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Inscriptions at

the Church of St.Andrew the Apostle, Frenze

near Diss, Co.Norfolk

Church of England - Diocese of Norwich

The small but atmospheric Church of St.Andrew in the village of Frenze (formerly Frense or Frens, pronounced "Fi-renze") lies directly opposite Frenze Hall, ancient seat of the Blennerhassett family in Norfolk. The church contains several fine 15th and 16th century monumental brasses, many of these Blennerhassetts or close connections.

Francis Blomefield in his "Essay Towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk" (vol.1, completed c1736, pub. 1739, 2nd ed. 1805) attributed the survival until his time of so many early brasses thus: "The meanness of the fabrick hath preserved the inscriptions from being reaved, for it looks like a barn, at a distance" [BLOMEFIELD vol.1 1805, p.142].

The parish of Frenze is now part of the combined benefice of Thelveton and Frenze, the building maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust.

		RECTORS	of	FRENZE
Date	Rector	Patron		Date	Rector	Patron
1294	John de Petestre	Patron		1673	Thomas Wales, B.A.	Thomas* Fincham of Outwell, Ely (also had Thelton)
1325	John Newhouse de Snapes	Cicily Countess of Suffolk		1702	Thomas Palgrave	Diamond Nixon
1349	Walter Malvesyn	Sir John Lowdham, Kt		1725	William Baker (United to Wacton-Parva)	Robert Kemp, Bart.
1381	William Payok	Thomas de Lowdham, Kt		1734	John James	Sir Robert Kemp, Bart.
1382	John Baxter	"		1767	Charles Browne
1393	Peter Rous	John de Lowdham		1774	Simon Adams
1394	Henry Brakkele	"		1789	Samuel Tayleure
1397	Sir John de Scoles	"		1824	Robert Rose
1401	Michael Crowe	"		1840	Robert Wigg? M.A. (Curate of ....hill)	Sheldrake Smith
1404	Sir Thomas Warner	Gilbert de Debenham		1877	John Rule Tucker (also Rector of Thelverton)	Francis Taylor
1408	Robert Pope	John Lowdham		1904	M.E.W.Johnson, AKCI (also Rector of Thelverton)	Sir Ed. Mann, Bart.
1416	Thomas Bukke	"		1924	Ralph A. Untbank? M.A.	The Lord Chancellor
1416	John Greeve	"		1953	Arthur William Holton? (also Rector of Thelverton)	Sir John Mann Bart.
1417	Reger de Knyveton	John Hevenyngham, Kt		1956	William P.J. Fox? (also Rector of Thelverton)	The Lord Chancellor
1419	John Rawe	John Lowdham		1960	Priest in Charge
1423	Simon Warner	"			M....... Reginald Peacock, M.A.
1428	John Bubwith	John Hagh			(also of Thelverton and Rector of Dickleburgh)
1479	Henry [blank]			1966	Joseph William Edmonds	Trinity College Cambridge
1484	Robert Stukely				(1969 combined benefice, Dickleburgh with Thelverton and Frenze)
	Blank in records (Reformation Period)
1597	Edmund Stanhaw	Queen Elizabeth (Guardian to Blenerhasset)
1598	John Smith M.A. (United to Scole)	Samuel Blenerhasset
1593	John Smith	Licensed by Bishop of Norwich
1618	Thomas Hall	S[amuel] Blenerhasset of Loudham
1642	John Gibbs	Richard Nixon
1651	Toby Dobbin

* Most of this list has clearly been taken from [BLOMEFIELD vol.I 1805, p.147] but there Blomefield names him John Fincham, not Thomas Fincham

RALPH "Rafe" BLENNERHASSETT, Esquire d.1475

Monumental portrait brass on the tomb of Ralph Blennerhassett, Esquire (d.17-Nov-1475) in the chancel of the church of St Andrew, Frenze, Co.Norfolk, where by his will he requested to be interred. His brass depicts him wearing armour of the early 15th century.

