Manor House, and they are buried benearth the choir stalls on the north side of the chancel.
The Manor was then sold to Sir Edmund Robyn, a distinguished lawyer and inherited by John Probyn who, as a Clerk in Holy Orders, became Vicar of Abenhall, then of Longhope. We have memorials to him, his wife and grandson over the pulpit.

The choir stalls in the chancel have carved supports. Admire the carved wooden angel holding the lectern, which is modern work of a local craftsman in 1897 - R Kearsey, Churchwarden. The Font is also modern, the most recent of a succession of vessels.
Longhope followed the directory of the Long Parliament in 1645 to destroy the font. At Restoration they were called upon to replace it, and a parishioner donated a large domestic mortar. This vessel remained in use until 1860 when a new font was installed and the mortar became a feeding bowl for pigs, with a specially broken side to allow the piglets access. Another generation, and the farmer returned the mortar to the church where it was placed on the base of an ancient cross near the main gates, together with some stones from the old spire.
Sadly thieves removed it in the early 1980's.
We have the story, someone has a mortar severed from its history.

In the 1920's maintenance work resulted in the discovery of a small window in the north transept. Niches in the north and south transepts were opened up and in the northern one was placed this effigy. It had been found in the belfry.
This reclining statue is dated c1300, and is believed to be a priest, wearing clerical robes. Like other similar monuments, the face has been erased.