St John the Baptist, Boldre

EARLY HISTORY

The exact date of the origins of the Church of St John the Baptist at Boldre will always remain a matter for some speculation. Since there are three Sarsen stones in the early foundations of the present church, it does seem at least possible that the site served as a place of worship as long ago as 2000 B.C., the heyday of stone circles, long before the coming of Christianity. It has even been suggested that the choice of St John the
Baptist as patron saint might have been influenced by the fact that his Festival Day falls in Midsummer, and as such was a favourite for a site converted by the Early Church to the "New Religion".

This origin may have been one reason for the church's unusual position, high on a hill and well away from any kind of village, dominating the surrounding countryside of field and wood. It is not in fact the only Forest church to be somewhat isolated, since a number of them, like Brockenhurst and Bramshaw, were placed on high ground in the centre of the large and scattered parishes they served, rather than within any one particular village.

DOMESDAY BOOK & NORMANS

The church is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, although the civil Hundred of 'Bovre' - probably a Norman corruption of "Bol Re" (plank over river) - is there, with its links with the Priory of Twyneham,
Christchurch. This may have been an omission by the compilers caused by the confusion over the major tax reassessments after the Afforestation, especially as Boldre's entry is the worst page in the book. There are in fact many other instances of unchronicled Saxon churches, and Boldre may have been one of those ruined in the Norman Spoliation of AD 1070. Since Boldre is mentioned as the headquarters of the Hundred in the Domesday Book it is likely to have'achieved this status partly by the importance of its church at the time. Certainly a Charter of c.1100 refers to Boira church with its chapel of Brokehurst.

It is accepted that a church was built at Boldre by William I immediately after the Afforestation in 1079, or possibly even before, as a church of secular canons had been established in Saxon times at Christchurch and their active ministry field stretched between Poole and Boldre.

In view of the acknowledged link with the Afforestation, and taking into account all the available evidence, the church celebrated its 900th anniversary in 1987, and a commemorative plaque is to be found at the eastern end of the South Aisle on the northern wall of the arch leading to the tower.

POSITION IN THE AREA

For centuries Boldre was the Mother Church of the southern New Forest, a situation which dated back to the 12th century. A Charter of Baldwin de Redvers (1140 -50) confirms to Hyllary, dean of the canons at Christchurch Twyneham, the church of Boira with its chapels of Limnetona and Brokenhurst. This confirms it as the senior church in the area - despite the Royal hunting lodge at Brockenhurst - within 15 years of the Domesday book. Boldre had its status as a vicarage ordained between 1151 -1172 and after the Dissolution of Christchurch Priory by Henry VIII in 1539 it obtained its own independence in 1561.

Boldre's extensive parish contained the chapelries of Brockenhurst and Lymington. These were served by curates of Boldre for many centuries, although strenuous efforts were made by Lymington to secure their own vicar. In 1839 Sway and East Boldre were assigned their own Parishes, followed by South Baddesley in 1859. Brockenhurst had achieved its own independence in 1806, but Lymington did not become legally separated
from Boldre until 1869.

The present boundaries of the parish enclose an area of 7718 acres and include Battrarnsley, Walhampton, Portmore, Bull Hill, Pilley Bailey, Pilley and Boldre, most of which were recorded in the Domesday Book.

GROWTH OF THE BUILDING THROUGH THE CENTURIES

Each century from the eleventh to the present day has made its contribution to the building. After the Norman conquest these were the main phases:

The Norman Church 1080 - 1175

All that remains of this stage of the building today is to be seen in the three easternmost arches of the South Arcade with their piers. There may have been a corresponding north aisle, of which there is no evidence now, so forming a small church with nave, two aisles and an apsidal chancel, all typical of the period.

Thirteenth Century

1220 - 1240 The North Chapel was built, and named after Isabella de Fortibus, Countess of Devon. Although the Fleur-de-Lys window has disappeared, three armorial shields of great families connected to her can
still be seen in a drawing of the window made in 1802. A piece of weather moulding on the outer face of the chapel's west wall, now visible in the choir vestry, seems to indicate that there had been an annexe to the west of the chapel when it was built.

The South Porch also belongs to this period. The trefoiled opening in the gable of the porch was originally a niche containing a statue, but now holds a window of St Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, as part of the HOOD memorial.