Also shown here is a drawing of the brass made by Rev. Thomas Kerrich (1748-1828), librarian for the University of Cambridge. The drawing is now at the British library [BL Add. Ms. 6728 f.217].

From this drawing Rev. Kerrich made an engraving, closely following his original but with the inscription positioned differently. A print from the engraving is reproduced in "The Blennerhassetts of Kesh" by John B. Cunningham, published in the "Cloher Record", vol.16, No.3, 1999, the paper on pp.112-126, the print on p.120 [CUNNINGHAM].

"Hamline University Brass Rubbing Collection" has a detailed description and a rubbing of this brass.

click on image to enlarge

[folio] 217

Ralph Blenerhasset Esq^r ob. 10^th of Novemb. 1475. Frens Church

Norfolk

[BL Add. Ms. 6728 f.217]

NOTE: Rev. Kerrich's transcription (above) of the

inscription has ximo (10th) November 1475

Inscription:

Hic iacet Venerabilis vir Radulphus Blen'haysett

Armiger qui obijt xvijodie mensis novembris

A^o dn'i M^o CCCC^o Lxxv^o cui'ai'e ppiciet' de^s amen

On this inscription the precise day in November 1475 is difficult to read.

[HAMLINE] transcribes it as xvij^o (17th), as shown below, which I believe to be correct.

[BLOMEFIELD] & [L'ESTRANGE] have xiiii^o (14th) and [KERRICH] has ximo (10th)

Inscription expanded:

Hic iacet venerabilis vir Ralulphus Blen[er]haysett

Armiger qui obijt xvij^o die mensis novembris

A[nn]o d[omi]ni M[illesim]o CCCC^o lxxv^o cui[us] a[n]i[m]e p[ro]piciet[ur] de[u]s amen

Latin translated:

Here lies the venerable man Ralph Blennerhassett,

Esquire, who died the 17th day of the month of November

in the Year of our Lord 1475, on whose soul may God have mercy, Amen.

Portrait: (a description from the Hamline University Brass Rubbing Collection )

This brass of early Norwich workmanship depicts Ralph Blenerhaysett, Esquire, full face, in armour, his feet resting on a grinning lion couchant on a grassy plot. Cleanshaven, Blenerhaysett is shown bareheaded, his hair cropped short to above the ears in the pudding-basin cut, a somewhat disgusted expression on his face. Around Ralph's neck and below the fauld of overlapping lames to which pointed tasses have been attached, the mail that is visible has been stitched to an arming doublet worn beneath the armour. Over his shoulders, he has pauldrons that rise to a point, the left one with added overlapping plates to protect more of the upper arm, which is covered by the usual rerebraces. Vambraces protect the forearms, couters the elbows, and mitten gauntlets the tops of the hands, leaving the fingers still free to move. Articulated cuisses cover the thighs, greaves the lower parts of the legs, simple poleyns the knees, and jointed and pointed sabatons with rowel spurs attached to the instep, the feet. At the right hip, Blenerhaysett carries the misericorde or dagger to dispatch wounded enemies, and at the left hip and hanging perpendicularly is a slender sword.

Arms: each corner of the slab is displayed a brass shield bearing arms:

1. Blennerhassett, with an annulet for difference, quartering Orton

2. Blennerhassett & Orton quarterly; impaling Lowdham

3. Blennerhassett & Orton quarterly; impaling Lowdham

4. Lowdham - now missing (lower left corner, was present in 1845 [Collectanea 265, L'ESTRANGE 1872-3] )

JOAN BLENNERHASSETT d.1501

widow of RALPH "Rafe" BLENNERHASSETT, Esquire d.1475

Monumental portrait brass on the tomb of Joan Blennerhassett, nee Lowdham (d.20-Jun-1501) in the church of St Andrew, Frenze, Co.Norfolk. [BLOMEFIELD vol.1 1805, p.142] found the brass already missing c1736, but he reports the inscription as was recorded earlier by Anstis [ANSTIS Mss. G.6. f.39] :

Here lyeth Mrs. Joane Blenerhasset,

the Wife of Ralph Bleverhasset, Esq.

the Daughter and Heir of John Lowdham,

who died the 20th Day of June 1501.

