rudely inscribed upon the stone seem to point out "the beautifiers" of the church at that time :— 1635 EAWARA O M IⱭALTON 。 HEN ARI O SAMAN The style of the repairs, particularly on the northern side of the church, where the parts of the old wall which had fallen down, are replaced with alternate squares of stone and flint, corresponds with the above date. In the south wall of the church is fixed an ancient monumental inscription of a semicircular form. Mr. Rowe informs us that this "monument was placed in the circumference of the chancel door of St. John's church: which chancel was pulled down in 1587, and the monument defaced. The remains of it were placed where it now stands, by those who were lovers of antiquities." Camden gave a sketch of the monument as it was in its original position: and Mr. Rowe says that it was " truly described." The sketch given in Gough's Camden, is a very imperfect representation of the monument as now seen; the accompanying drawing, No. XXIII, is more accurate. It was not perhaps till the year 1635, that the fragments of this monument which had been collected by the antiquarian zeal of Mr. Rowe from the ruins of the chancel, were fixed in the station they now occupy. Several of the stones of the original inscription having been lost, they were replaced by others, and the necessary characters engraved upon them. The diameter of the monument which is semicircularly shaped, is seven feet nine inches. It is composed of fifteen stones of different dimensions. The first, second, third, fourth, and twelfth stones are evidently more modern than the rest, and were doubtless those supplied by "the lovers of antiquity" to complete what time or accident had left imperfect. With these exceptions the characters are Anglo-Saxon, and are rudely and deeply engraved. The inscription may be thus read: Clauditur hic miles, Danorum regia proles, The Society of Antiquaries before whom a drawing of this curious monument was laid, were of opinion, from the character of the inscription, that it was executed about the time of Edward III. Tradition, however, gives it a "Here lies a soldier of the royal race of Denmark, whose name Magnus denotes his noble lineage: laying aside his greatness, he assumed a lamb-like deportment, changing a busy life for that of a humble anchorite." It seems singular (observes Mr. Grose) that though the sole conceit of this punning inscription, turns on the word Magnus, no such word is to be found in the whole epitaph: the name of the deceased being spelt Mangnus, and that same unlucky n intervening between the a and g in every case. more ancient date: and some able antiquaries amongst whom may be classed the late Mr. John Elliot, of Lewes, have fixed the date of the monument in the latter part of the eleventh century. About the year 1748, a grave stone bearing the figure of a cross, with rose lights within the four divisions, was discovered in the middle of the pavement of the church, and formed a step down to the communion table; the sculptured surface being turned downwards, as if for the purpose of preserving the work. Several other curiously engraved tomb stones, which had been broken and used for the steps descending into the church, were discovered about the same time. The stone first mentioned, in consequence of the singularity of its ornaments, was preserved, and was in 1771, placed in an upright position within the semicircle of Magnus' monument, as seen in the drawing1. Concerning the individual for whom this memorial was raised, there exists much doubt. The prevailing opinion, however, is, that Magnus was the third son of King Harold II. by his first wife, whose mother Githa was a Danish princess, and sister of Sweyn, who succeeded Hardicanute. The three sons of Harold, after the overthrow of their father, and the subsequent subjection of England to the Norman invader, left their country and sought refuge from the insults of the Conqueror in Ireland. In the following year they made a descent on the south western coast of England, and having ravaged some parts of Somersetshire, Devon, and Cornwall, returned to Ireland, laden with spoil. In the succeeding year, the two elder brothers renewed their depredations, but were checked in their desolating progress by Beorn, Earl of Cornwall. A battle ensued, and the forces of the exiled nobleman, received a complete overthrow2. Seven hundred of the Irish troops are said to have fallen in the contest and flight; and those who survived the carnage, fled to the Irish coast. Unable to secure a footing in their native land, and having learnt by sad experience the inutility of attempting to shake the stability of the victor's throne, Godwin and Edmund retired to Denmark, and spent the remainder of their days in the court of their relation King Sweyn. What became of Magnus is not recorded. He certainly did not accompany his brothers in their second and unsuccessful expedition, nor did he proceed with them to Denmark. Tradition may perhaps "The tradition in the be allowed to supply the chasm left by written history. neighbourhood of Lewes, (says Mr. Grose,) is, that Magnus was a Danish 1 1 In 1779 several tomb stones of the same form is a drawing made by Mr. J. Lambert, Sen. of and carving were dug up in the church on repair-eight of these stones that were dug up in different ing and new pewing it, and in the year before, parts of St. John's church in the year 1779: all of several bearing a strong resemblance to it were which are supposed to have come from the prosdug up at Seaford church, in and about the foun- trate chancel. dation of the ancient burnt chancel there. 