1270 -1280 The Nave was lengthened, with a corresponding South Aisle, to the present West Wall with its doorway and shallow buttresses. The octagonal piers to this arcade, and the mouldings and shape of their
capitals are rather unusual, and there is evidence of a misalignment of the new walls by the builders on the easternmost of the extension's piers.

Fourteenth Century

Soon after 1300 The Chancel and lower part of The Tower were built, the former superseding the original Norman Chancel.

Sixteenth Century

The North Wall of the Nave would seem to belong to this period, together with the Buttress at the North west corner.

Seventeenth Century

1697 The Buttress at the South western corner of the church was built and the upper part of The Tower was rebuilt in brick .

Two stone panels on the south side of the tower read:

Eighteenth Century

During the Gothic revival the original Windows in the South Aisle were replaced by windows with clear diamond leaded panes. William Gilpin, vicar 1777 - 1804 was responsible for much other work in the
church.

Nineteenth Century

1855 The Chancel was completely rebuilt from a few feet above the ground and given a plaster ceiling. Twenty years later this ceiling was removed, revealing wooden rafters.

Late Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.

Considerable restoration and renovation took place during this period, including the replacing of the whole of the plasterwork of the ceiling. New vestries were built and the Sanctuary enlarged. It was during this period that much new work on the windows was undertaken, making the church much lighter.

The most recent renovation took place in 1996 when the West Wall had to have a major overhaul at very short notice.

The next section of the guide gives more detail about the fabric and furnishings of the church. It is followed by a section giving some further facts and information not directly connected with bricks and mortar.

SOUTH PORCH AND NORTH (DE FORTIBUS) CHAPEL.

The visitor comes into the church through the 13th century porch which is now part of the HMS HOOD memorial (see below). The rest of the memorial can be found directly across the church opposite the doorway, at the northwest corner of the North (de Fortibus) Chapel.

THE NORTH (DE FORTIBUS) CHAPEL, in which the Book of Remembrance is sited, is considered the best piece of architecture in the church. It is called after Isabella de Fortibus, Countess of Devon (d.1293), who inherited her estates, including Boldre, from her brother, Baldwin de Redvers, 8th Earl of Devon and Lord of Wight in 1262; she probably gave the famous Fleur-de-Lys East Window in the chapel. All trace of this window has now disappeared, though there is a copy of a drawing by Thomas Powell, on the wall by the porch, of the armorial shields still there in 1802. These shields appear to be those of families connected to Isabella de Fortibus: de Clare, for her mother Amicia de Clare, de Warenne for her sister-in-law, Avis Warenne, and the Fleur-de-Lys itself for Isabella's son-in-law, Edmund Crouchback, who later married the grand-daughter of Louis VIII, King of France. In 1956 the current Bradley Window, by Derek Wilson, was put in where the Fleur-de-Lys window had been, itself replacing the Victorian glass of the previous Blanshard window.

There seems originally to have been a narrow north aisle to the church, part of which was replaced by this splendidly proportioned chapel. At the same time the western end of the aisle was demolished. The columns dividing the chapel and the nave are of Purbeck marble, widely used in the 13th Century, as in Salisbury cathedral, Beaulieu and Milford.

The Windows. Until recently the chapel was very dark, its four main windows containing sombre Victorian glass. These were replaced in 1956. The three armorial windows in the north wall were designed by Francis Skeat. Two were given in memory of the Burrard family who used to live in Walhampton House and the centre window is a memorial to the early twentieth century painter Creswell Hartley Desmond, of Spout House.
The latter also designed the lectern made and carved by his sister, Phoebe Desmond (see pl6), whose name has been added to the inscription on the window. The West Window was inserted in 1884.

The Reverend William Gilpin. On the north wall is the wall tablet to William Gilpin, Boldre's most celebrated vicar (see p24). His interesting chest tomb is in the churchyard on the north side of the church.

Also of note in the chapel are the stone carvings on either side of the windows and both sides of the pillars between the nave and the chapel, two Bishop's Chairs on either side of the altar, and the paving stones, once headstones in the churchyard, which provide good examples of the early practice of letting single words run over from one line to the next.

the wooden altar and surround were given in memory of James Alien Young in 1923/ and the altar-rail was given by Creswell Hartley Desmond and his sister Phoebe in the 1930s in memory of their mother.

NAVE, CHANCEL & SANCTUARY.

