St Andrew's (Photos kindly contributed by John Dove)

The history of St. Andrew's and the manor of South Warnborough are closely connected. At the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror granted the manor of Wergeborne (South Warnborough) to one of his great Norman barons, Hugh Fitzbaldric. Hugh gave the manor and the living of St. Andrew's Church which went with it, to his daughter on her marriage to Guy de Craon. Their son Alan, grandson Maurice and great-grandson Guy continued as lords of the manor but the living of St Andrew's, with land and woods, was granted by Alan to Freiston Priory, a sub-cell of the renowned Crowland Abbey in Lincolnshire, in which county the de Craons also had lands.

Up to the Reformation the rector of South Warnborough paid £4 a year to Freiston as a share of the tithes of the parish. The de Craons and later the de Longchamps and de Penwardy families into which they married, remained at South Warnborough until the 15th century when their place was taken by Robert Whyte, a former wool merchant and Mayor of the Staple. He and his descendants became important landowners, in particular taking advantage of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, (Freiston and Crowland included) in Henry VIII's reign.

The Whytes, whose heraldic device of 3 popinjays is much in evidence in the church, sold the manor in 1636 to Richard Bishop of London and in the 18th century it passed to another Londoner, Robert Graham. The sole Graham heiress Barbara, made a Jane Austen-style runaway marriage to a Captain Harrison Wayne, stationed with the 10th Foot at Farnham. The Harrison Waynes then came to live at the manor.

St. Andrew's church dates from the early 12th century. Its walls are made of flint rubble, except for the West wall of the nave and the 19th century South aisle. Its roofs are now tiled, though in the Middle Ages they may well have been thatched. The unusual wooden bell turret at the West end is late 14th century. Inside, the roofs of the nave and chancel are of the trussed-rafter type, used in mediaeval and late mediaeval times. In its original form the church had no South aisle, which was added by the Victorian architect Street about 1870. There were, however, nave altars on either side of the chancel steps as well as the main altar at the East end.

The main doorway on the North side, with its interesting design of lozenges broken at an angle, and the West end of the nave, were built when Alan de Craon was lord of the manor. The rest of the nave and the chancel appear to have been rebuilt in the first half of the 13th century, the chancel keeping the width and perhaps some of the wall of its 12th century predecessor. Its east window is made up of three closely set stepped lancets under an enclosing arch. The single lancet windows of the nave are early 14th century, as are the windows on the south walls of the church. The large window to the left of the main altar is 16th century, though the stained glass is of a later date.

Another view of he interior of St Andrew's church showing the altar (Photos kindly contributed by John Dove)

One of the outstanding features of the church is the 15th century rood screen, a rare survival and now in its original position though there was a time when it was used under the belfry where it formed a gallery. Its supporting arches are of a later date.

St. Andrew's is rich in monuments and heraldry, particularly of the Whyte family. To the left of the main altar there is a large altar tomb, probably not in its original position, bearing the Whyte arms - the three popinjays - on shields set on a four-leafed design (quatrefoils).

It is believed that the tomb is that of Henry Whyte, grandson of the founder of the family. The top slab is of Purbeck marble, very roughly worked and too wide for the tomb; it is possible, therefore, that the top was originally an altar slab which was then turned upside down. The brass is of Henry's elder brother Robert, died 1512, kneeling with the Trinity. On a brass plate above him and to the right is a scroll inscribed "Sancta Trinitas unus deus miserere nobis" (Blessed Trinity, one God, have mercy upon us).

On either side of the East window are image brackets; the left one is quite plain and carries a helm (helmet) with the Whyte crest; the bracket on the right is decorated with a band of foliage and bears the same Whyte arms as the tomb and is therefore of the same date, but the scutcheon set on it is late 16th century.

The wide, shallow recess on the left side of the chancel contains another large Whyte tomb. It is set under a four-centred arch with Tudor cresting above. It is possible that this recess was originally an Easter sepulchre. On its back wall there is a charming arrangement of kneeling figures; on either side of a prayer desk are Robert Whyte's grandson, Thomas, (died 1566) and his wife Agnes (died 1570) and 14 sons and 6 daughters behind them. The children who died before their parents hold skulls in their hands. Part of the accompanying inscription reads "Thomas and Agnes dye unto God and Saye: we hope to see the goodness of God in the land of Lyfe" and ends "God save the Queen"! Above is a small kneeling figure of Elizabeth Paulet, daughter of Sir Thomas and first wife of Lord Chidiock Paulet, third son of the Marquess of Winchester, in itself a sign of the eminence that the Whytes had reached by the 16th century. There is also a figure of Sir Thomas' son, Richard with his wife Ellen and their daughter Anne ( Philpott ) who died in 1597; the group is framed in coloured marbles. On the opposite wall is a late 16th century monument of Renaissance design, in direct contrast with Sir Thomas' late Gothic mediaeval style tomb. A wall monument itself was new in Elizabethan times. Each of the kneeling figures of the two Whyte brothers is set in an arched panel under a cornice carried on Corinthian columns. Such Renaissance designs were fashionable and show the Whyte brothers were "with it".

Although the South aisle was built in the 19th century, there is to the right of its altar an early 12th century volute capital and shaft possibly of the same date as the nave walls. The chief interest of the South aisle is in the 16th century heraldic glass. On the window behind the altar are represented the three feathers of Wales twice and the Tudor Rose once, probably for Prince Arthur, the elder brother of Henry VIII, and also the emblems of Katherine of Aragon who stayed at Dogmersfield when she first arrived in England to marry Arthur.

In the window to the right there are four panels. The top left hand is dated 1599 and shows the Whyte popinjays; the other three shields are encircled by garters and are from the first half of the 16th century; they include the quartered shield of Thomas Wriothesley, first earl of Southampton who had served with Sir Thomas Whyte on a Commission for disposing of Church plate at the Reformation; his grandson, the 3rd Earl, was the patron of the Elizabethan poets, and in particular of Shakespeare.

The beams of the tower with the ladder on the left

SACRED To the memory of MARY ANN WARREN A benefactress to this parish having given to it the church clock, and 100L for the benefit of the poor. Excellent from her youth upwards in the performance of duties, towards God, and her fellow creatures. She died Sept IXth MDCCCXXXI. Aged LXIV years. "Oh let not Martha's cares distract thine heart, But wisely follow "Mary's Better Part." Be useful, patient, faithful, kind, and good, Give to the naked clothes, the hungry Food, Like her we mourn; How truly, none can tell. Save those who owe as much and loved as well!" Near this place are likewise Deposited the mortal remains of ELIZABETH WARREN Sister of the above who died Nov Vth MDCCCXLVI, aged LXXIV Years. To the poor of this place, she, like her sister, was a benefactor, subscribing kindly to various parochial charities and investing 100L., in South Sera Stock for educational purposes. "To do good, and to Communicate Forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased". HebXIII. Ver XVI Likewise deposted in birth was moral ?? JOHN TALOR WARREN ESQ Brother of the above Inspector General of Army Hospitals Who ??????????? Also of JANE AMELIA WARREN. His widow. Who died Novr IXth MDCCCLVI. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord  Rev 14 C.13.V.		In ever loving memory of ISABEL JACQUELINE wife of HUBER JAMES CECIL ROSTRON.M.C. Captain 5th Dragoon Guards of this Parish And youngest daughter of the Honourable Paulyn Francis Cuthbert Rawdon-Hastings and The Lady Maud Rawdon-Hastings she was born on August 8th 1887. married on Sept 20th 1916, died at the Manor House, Ashby- de-la-Zouch on July 14th 1917. And is buried in the Hastings Vault in the chapel of Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle May she rest in peace