Informative notice ... and geographer

Image: © Rob Farrow Taken: 6 Nov 2007

An accidental self-portrait here! This notice board in very good handwriting is in the porch of Image] and gives a lot of interesting information about the village and church - I think it is just about readable at this definition - and despite the intrusive human image - however I will add a transcription below. From a comment in the text, it would seem that the notice was written in the mid 1970s, so is itself about 35 years old now. {Transcription} (1300 years ago) In 673 a Great Council was held at Hertford and here local history begins as Puttenham is mentioned as being placed in the Hundred of Dacorum. (900 years ago) Domesday account: "In Treung Hundred the Bishop of Bayeux holds Puttenham. It is worth 60ƒ. In the time of Edward the Confessor £4 Earl Lewin held the manor" (Lewin was brother to King Harold and the Bishop of Bayeux brother to William the conqueror ~ so the parish had royal connections, and to this day the Rector is a Crown appointment ~ in fact made by the Lord Chancellor. (600 years ago) The present church building is probably the third on the site, the first two being built chiefly of wood. It dates from the XIV Century (C14th), the excellent nave roof can be dated to within ten years of 1426. The tower dates from about this time too. The large blocks of stone came from Ketton, Rutland, and flint ready to hand in the Chilterns - so the chequered affect may well have been decided on for economy. The pulpit is early XVII century (C17th). Notice the big fish in the carving, reminding one of Jonah being sent to preach repentance to the Ninevites - and also the fish is a very primitive Christian symbol. A return by Edward VI's commissioners (1553) shews Puttenham having quite rich furnishings, including a silver "challise" which is probably the same one in regular use now. (About Rectors) Notice the long list of Rectors near the font. The most distinguished was Christopher Urswick (1482-1485) who was the diplomat who arranged a wife for Henry VII, and later that between Katherine of Aragon and the future Henry VIII. He became Dean of Windsor in 1495 and had to do with the rebuilding of St.George's Chapel. Thomas Fanshawe Middleton (1811) became the first Bishop of Calcutta in 1813. In 1909 the benefice was combined with that of Long Marston. (Modern Times) There was a major repair of the church in 1889-1890, costing £900. There was much more work done in 1934, under the supervision of the famous architect Sir Albert Richardson. The main problem was that the tower was settling on the clay soil, and pulling the nave with it. It has now been structurally disconnected from the nave, and the gap simply pointed over. This seems to have been successful. Now, forty years later, a further generation is having the opportunity to take care of this ancient and sacred building. We are anxious soon to be doing something about the crumbling stone tracery of some of the old windows. (And Always) O GOD, make the door of this house of God wide enough to receive all who need human love and a heavenly Father's care: narrow enough to shut out all envy and pride and hate: its threshold smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children or to straying feet: but rugged enough to turn back the tempter's power. Make it a gateway to thy eternal kingdom, through Jesus Christ, our LORD.

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