Moving back into the Nave, the visitor sees the Pulpit, designed by Norman Shaw, a leading late 19th century architect who, as well as several churches, also built Scotland Yard. The pulpit (1876) was given in memory of the Reverend Charles Shrubb, curate, then vicar, for 57 years from 1817, and followed by his son-in-law, the Reverend E. H. Elers/ vicar till 1912. The stone flooring and steps of the chancel and sanctuary were given in memory of another Shrubb, John Peyto Charles, by his widow in 1921.

From here one has a good view of the Barrel or Waggon Roof of the nave with its carved bosses, typical of the work of country craftsmen in the 14th century. In 1958 several were taken down to have woodworm damage repaired and a member of the congregation climbed the builder'sscaffolding to repair and paint the remaining seven in situ as they could not be removed from the strong iron spikes holding them.

The North Window(1880) depicts Jesus predicting the Raising of Lazarus.

The East (de Mowbray) Window, 1967, depicts Christ in Glory, and was designed by Alan Younger of London. It is in memory of Sub Lieutenant Richard de Mowbray RN and of his father Captain Eric de Mowbray CBE RN and was given by Mrs Louise de Mowbray and her younger son Colin. The window shows the robed figure of Christ reigning from the cross, and the main tracery contains a representation of the dove, symbolising the Holy Spirit. The richly coloured emblems, of triangular shape, linked with and flowing from the dove, represent the Gifts of the Spirit (Isaiah 11.2). This is one of Alan Younger's earliest commissions, and he was able to restore it himself after it had a brick thrown through it in 1995. Later windows of his include the Bede window in the Galilee Chapel of Durham Cathedral, the Rose window in St Alban's Cathedral, and two recent lancets in Chester cathedral. The South West window in this church is also
by him (.

Also in 1967 the panelling and screens behind and to the sides of the altar were removed to show the whole length of the East Window. At the same time the mediaeval window and embrasure to the south of the altar, omitted in the 1855 rebuilding of the chancel, was reinstated.

The Lectern was carved to a design by Creswell Hartley Desmond by his sister, Phoebe, over a period of twenty years, from two pieces of oak from Boldre Grange, and given to the church in 1952 in memory of four previous incumbents. On the flat surface of the wall between the lectern and the south aisle can still be seen the faint traces of a mediaeval painting. The masonry of this respond or half-pillar and the three Norman arches between it and the font form the oldest part of the present church dating from 1080.

At one time there was a rood screen dividing the chancel from the nave. Above it was a rood loft, used by the small orchestra and choir soloists who led the singing in the church. The 15th century wooden doorway to the loft staircase, long since infilled, is in the south aisle. The choir in the church has a long tradition. As long ago as 1792 a friend of William Gilpin remarked that "there were several fine heads in the church, and the band of singers full of rough harmony." However when they struck for more pay in 1811 they were replaced by a less demanding choir from the daughter church of South Baddesley. Since that time there has been a succession of excellent organists who have made possible choral singing of a high standard. In recent years the choir has sung Evensong on a number of occasions at Winchester and Salisbury cathedrals.

THE TOWER AND SOUTH AISLE.

The Tower is on the south side of the chancel. Before the pipe organ was installed the base was probably used as a Lady Chapel (note the 14th century trefoiled piscine in the south wall). The organ was built from parts of the organ at the 1851 Great Exhibition and given to the church in 1885; its pipes completely filled the tower. In 1990 the pipe organ was replaced by a Copeman-Hart electronic organ located at the east end of the south aisle; the original organ pipes are now in a church in Romania. For the space in the tower thus freed the PCC in 1993 commissioned a forged steel chandelier from Richard Bent of Romsey, whose parents ran The New Inn (Hobler), Setley. It was dedicated by the Archdeacon of Winchester and commemorates the 900th anniversary of the church, as recorded by the wall plaque there.

There are Eight Bells hung in the Tower of which the original three were listed in the church inventory of 1552. The bells were recast during the incumbency of the Reverend Charles Shrubb in the 19th century and repaired and rehung in 1927, at which point five more were given to the churchy making a peal of eight. Recently the tower had to be strengthened and the peal was then converted to be rung as a carillon.

The Breeches or Geneva Bible on view is an edition printed in 1615 (the first edition was published in 1560). Opposite it is a copy of the 'She' Bible of 1613, so called from the confusion in Ruth 3.15, when one of the three printings used the word 'He' instead of 'She'.