NOTE: Bleverhasset would certainly have been Blenerhasset

JOHN BLENNERHASSETT, Esquire (I) d.1510

Monumental portrait brass on the tomb of John Blennerhassett (d.27-Nov-1510), son of Ralph Blennerhassett (d.1475), on the floor of the chancel in the church of St Andrew, Frenze, Co.Norfolk. Each corner of the slab displayed a brass shield bearing arms, those at upper and lower right corners are missing.

also a drawing of 1815 by John Sell Cotman, published in his “Sepulchral Brasses of Norfolk & Suffolk”, 2 vols, 1839

[COTMAN vol.1, pl.50]

"Hamline University Brass Rubbing Collection" has a detailed description and a rubbing of this brass.

click on image to enlarge

A Brass in Frense Church Norfolk

Drawn Etched & Published by J.S.Cotman, Yarm[outh] 1815.

	click on image to enlarge

Inscription:

Hic iacet Ven'abilis vir Joh'es Blen'

hayset Armig', qⁱ obij vicesimo vij^o die

Me's nove'b' A^o D'iM^o V^co X^o cui^s ai'e ppiciet^r de'

Inscription expanded:

Hic jacet ven[er]abilis vir Joh[ann]es Blen[er]

hayset, Armig[er] q[u]i obij[t] vicesimo vij^o die

me[nsi]s nove[m]b[ris] A[nn]o D[omin]i M[illesim]^o V^co x^o cui[u]s a[n]i[m]e p[ro]piciet[u]r de[us]

Latin translated:

Here lies the venerable man John Blener
hassett Esquire, who died the 27th day
of the month of November in the Year of our Lord 1510, on whose soul may God have mercy.

Portrait: (a description from the Hamline University Brass Rubbing Collection )

Another example of a Norwich workshop, this brass presents John Blenerhayset in armour that is more decorative and imaginative than realistic. He is depicted full face, clean-shaven, hair falling to the neck and with prominent eyes and lips. From the appearance of the mail at his neck and below the fauld at the thighs, it would seen that Blenerhayset is either wearing a mail hauberk or has mail stitched to an arming doublet worn beneath the plate armour covering the torso. The breastplate seems composed of several scalloped placates and the fauld of several scalloped lames to which some scalloped tasses have been attached (but how is unclear). The pauldrons covering the shoulders and coming to a V-shaped point in front seem to be of a piece—completely unrealistic. Rerebraces cover the upper arms; vambraces, the forearms; and, decorativecouters with rosettes, the elbows. The leg harness is typical—cuisses over the thighs, greaves covering the shins, and large scalloped poleyns, the knees. On feet splayed far apart are jointed and somewhat blunted sabatons. Finally, a sword hangs perpendicularly in front, supported by a loosely buckled belt that seems fixed in some way at the hips.

Arms: at each corner of the slab is displayed a brass shield bearing arms:

1. Blennerhassett, with an annulet for difference, quartering Orton

2. Blennerhassett & Orton quarterly; impaling Lowdham

3. Blennerhassett & Orton quarterly; impaling Lowdham

4. Lowdham - now missing (lower left corner, was present in 1845 [Collectanea 265, L'ESTRANGE 1872-3] )

JOHN BLENNERHASSETT, Esquire (II) d.1514

Monumental portrait brass on the tomb of John Blennerhassett (d.27-Mar-1514) in the church of St Andrew, Frenze, Co.Norfolk. [BLOMEFIELD vol.1 1805, p.142] found the brass already missing c1736, but he reports the inscription as was recorded earlier by Anstis [ANSTIS Mss. G.6. f.39] :

Here lyeth the venerable Gentleman John Blaverhasset, Esq; who

died the 27th of March, in the Year of our Lord, 1514.

