Exhibition: The History of Walton Hall

St Michael’s Church in the Seventeenth Century

There are indications that some restoration of St Michael’s Church was undertaken during the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. The low pitched oaken roof of the nave dates from around 1600 which would have preceded the Beales’ residence at Walton Hall by about twenty years. Excavations carried out during The Open University’s restoration of the church in the 1970s, uncovered two seventeenth century brick vaults under the chancel and a bellfounders pit within the nave.

 

The brick vaults are thought to be those of the Beale family - located on the north side of the chancel - and Reverend William Pyxe's family on the south side. This plan of the church floor shows the position of several graves inside St Michael's Church, including the two seventeenth century brick vaults in the chancel. 

 

The bell frame was constructed in the tower in 1639 and bears the inscription "Robert Brinklow made me 1639". According to a note found during the church’s restoration in the 1970s, three bells were rehung there that year.  Forty years later in 1679 a treble bell was cast by Anthony Chandler. It is inscribed ‘Anthony Chandler Praise the Lord 1679’. The Chandler family operated a bell foundry at nearby Drayton Parslow and supplied high-quality church bells to Buckinghamshire and neighbouring counties over three generations, from 1635 to 1726.

 

The bell frame was dismantled in 1975 as it was found to be unsafe. The two existing bells were removed and preserved and are stored in St Michael’s Church at the back of the chancel. On this page there is a photograph of the Treble Bell created by Anthony Chandler in 1679. 

 

Seventeenth century items found in the church during its restoration in the 1970s and now archived at Milton Keynes Museum included the neck of a pale blue glass bottle and several coins and trade tokens:

Coins: Rose and Richmond Farthings of Charles I dated between 1625 and 1644

Tokens: Robert Honnor of Fenistratford (Fenny Stratford) dated 1655 and John Rowley of Luton dated 1657 

 

Since medieval times many tradesmen such as ale house keepers and vintners had issued cast lead and pewter trade tokens to their customers. In Britain in the post-Civil War years many local authorities, private businesses and merchants were given the freedom to issue their own tokens as a means of undertaking a wide variety of transactions. John Rowley and Robert Honnor were two tradesmen who did this. 

 

The Honnors (or Honners) of Fenny Stratford (near Bletchley) were grocers by trade. Robert Honnor minted trade tokens during the 1650s and 1660s, some of which bore the grocers’ arms. There is a Robert Honnor buried at Bletchley. He died aged 77 in 1721 and was recorded in the parish register as a ‘chandler and grocer’. His year of birth would have been c.1644. It is likely he was related to the Robert Honnor who issued the trade token found in St Michael’s Church.

 

The second image on this page shows from L to R (top row) - King Charles I Rose farthing and King Charles I Richmond farthing and from L to R (bottom row) Robert Honnor token and John Rowley token.