As one returns down the south aisle, the Font is reached, beside the south porch. Octagonal, and of 15th century date, it sits upon a tall modern stem and base. Opposite it is the Parish Chest, used for the storage of parish registers and church plate before the modern safe, but given away at the time of the 1855 restoration. It was discovered in the Lymington workhouse and returned to the church, though the original lid was stolen in 1983.

Beside it will be found a detailed guide (A Short History of the Saints, by the Reverend J.H.M. Staniforth) to the Embroidered Pew Runners. These were all worked by the Boldre Church Needlework Guild starting in 1956, as well as the three hundred hassocks, four sets of communion vestments, three altar frontals and a festal cope. The pew runners all bear the arms of British saints and the coloured backgrounds indicate their status: red for a martyr, royal blue for a king or queen, purple for a bishop, black for a monk and white for a nun.

The Graves Register is also opposite the Font, with instructions how to use it, listing all the names of those buried between 1710 - 1993. It also contains a list of all those commemorated on the grave slabs, wall tablets and windows in the church, of which the oldest named slab is of 'Mary - died 19th April 1693'. However the very oldest name appearing on any slab is that of 'Arthur Bromfield - died 26 May 1650' and mentioned on his
grandson's tombstone as being buried nearby.

On the pillar immediately opposite the font is a brass plaque to the Reverend Richard Johnson, Curate to William Gilpin in 1784/5. He sailed as Chaplain with the First Fleet to found the penal Colony of New South Wales, Australia, in 1788 and built the first wattle and daub church at his own expense. There are now close links with the second replacement church of St Philip's Church, Sydney, where his bible and prayer book are displayed in his commemorative chapel. The plaque was dedicated by the Bishop of Sydney North when he was attending the Lambeth conference in 1988. There is a booklet - The Bishop of Botany Bay - on the life of
Richard Johnson available in the church.

THE WEST END

Windows. The South Aisle at its west end contains a small window by Alan Younger, the Taylor window. It bears the inscription "In memory of lona Taylor and her life of service". lona Taylor was Girl Guide County Commissioner for Hampshire and amongst other emblems at the foot of the window appears the Girl Guide trefoil. The three white vertical lines of the window symbolise the Trinity; the twelve small gold circles of light represent the twelve apostles; the darker blues form a cross shape and in the centre is a rich burst of summer and harvest colours representing God the Creator. It was dedicated in 1980. Alan Younger also designed the de Mowbray East Window (pl6). The West Window, depicting Faith, Hope and Charity, was made by Ward & Hughes of London and inserted in 1864, in memory of Charles Winston, barrister and author of 'Hints on Glass Paintmg: 1846', the seminal study of medieval stained glass.

The Flags of the United States and of Canada are reminders of World War Two. The former was presented by the US forces who used Walhampton House supposedly as an Officers' Rest Centre during the war and worshipped at Boldre. The 'Officers' Rest Centre' was in fact security cover for an O.S.S. base (the American equivalent of the British S.O.E.). The Canadian flag was presented in 1993 in memory of the Canadian airmen of 405 Squadron RCAF of Coastal Command, who flew from Beaulieu Airfield, and were killed between 1942 - 43, by a party of veterans who had come over to visit their graves; these are among the war graves in the North West of the graveyard.

The Two Oak Cupboards were given in memory of Frank Perkins by his widow in 1946. He had been an MP for the New Forest 1910 -1921 and was a great benefactor to parish and church. He wrote 'Boldre: The Parish, the Church and the Inhabitants', still the standard work. His life and character are admirably summed up by the inscriptions on the cupboards which read: "W. Frank Perkins ~ Dear Man'.

The West Doors with their fine carving were given in memory of Squadron Leader William Clarke, who was killed in action over Holland in 1943. Partly under the steps down to them lies a Saxon grave slab. The position of this as well as the steps suggests that the floor may originally have had a slight rise towards the east.

At some time a gallery, dismantled in 1855, was built over the West Door for the church musicians after the removal of the rood screen and loft. It housed a barrel organ which played three tunes: Old Hundredth, a hymn
and a psalm.