NOTE: Blaverhasset would certainly have been Blenerhasset

NOTE: The [ANSTIS] Mss. are in the British Library, but [BL] uses a different numbering system from Mr Anstis and so far I have failed to locate these Frenze references.

JOHANNA BRAHAM d.1519

Monumental portrait brass on the tomb of Johanna Braham (d.18-11-1519), mother of xxx Blennerhassett (d.xxx), on the floor of the nave in the church of St Andrew, Frenze, Co.Norfolk.

"Hamline University Brass Rubbing Collection" has a detailed description and a rubbing of this brass.

click on image to enlarge

Inscription expanded:

Hic iacet tumulata d'na Johanna Braham vidua ac deo dicata

olim uxor Joh'ns Braham Armiger que obijt xviij^o die Nove'bris

Ao d'ni millimo CCCCC^o xix^o cuius aie ppicietur deus Amen

Latin translated:

Here lies buried Dame Joan Braham, widow and dedicated to God,

formerly wife of John Braham, Esquire, who died the 18th day of November

in the year of our Lord 1519, on whose soul may God have mercy, Amen

Portrait: (a description from the Hamline University brass rubbing Collection )

The full-face effigy of Dame Joan Braham is depicted as a vowess, that is, a widow who has vowed never to remarry. She wears a wimple around her head, the plaited barbe or chin cloth over the chin and neck, and a long veil covering her shoulders like a cape. Over a long dress, confined by a strap-like belt with a long tagged end, she has on a mantle with a slide holding together the tasseled ends that reach almost to the ground. As is usual, her hands are raised in prayer.

Arms: below the portrait are three brass shields bearing arms:

1. xxx

2. xxx

3. xxx

1520

JANE BLENNERHASSETT (nee TYNDALL) d.1521

2nd wife of JOHN BLENNERHASSETT d.1510

Monumental portrait brass on the tomb of Jane Tyndall Blennerhassett (d.6-Oct-1521),

in the nave of the church of St Andrew, Frenze, Co.Norfolk.

also a drawing of 1815 by John Sell Cotman, pubished in his “Sepulchral Brasses of Norfolk & Suffolk”, 2 vols, 1839

[COTMAN vol.1, appendix pl.5, notes on p.60]

"Hamline University Brass Rubbling Collection" has a detailed description and a rubbing of this brass.

click on image to enlarge

Frense Church Norfolk

1815. Drawn Etched & Published by J.S.Cotman, Yarm[outh]

pray for the soule of Jane Blen'haysett wedow late wyf

onto John Blen'haysett esquyer whiche Jane departed oute

of this psent lyf y^e vj day of October the yere of our lord

god M' V^c xxj on whose soule J'hu have mercy Amen

Inscription expanded:

pray for the soule of Jane Blen[er]haysett wedow late wyf[e]

onto John Blen[er]haysett esquyer whiche Jane departed oute

of this p[re]sent lyf[e] the vj[th] day of October the yere of our lord

god M[illesimo] V^c xxj on whose soule J[e]hu have mercy Amen

Pray for the soul of Jane Blennerhassett, widow, late wife

of John Blennerhassett Esquire, which Jane departed out

of this present life the 6th day of October the year of our Lord

God 1521, on whose soul Jesus have mercy, Amen.

Portrait: (a description from the Hamline University Brass Rubbing Collection )

This full face effigy of Jane Blennerhassett portrays her in ordinary dress and wearing the pedimental headress, its plain lappets falling in front, a veil attached to the top of the headdress falling behind the shoulder. She wears a floor-length gown with turned back fur cuffs. An ornamental girdle is fastened at the waist by a round clasp in front from which falls a linked chain with either a tassel or a metal tag end.

