Early Origins

The origin of the church is shrouded in mystery. What can be certain is that Easthampstead parish was given as a gift by Edward the Confessor to Westminster Abbey in or around 1060. Edward was an Anglo-Saxon English king and saint. It is presumed a Church or small Chapel may have existed at this time, although the population was around 20 adults.

The Church in Easthampstead is specifically first mentioned though in 1159 when Lawrence the Abbot of Westminster granted 'the church of Jezhamstede' to Hurley Priory. This was a Benedictine priory in the village of Hurley. It was founded in 1086 by the Norman magnate Geoffrey de Mandeville as a cell of Westminster Abbey. Lawrence gave the instruction in 1159 that Hurley were to use the income from Easthampstead 'so that they may observe and venerate the Festival of the Blessed Saint Edward the Confessor'.

The Church in Easthampstead is then mentioned in an order from 1176 in which Ralph de Arundel, Prior of Hurley Abbey, ordered that Easthampstead Church shall pay a yearly pension to the Abbey for the provision of wax tapers for the mass of Our Lady. This payment continued until the Reformation. Later in 1386 we see the support of the Abbey continue with another request that Easthampstead provide money to supply clothing and other essentials. 

It is clear from this time the Church was dedicated to St Mary, although later for reasons unknown the name changed at some point in history to St Mary Magdalene.

BBC Bitesize - find out more about this period

 

(Westminster Abbey as it looked during this period)

(Hurley Abbey as it looks today)

 

Dissolution ↑

Between 1536 and 1540, on the orders of Henry VIII, every single abbey and priory in England – some 800 in total – were dissolved, or forcibly closed. In 1536 Hurley Priory was amongst the first to be closed by Henry VIII. Henry passed ownership of Easthampstead back to Westminster Abbey. However, in 1540 Westminster Abbey was itself dissolved. This would have thrown the monastic tenant farmers in Easthampsted into disaray. Services would also have been disrupted at the Church as the Abbey had been responsible for providing priests.

With the dissolution of the monasteries the manor and patronage of the church of Easthampstead was passed to Charles Howard, sister to Queen Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII. Henry had used Easthampstead Park as a Royal Hunting Lodge, as had many of his predecessors.

The patronage of the Church in Easthampstead then was transferred along with the manor of Hurley to John Lovelace, who purchased it in 1545 at the font of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. It passed through many others possession until eventually it passed into the hands of William Trumbell in 1696.

 

BBC Bitesize - find out more about this period
 

(This map belonged to William Cecil Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I’s Secretary of State, it shows a Church with a tower at Easthampstead)

 

Civil War ↑

The English Civil Wars were a devastating series of conflicts fought in the middle of the 17th century. They centred around a titanic struggle for power between King Charles I and Parliament, with battle lines drawn over deep-seated and complex divisions in politics, religion and economic policy. The Trumbull family at Easthampstead Park supported the parliamentarians cause. As MP for Berkshire in 1656 he even voted in favour of offering the crown to the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. 

Yet something of a mystery exists. During the Civil War Royal Crests were removed from Churches and destroyed. Easthampstead would have been no different. Yet someone in Easthampstead with Royalist sympathies removed the crest and kept it safe until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. At which point it was rehung in the church after someone painted over the royal crest with the date 1660. Who was this secret Royalist?

Certainly not the Rector at the time. Revd John Brice was asked in 1662 to swear an oath of allegiance to the King and refused. Brice was among thirty clergy who were ejected from their churches by the Act of 1660 or the Act of Uniformity in 1662. Brice being ejected on the 12th November 1662. Together with his father William Brice, the ejected rector of Henley, preached for a while in Colnbrook before relocating to Maidenhead and forming the Congregational Church.

BBC Bitesize - find out more about this period

(The Royal Crest at Easthampstead Parish Church)

 

The Waltham Blacks ↑

In the early decades of the 18th century many people found themselves in a state of poverty. In October 1721, sixteen poachers, known as the Waltham Blacks, took part in a poaching raid on the Bishop of Winchesters lands taking and killing deer. They also stole a shipment of the Kings wine. 

Newspaper reports of the group describe them as attacking the Keeper of Windsor Forest, shooting his son and carrying off the King’s deer. Those Waltham Blacks who were arrested and conveyed to Reading gaol for trial in the summer of 1723 were not tried for sedition, but for murder, deer stealing and assault. 

On 24 April 1723, Revd Thomas Power, Curate at Easthampstead, was indicted at the Quarter Sessions for ‘a Riott and other misdemeanours … guilty of Treasonable Practices against the King and Government in aiding and abetting the raising of forces for ye bringing in ye person called King James the Third and other treasonable acts’. Lady Trumbull was outraged that Revd Thomas Power had behaved in such a manner that she petitioned for the Bishop to remove him. Rector of Easthampstead at the time was Revd John Power who was Thomas’ father. 