The Vestry was extended westwards in 1963 to the full length of the church, and the doors leading in from the nave were given in memory of Edmund Prys Lloyd, organist from 1934 - 1964. The outer vestry door in the north wall commemorates Lieutenant Commander Creagh Osborne, a RNAS test pilot who died in 1957 when he refused to eject from his crashing aircraft until he had steered it well clear of a school.

On the north wall of the nave is the striking portrait bust of John Kempe, MP for Lymington in 1640. Popular for his hard work and care for the town, his is one of the few busts of the period to have survived the Cromwellian age unvandalised.

THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING

The church is built of ashlar and rubble with flints probably brought from the Isle of Wight. There is no such stone in the New Forest and it would have been difficult to bring it by road from the chalk areas near Salisbury and Winchester. The Roof Tiles, of an unusual size, are probably of Forest manufacture.

It is not known for how long there has been a weathervane on the south west corner of the Tower, but one of the earliest drawings of the churchy of 1825, shows one there. It was last renovated in 1959.

All the pictures of the church from the beginning of this century show a sundial on the south wall of the tower. The current sundial is a copy of the original, made in 1962.

The West Wall. In August 1995 it was discovered that the great west wall of the church, although 1 metre thick, was cracking and moving outwards, requiring immediate shoring up to prevent collapse. Detailed investigation found that water had been entering for a long period through the wall coping of stone and lead, washing down the rubble and loose fill in the centre of the wall. This loose fill was found to include sea shells and large round stones probably offloaded as ballast from ships docking in Lymington and picking up cargo there. When the big buttress on the west wall was dismantled a large void was also found. By using a
special system of cintec anchors and infilling with a special grout called St Paul's mix, the whole was stitched horizontally and diagonally and tied into the nave wall up to 8 metres deep . The work was completed by June 1996 at a cost of £50/000, £34/000 of which was found by the people of the parish, a remarkable effort, and the remainder from grants. At the patronal festival it was blessed by the Archdeacon, the Venerable Alan Clarkson, and a time capsule was bricked in to the masonry.

THE CHURCHYARD

This is unusually large, covering three and a half acres in all. It contains the War Memorial Cross, twenty-three War Graves, and a Garden of Remembrance for cremated ashes, as well as the many graves dating from 1698. There is a Graves Register in the church opposite the Font of all those buried between 1710 - 1993, with instructions how to use it, and a large Plan of the Graveyard in the South Porch, both of which were revised and drawn up by Peter Chitty in 1994.

The War Memorial Cross, of granite, was erected in 1920 to commemorate the twenty-nine men of the parish who fell in the First World War. The names of the seventeen who fell in the Second World War were added in 1948. On Remembrance Sunday the Roll of Honour is read at the cross by a member of the congregation, a senior member of one of the Services.

The Twenty-three War Graves in the north west corner of the churchyard include those of fifteen Canadian airmen stationed at Beaulieu Aerodrome during the Second World War .

The oldest named tombstone in the graveyard is that of Edward Watts, twelve paces from the east end of the church, who died on May 12th, 1698. Its decoration includes carvings of a skull and thighbones and an hour glass.

William Gilpin's chest tomb is to be found on the north side of the church, and bears an inscription, perhaps faintly ambiguous in its last sentence, composed by Gilpin himself:

Several of the headstones, especially of the eighteenth century, are inscribed in verse and make interesting reading. Amongst these are: for
Joseph Young, 1766 -

and for Stephen White, 1801 -

Boldre Church has never been an unchanged, unchanging building. It has been enlarged, contracted, enhanced, restored, rebuilt and adorned constantly during its long life to meet the changing needs of the community of which it is part. One cannot walk round it, far less write about it, without becoming aware of the countless individuals who have contributed to its existence. Some of them find a place in this guide, others in the church itself, and 'some there be who have no memorial' but whose contribution is nonetheless real and lasting, and helps to make Boldre church what it is today.

The following section deals with some of the people, possessions and events that have become part of the unique heritage of the church of St John the Baptist at Boldre.

THE REVEREND WILLIAM GILPIN

William Gilpin, absolutely nothing to do with the John Gilpin of William Cowper's poem, was vicar of Boldre church from 1777 till his death in 1804. Born at Scaleby Castle near Carlisle in 1724, he was the headmaster of Cheam School for twenty-five years and was given the living of Boldre on his retirement by one of his former pupils, William Mitford of Exbury House, at that time Patron of Boldre.

