The curious clock whose bells are
struck by golden cherubs on the north side of the tower, is said to
have been a gift of Queen Elizabeth and to be the oldest clock in
England still in good order. It is probably of late Caroline
construction, but even though it were of the sixteenth century its
claim to be the oldest clock now at work in England could not be
upheld for a moment, that in Wells Cathedral being far older. The
pulpit is of the sixteenth century. In the north aisle is a curious
collection of Bibles and cannon balls, and here, too, is a small
window with glass by Burne Jones.
To the south-west of the church is the so-called Carmelite Chapel, a
late Decorated building. What exactly this was and to whom it
belonged, is uncertain; it was not a chapel of Carmelite Friars. The
only establishment belonging to that Order within the county of Susses
was at Shoreham, founded in honour of the Blessed Virgin, by Sir John
de Mowbray in 1316.
So far as we know the only religious to be found in
Rye at the time of the spoliation were the Austin Friars. Their house
still stands--a building of the late fourteenth or early fifteenth
century--on the Conduit Hill.
Pages:
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192