However unbeknownst to Lady Trumbull the government in response to what the Waltham Blacks were doing had decided to send an agent, namely ‘our Trusted and well beloved’ Revd. Thomas Power, to investigate and to ‘penetrate into the bottom of their treasonable intentions’. He was to be given royal authority to do so and to be indemnified for any actions he would have to undertake. Thomas had infiltrated the group and had led soldiers to search a premises and arrest members of the gang. The gang in turn accused him of treason and he was tried, however as he was acting under Royal authority and could prove it, he was released and pardoned.

This gang caused the introduction of the Waltham Black Act in 1723, otherwise known as the Bloody Code, which sadly imposed the death penalty for over two hundred, often petty, offences.

Thomas and John Power unsurprisingly sold the patronage. Christ Church College, Oxford, decided to purchase it out of 'Fell's bequest for the purchase of patronages.' From this date it has remained with the college.

BBC Bitesize - find out more about this law

 

Care for the poor and sick ↑

Three almshouses were origionally built in the name of William Watts opposite the Church in 1760. A local story has it that the clock-tower on top of the houses was donated by a local dignitary and that he had origionally intended to make the donation of the clock to the church. However a branch of the ancient yew tree at the front of the church was regularly knocking his hat off. He asked the church to cut the branch but they refused and defended the rights of the ancient tree said to be over 1,000 years of age.

Local parishes struggled to care for the poor and so on the 27th July 1835 the Easthampstead Poor Law Union was formed with Easthampstead, Binfield, Sandhurst, Warfield, Winkfield with Ascot and later Crowthorne. A board of guardians was formed and they set about building opposite the church a workhouse, adapting the former almshouses. 

In the 1900's a cottage home for pauper children was established by the union and in the 1930's it was taken over by Berkshire County Council to become a Public Assistance Institution. Later with the establishment of the NHS in 1948 it became Church Hill Hospital. Part of the later hospital buildings were demolished in 1999 and developed as a housing estate with the Victorian building retained. 

BBC Bitesize - find out more about the poor law

 

(Location of almshouses and later the workhouse)

 

(Taken 1863)

 

Osborne Gordon ↑

Several Rectors were appointed by Christ Church, one of which was Revd Osborne Gordon. At the age of forty-seven Gordon became rector of the church of St Michael and St Mary Magdalene, Easthampstead, Berkshire in 1860, succeeding the Revd Abraham Boyle Townsend. Although he appears to have not left Oxford until April 1861.

Townsend had knocked down the Rectory in 1836 deeming it unliveable and so Gordon had to first build a new one, which he did in 1863. This house would be later knocked down and the tower block Point Royal was built on its site, the green space around the tower being what remains of the Rectory gardens. 

Townsend, renowned for his sharp tongue, had developed a hostility with his neighbour and wealthy landowner, the fourth Marquis of Downshire. This meant that Townsend was not able to secure funds to repair and maintain the Church. Gordon’s charm, sensitivity, diplomacy and common sense were needed to diffuse the situation. He succeeded and together with Lady Caroline, Marchioness of Downshire he arranged for the complete rebuilding of the church in 1867, and chose a London architect, J. W. Hugall for the task. He designed the new Church in the style of Victorian Gothic revival using stone throughout and retaining only the former tower, which was extended. It was rededicated as the Church of St Mary Magdalene and St Michael, later the saints names were swapped around.

Gordon was also concerned about the poverty of his parishioners, their increasing numbers, and the lack of a proper school and facilities. On the 21st June 1872 a deed was granted to Gordon and his successors a piece of land near to the church on which a Church School was to be built. This was the foundation of St Michael's Church of England School which still exists to this day. The school trust which was formed in 1872 still exists to this day and still supports the school in its work.

 

(Taken 1901)

 

(Taken c.1950, you can see the Church, Workhouse and School)

 

The New Town ↑

Bracknell was designated a new town on 17 June 1949, in the aftermath of the Second World War. Bracknell was chosen as a New Town because it was close to London, had a railway station, motorway links, and was outside of London's green belt. In 1971 the population in Easthampstead parish was approximately 209 and it was rural, however today it is approximately 32,000 and suburban. In response to the increasing development the parish Church constructed the Parish Centre and then the annexe to the Church.

BBC Bitesize - find out more about this period

 

(Taken 1960)

 

(Taken 2024)

 

For more information on our history, please do get in touch.