He was an artist of distinction, the first president of the Watercolour Society, and can be credited with the founding of the Picturesque movement that gained ground in the eighteenth century. He produced several essays on his general theory of landscape painting intended for the guidance of the growing band of eighteenth century amateur artists, travellers and collectors, of whom he could claim to be one. He had started making his own 'Tours' in about 1776, of the New Forest, the Lakes and Scotland, and illustrated them himself. They were extremely popular and sold well, though he himself set more store on his religious publications,
which included a complete paraphrase of the New Testament.

At the time of his appointment as Vicar his parishioners were notorious as 'little better than a gang of gypsies, and without the opportunity of the humblest education, or the means of religious instruction' and 'presented a picture of almost ferine (wild beast-like) life, which had few parallels in our civilized country'. William Gilpin set to, ex-headmaster that he was, to change this state of affairs. From the time of his appointment until his
death in 1804 he worked ceaselessly and apparently successfully to improve their morals and behaviour. Home visits, 'gentle exhortation, and a ready relief of their necessities' all played their part. He also improved their lot materially by building a Poor House and a model school for 20 girls and 20 boys, both of them the first of their kind in the country. He raised funds to build and endow these institutions largely by the painting and sale of his watercolours.

He showed the same reforming zeal for his church. In one of his letters we can read: 'Some time ago I was engaged in the same business with my church - that is to make it decent. I made a neat cornice - gave capitals to my pillars - tinted the whole a light leaden colour and turned a very ugly deformed thing into a very decent parish church.'

There is a wall tablet to him in the North Chapel and his tomb is in the churchyard .

THE LIST OF INCUMBENTS

Since the first known Vicar, Walter, in 1257, this list is remarkably complete, and a copy hangs on the south wall by the doorway. The succession has been almost continuous since 1352 except for the height of the Civil War and the subsequent Restoration, when the benefice was discreetly vacant, and the duties were carried out by a layman, John Beesley, for a total of five years. Some of the more noteworthy clerics are
listed below.

Walter the Vicar was accused at the Assizes of 1257 of unjustly disseising the widow Haweise of Wereburne.

Richard Blaunchard the Vicar was fined £2 for deer stealing in 1270.

Robert Jackson, Vicar 1585 - 1596, sued Lymington in 1588 for tithes due to Boldre and secured judgment. He provided a curate for Lymington, but in 1596 on his death they were granted a Rector.

John Howell, Vicar 1706 -' 1724, sued by Lymington for living within 'their' parish, was required to move to Boldre.

William Gilpin, Vicar 1777 -1804 (see p24). Richard Johnson, Curate to William Gilpin 1784 -1785 (see pl8)

Richard Warner, Curate to William Gilpin 1790 - 1794. An eminent and prolific author whose work included 'Literary Recollections' covering his early upbringing in Lymington, schooling in Christchurch, and his first parishes of Boldre and Fawley.

Henry Comyn, Curate 1812 - 1819. He compiled a remarkable survey of every family and the house they lived in for the joint parishes of Boldre and Brockenhurst in 1817. It was published in 1982 as 'Comyn's New Forest'.

The Reverend Canon John Hayter, Vicar 1955 -1982. In 1941 he arrived in Singapore as a young missionary priest and was soon interned in the notorious Changi Gaol, spending four years under the Japanese occupation. Soon after his return to England he began his twenty-seven years of inspiring ministry in Boldre.

THE PARISH REGISTERS, amongst the earliest in the New Forest, run from 1596, with only two 17th century gaps, 1621 -1626, and 1657 - 1663. In them can be found the record of the marriage of: 'Robert Southey Full age. Widower. Poet Laureate. On 4th June 1839 to Caroline Anne Bowles. Full age. Spinster of Lymington.'

THE CHURCH PLATE over the centuries has been enriched by a number of chalices, flagons and patens, both silver and plate. The oldest chalice, 17th century, is now kept at Winchester. The oldest paten, dated 1669/ is still used as an alms dish.

THE WILD BEAST SERMON is sometimes preached on a Sunday near March 18th to commemorate the escape of a member of the Worsley family from a wild beast. This is not the easiest of tasks since it is in doubt whether the animal concerned was a wild lion in Africa, a wild boar or stag in the New Forest, or a lion escaped from a menagerie travelling through the forest; all of these versions have been advanced. The Vicar used to receive a guinea and a goose for his pains, from an endowment by the Worsleys, though more recently the goose has been commuted into a second guinea.

