Church of the Holy Cross, Seend

Alan Clark described the church as ‘a fine structure dating from about 1450 and situated on the south side of Seend ridge, with open views across the Lavingtons to the northern edge of Salisbury Plain which forms the skyline some ten miles distant. Visitors enter the churchyard through an elegant wrought iron gate surmounted by a suspended lantern. This was beautifully restored in 1962 in memory of Sylvia Cassels’. It is built of ashlar with rubble stone.

Earlier Norman remains have been dug up in the graveyard and in rough stonework on the lower part of the north tower and east end of the south aisle.

The north aisle contains an entrance porch and door which were added in c.1500 by John Stokys along with the north aisle itself. The arch design incorporates a cloth merchant’s tools. There is a stone crucifix outside the window in good condition.

The nave floor includes flat stones dedicated to the Somner and Seymour families in the seventeenth century. A coloured corbel and frescos were discovered after the Somner memorial was removed. A rood beam stretched across the chancel arch and carried a gallery. It was removed in the 17th century.

The original font and pulpit dated from 1450. At one time the font was buried in the churchyard and then later used as a garden ornament! It was restored in 1938. The Victorian font at the top of the north aisle is surrounded by memorials to the Schombergs. The Victorian pulpit is carved in Caen stone. The original was given away by Canon Thynne in 1870 when he encouraged villagers to contribute money to improve the church. The original pine pews were destroyed or given away, for example to the Barge Inn at Seend Cleeve (still present in the 1970’s). The tower and chancel were built in 1876. An organ was installed in 1889 by the Canon when the galleries were removed. The tower arch was opened up and a loft built for it to save floor space.

A mason’s mark about 2ft in diameter can be seen on the wall immediately inside the pulpit. It depicts the White Rose of the house of York superimposed on a seven pointed star. It is said to have originated from a vision seen by the Lancastrian King Edward IV at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross when he claimed to have seen ‘the rose surrounded by the rays of the sun’. This mark would suggest that this part of the church cannot have been built before the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross in 1461, although it is possible that the mark was inscribed onto an already existing building as an act of piety.

The Civil War must have affected the parish and Church, whose registers for Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths were not recorded from 1645 to 1651. John Aubrey stated that in about 1648 the painted glass in the church was beaten down by William Sumner.

The Vicar of Melksham appointed the Vicar at Seend and took the tithes. The great tithes were given to Salisbury Cathedral. Glebe land in Seend consisted of two acres of churchyard which held grazing to support the vicar.

There is evidence that charity money for the poor was going to the church instead. Between 1764 and 1833, £115.13s.3d. was paid out for beer for the bell ringers. In 1777, £50.10s.7d. as bounty for sparrow’s head, foxes, otters, hedgehogs and polecats. Withholding charity from the poor was justified by the vestrymen in 1791 who agreed that if anyone kept a dog and received parish relief his pay was to be stopped ‘…because they consumed the parish victuals and were a nuisance’.

William Tipper (d. 1651) left £50 to be held by the chapel wardens to be used at their discretion for the ‘poor people of Seend’. The money was later invested in part of the West Field, known as ‘Tipper’s Ground’ or ‘Poor Ground’ and the rent was used for warm coats for the old men of the village. They were ‘great coats’ or ‘waistcoats’ but became known as ‘Bugge Coats’ from the thick white ‘bugge cloth’ they were made from. They were handed out at Christmas. The style of the coats remained the same until 1906 when they were given a more modern cut and colour.

Thomas Bruges (d.1835) left some money for the distribution of blankets ‘among the most deserving and necessitous parishioners’ which were distributed during the Christmas week.