Contact Us

 

Interior features of the Church ↑

Several notable pieces of ancient church furniture have been preserved. The original plain stone font was given a modern base and placed in the enlarged south aisle baptistry. Portions of the 15th Century rood screen were incorporated in a screen below the Organ. The pulpit is a combination of Victorian woodwork and recovered wood from the old Jacobean pulpit. Below are some of the listed highlights of the interior.

 

(Taken 1901)

 

Font

The font, which is that of the former church, has a plain octagonal bowl on a victorian base. It is medieval in origin and is believed to date to the foundation of the church over 900 years ago. This makes it the oldest object in Bracknell that is still in use. Its wooden lid is carved with symbols of the Christian faith. Many families have their own history connected to the history of this place. Baptism registers dating back to 1558AD can be located in the records office.

 

Screen

The screen below the organ, facing the transept, appears to have been made up from the former rood screen, with 15th-century tracery below and 14th-century tracery above. There are also two shortened buttressed muntins and four pieces of 17th-century pierced ornament are placed above the screen. On the north side towards the chancel are four similar traceried heads.

 

Pulpit

The pulpit is made up of 17th-century woodwork; a panel on the north face has the following inscription: '1631, Unto this place a zeale I beare, to the widdows mit I may cumpear per me William Aylward.' It is not known who William Aylward was. The origional pulpit was a much larger octagonal pulpit which can be seen on a painting of the church from that time.

 

Monuments

Many slabs and monuments have been preserved from the former church;

• On the east wall of the nave is a small brass with the half-length figure of a man in a loose cloak belted at the waist, to Thomas Berwyk, who died in 1443.
• The oldest slab is to Edmund Thorold, who died in 1646.
• On the north wall is a marble slab to Elijah Fenton, the poet, of Shelton, Staffordshire, who died in 1730; on it is the following epitaph composed by Alexander Pope: 'This modest stone, what few vain marbles can, May truly say, Here lies an honest man, A poet, blessed beyond the poet's fate, Whom Heaven kept sacred from the proud and great, Foe to loud praise and friend to learned ease, Content with Science in the Vale of Peace, Calmly he looked on either life, and here Saw nothing to regret or there to fear; From Nature's temp' rate feast rose satisfied, Thanked Heaven that he had lived, and that he died.'
• There is a memorial to William Trumbull who died in 1687 and was 'Ambassador from the Kinge of Great Brittaine to Constantinople'.

There are other memorials to the Trumbull and Downshire families, to Revd Osborne Gordon (with a poem by John Ruskin as the epitaph), and a monument to the polar explorer Frederick George Jackson.

 

Tower and Bells

We know a belfry was built at the Church in 1664 using bricks. A small nine-inch stone set in the outside wall of the tower commemorates this achievement to this day, with the name Henry Boyer and the year 1664 inscribed on it. The Church is recorded as having a ring of 4 bells later in 1699. 

In 1866 the tower was raised to double the height and decorated with victorian stone tracery. Today Easthampstead has 8 cast iron bells all dated to 1966 by the founder Mears & Stainbank. The cast iron frames were made by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. 

 

For more information, please do get in touch.

Contact Us

 

Rectors ↑

There is no record of incumbents until 1298. The current list is as follows (reigning Monarchs are listed in red for reference only):

 

Stained glass windows ↑

In the church are five windows made by renowned Victorian artist-craftsman William Morris to the designs of Sir Edward Burne-Jones.

The East Window (shown above) depicts the last judgement and is of national importance. Dating from 1876 it is dedicated to the memory of the 5th Marquis of Downshire and was comissioned by his wife Georgina Hill. 

 

In the North chapel is the scene of St Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb (shown above and to the left) and seeing the risen Christ (shown above and to the right). It is dedicated to the memory of Mr W.J. Scott of Wick Hill House who died in 1875.

 

The window showing the coming of the Magi at the north end of the sanctuary (shown above) is dedicated to the memory of Revd. Osborne Gordon who died in 1883.

 

The fourth window by Burne-Jones dates from 1883 and depicts the Martyrdom of St Maurice (shown above). 

 

The final window made in 1898 showing angels are now situated in the Annexe. Dedicated to the memory of the Peard family. This window reuses earlier designs of Burne-Jones.

On 9 June 2013, a new stained glass window in the porch, by the artist Thomas Denny, was unveiled by John Nike OBE DL. The window depicts Cynegils King of Wessex's baptism, witnessed by King Oswald of Northumbria and two of the daughters of Cynegils. The baptism established Christianity in the Thames Valley and took place in Dorchester-on-Thames. The window marked the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

 

The south window (shown above) in the Downshire chapel is by William Wailes (1808-81), and dates from 1868. It shows the Acts of Charity, based on Jesus' teachings.

 

For more information, please do get in touch.

Contact Us