2 In Sir W. Burrell's MSS. in the British Museum there Speed's Hist. of Eng. b. 8. c. 7. general, and commanded a large party of his countrymen, who made an incursion into these parts, in which expedition he was wounded and taken prisoner, and all his men were slain: that being kindly taken care of, he was converted to christianity, or at least, if before a christian, that he became an anchorite; but the story adds, that his wounds soon brought him to his grave. The place where he was taken, is said to be in a field called Walling, perhaps a corruption of Wall-end, that is, the end of the wall or works of the castle As to the period when this event happened, both history and tradition are silent1." If any reliance can be placed on this traditionary story, it identifies the Magnus of the inscription, with the third son of Harold II., and fixes the period of his becoming an anchorite to the year 1068 or 9: for it cannot be supposed, that after his brothers had abandoned all hopes of dispossessing the Conqueror, and had retired to the court of Denmark, Magnus unaided by them would have made a hostile visit into Britain. Whilst his brothers, in their second expedition, were endeavouring to gain a settlement in the south western counties, Magnus may have led a body of Irish troops to the Sussex coast, and the engagement above-mentioned, may have taken place. His retiring to the cloister may account for the silence that obtains amongst the historians relative to the latter period of his life. The "Danorum regia proles, Magnus nomen ei," agrees well with the son of Harold. The late Mr. Elliot, of Lewes, started a novel hypothesis on this disputed point. It was suggested to him by the following passage in Tindal's Notes on Rapin:-"Though all authors agree that King Harold fell in the battle with William the Conqueror, near Hastings, yet Knighton, from Geraldus Cambrensis, asserts he was not slain, but escaping retired to a cell near St. John's, in Chester, and died there an anchoret, as was owned by himself in his last confession when he lay dying; in memory whereof they shewed his tomb when Knighton wrote." St. John's Church was formerly described to be in Castro, in consequence of its standing within the little fort that has already been mentioned. Mr. Elliot, thinking it probable that in Castro or in Castra, had by a mistake arising from the similarity of this neutral substantive, been changed to in Cestria, supposed that the place of Harold's retreat after the battle of Hastings, was the church of St. John in Castro, at Lewes, and there dying, that the inscription which has been recorded, was raised to perpetuate his memory. The ancient Saxon arch, which was previous to 1779, the southern entrance to the church stands to the west of this monument. The entrance through the arch is now closed, and within it is placed in an upright position, a very ancient grave stone, carved in a similar manner to that which is placed under the monument of Magnus. It is not, however, in so good a state of preservation1. On the south side of the church yard, and at the distance of a few yards from the porch, stands the tomb of Thomas Blunt, barber: a man whose liberal benefactions to his native town are worthy of being recorded. The following inscription bears testimony of the regard in which his benevolence is held : "As a tribute of respect due to the memory of Mr. Thomas Blunt, who died in September, 1611. This tomb was rescued from the ravages of time, and repaired by the chief officers of the borough of Lewes, and the church-wardens of this parish, A.D. 1800." On the northern side of the tomb are the following lines recording his benefactions, attributed to the pen of the Rev. Dr. Shore. The attempt to throw into hexameter verse the bequests of the deceased, left not much room for poetical thought or expression. The quaintness of the two last lines is amusing : In obitum Thomæ Blunt, Lewiensis, ex societate Duodecem qui sexto idus Sept. placide Domino obdormivit. Clauditur hoc tumulo corpus; requiescit in alto Tresque minas miseris, totidem Ludique Magistris, Munere perpetuo repetendas quolibet anno: Dona dedit, donisque datis, datur ipse sepulchro : The interior of the church is neat, but contains nothing remarkable, if we except an admirable painting in the style of Rembrandt, which is placed over the altar. The subject is the presentation of young children to the Saviour3. himself is given to the sepulchre. He made gifts, and by making them, received celestial gifts. The painting came from Halnaker House, in Sussex, from a Mrs. Pawlet, widow of Captain Pawlet, to whom John Crofts, Esq., the grandfather of the present Rev. Peter Guerin Crofts, was executor. This painting, and at the same time the church plate, was given by Mr. Crofts, (who was at that time the impropriator) to the church in 1751. It is said to have come into the possession of Captain Pawlet, as a prize in a naval engagement. The artist in the accompanying drawing has, overlooked the pillars which support the old arch. The following strictly literal translation may not be unacceptable to the mere English reader: On the death of Thomas Blunt, of Lewes, one of the society of the twelve, who quietly fell asleep in the Lord, on the sixth of the Ides of September. The body is enclosed in this tomb, the spirit rests on high. He lives who at his death left gifts to mechanics, to the poor, to the fellowship, and to the masters of the school. He bequeathed a cup to the fellowship as a pledge of love, and three pounds to the poor, and as many On the top of the frame is the coat armour of the to the masters of the school, to be claimed by donor; on the dexter side three bulls' heads sable on a them annually in perpetual donation. He also field or, impaling the coat of Le Pla, viz. a lion ramgave twenty pounds to be advanced without in-pant gules on a field argent; bordure vert and or alterterest to needy tradesmen, and to be claimed under nately. CREST a talbot sejant, argent, with his tail a bond. He made gifts, and having made them turned up and his tongue hanging out of his mouth. |