ST NICHOLAS CHAPEL. In 1964 Wing Commander and Mrs Nigel Horris and their family gave a chapel in Pilley in memory of their son, Nicholas, killed in a flying accident whilst training with the Fleet Air Arm.
Built on a site adjoining the Boldre War Memorial Hall, it is dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, and used for Sunday evening and midweek services. In 1997 it was re-ordered and adapted to provide a Meeting Room and Parish Office.

The new Millenium window in St Johns Church
kindly sent in by :
David Guillaume.
Balgownie,
New South Wales

HMS HOOD MEMORIAL

The action of HMS Hood and the Bismarck. HMS Hood (Captain R.Kerr CBE RN), flagship of Vice Admiral
L.E.Holland CB, was at sea during the afternoon of 23rd May 1941, off the south west corner of Iceland. In company with HMS Prince of Wales, and screened by her destroyers. Antelope, Achates, Anthony, Electra, Echo and Icarus, the force was searching for the German battleship, Bismarck, and her escort, the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. By the time the enemy was sighted at 05.37, the destroyers had already been detached. Fire was opened at 05.53 and Bismarck's fifth salvo was mortal; at 06.00 HMS Hood blew up and sank within two minutes in position 63 degrees 20' N,31 degrees 50' W. She took with her the Admiral and 1,416 officers and men. There were only three survivors. During the long history of the Royal Navy few ships have so held the admiration and affection of the British people as HMS Hood. Generations of officers and men who served in her held her in special honour. When Hood was sunk in Icelandic waters in the early hours of Empire Day, 24th May 1941, the sense of loss, felt not only by the families of those who died, but by the whole nation, was
overwhelming.

Vice Admiral L.E.Holland CB

Among those who died was Vice Admiral L.E. Holland CB, who, with his wife and family, had been a regular worshipper at Boldre for many years. The inner porch doors had been given by them in memory of their son, John, who died in 1936. After the War when it became clear that no official memorial was to be raised to those who died in HMS Hood, Mrs Phyllis Holland planned and carried through the scheme which brought the
Hood Commemoration to Boldre.

The Cornish chough

The porch now holds a framed photograph of Hood; two Vice Admiral's lanterns; a small stained glass window of St. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, and two long oak benches carved with the ship's badge of a Cornish chough, which also appears in the set of kneelers at the altar rails in the North Chapel and on the runner in the front pew of the north western part of the nave.

The Illuminated Book of Remembrance can be seen in the north west corner of the North Chapel directly opposite the entrance. This book, containing the names of the 1,417 officers and men of HMS Hood, was written and illuminated by Mrs Daisy Alcock*, who was also responsible for the Royal Air Force Book of Remembrance in Westminster Abbey. There is a facsimile copy for reference in the drawer underneath the Book of Remembrance. In 1997, another book, this time listed alphabetically rather than by rank for ease of reference was donated by Mrs Cutlack, whose husband had served in the Hood and used to come to the Hood
services. He left a generous legacy to the Church trust on his death, and his widow gave the alphabetical book, and another cloth-bound copy for everyday use, as a tangible memorial to him.

The picture of HMS Hood was painted and given by the eminent marine artist, Montague Dawson, in memory of his wife. Sadly he died a week before the date fixed for its dedication -

"To the Glory of God, in honour of the Officers and Men of this great ship,
and in memory of Doris Mary Montague Dawson, 1899-1973."

The artist has depicted HMS Hood as seen from the quarter deck of a destroyer on the starboard wing of her close screen.

In 1984 a Tampion for preventing sea-water from entering the 15 inch gun barrels was presented by Lady Binnie, widow of a former captain of HMS Hood. It may have come from one of the guns in the Royal Marine manned turret. It is to be seen near the Dawson picture.

On a Sunday towards the end of May a service is held in memory of the ship's company of HMS Hood. This is attended by a large number of relatives and friends of those who died, as well as by many Officers. and Men who served in the ship during her distinguished history.

VISIT THE HMS HOOD WEBPAGE This will take you to a new site so bookmark this page if you wish to return.

* A bit of a controversy is that this should be Miss Daisy Alcock as references to her at
http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/listed/newhall.htm refer to her as Miss Alcock. But the above text came from the church at Boldre.