Arms: below the portrait are three brass shields bearing arms:

1. Blennerhassett (charged with an annulet, for difference) quartering Lowdham

2. Blennerhassett (charged with an annulet, for difference) impaling Tindall, quartering Fecklin

3. Tindall quartering Orton and Scales

Sir THOMAS BLENNERHASSETT, Knight died 27-Jun-1531

Monumental portrait brass from the tomb of Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, Knight (d.27-Jun-1531), set into a slab in the nave of the church of St Andrew the Apostle, Frenze, Co.Norfolk. The portrait brass and four brass shields of arms were stolen from the church after 1816 but the brass inscription "footplate" survives. The present portrait brass is a modern reproduction, sadly this was based not on Cotman's accurate drawing of 1816 but on another less accurate drawing (which drawing is this?). The four brass shields of arms are still missing.

On the right is the 1816 drawing by John Sell Cotman, published in his “Sepulchral Brasses of Norfolk & Suffolk”,

2 vols, 1839 [COTMAN vol.1, frontpiece pl.63, notes on p.35]

an artists impression of Cotman's engraving was published in

“Genealogical Research in England, East Anglian Blennerhassets”,

by G. Andrews Moriarty, published in [NEHGR vol.98 No.3 July 1944, p.273]

click on image to enlarge

Sir Thomas Blenerhasset, Frense Ch. Norf'k

Drawn Etched & Published by J.S.Cotman, Yar[mouth] 1816.

click on image to enlarge

Here lieth Sir Thom's Blen'haysette, Knyght

which decssyd the xxvij^tday of June the yere of o'

lord M V^c xxxi i the xxiij yere of the reigne of o^r Sove-

reigne Lord Kyng Heey th^e viii^t whois Soule god Pard

Inscription expanded:

Here lieth Sir Thom[a]s Blen[er]haysette, Knyght

which dec[ea]ssyd the 17t[h] day of June the yere of o[ur]

lord M[illesimo]50031 i[n] the 27yere of the reigne of o[u]r Sove-

raygne Lord Kyng Henry the 8t[h] whois Soule god Pard[on]

Here lies Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, Knight,

who deceased the 17th day of June the year of our

Lord 1531 in the 27thyear of the reign of our Sove-

reign Lord King Henry the eighth, whose soul God Pardon.

Portrait:

Sir Thomas Blennerhassett is shown in complete armour, his gauntlets on the ground, wearing a surcoat of these arms:

Blennerhassett (charged with an annulet, for difference) quartered with Lowdham, Orton and Kelvedon (Keldon).

Under his head is the Blennerhassett crest, a wolf passant (sometimes described as a fox).

Arms: each corner of the slab was once displayed a brass shield bearing arms:

1. 1st & 4th Blennerhassett, 2nd & 3rd Orton

(for his grandfather Ralph Blennerhassett, who descended from Orton)

impaling quarterly: 1st & 4th Lowdham, 2nd & 3rd Kelvedon

(for his grandmother Joan Lowdham who descended from Kelvedon)

2. 1st & 4th Blennerhassett, 2nd & 3rd Lowdham

(for his father John Blennerhassett whose mother was Joan Lowdham)

impaling Heigham (for his mother Jane Heigham)

3. 1st Blennerhassett, 2nd Lowdham, 3rd Orton, 4th Kelvedon

(for himself, Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, descended from Lowdham, Orton & Kelvedon)

impaling Braham, with a crescent for difference (for his 2nd wife Margaret Braham)

4. 1st Blennerhassett, 2nd Lowdham, 3rd Orton, 4th Kelvedon

(for himself, Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, descended from Lowdham, Orton & Kelvedon)

impaling two lions passant (for his 1st wife Jane, said to be named Sutton but this is uncertain)

Jane Blennerhassett, first wife of Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, Knight:

Sir Thomas Blennerhassett, Knight (b.c1461 d.1531) of Frenze in Norfolk, married est.c1495, as his first wife, a lady named Jane, said to be Jane Sutton. Little is known about her other than:

1. In 1492 she is described as cousin-german to Lady Surrey [SRO HD 1538/297/21 24-Jan-1492]. The term cousin-germain derives from cousin-germain, of which the modern definition is 1st cousin but in the 15th century meant simply "closely akin".

NOTE: Lady Surrey at that date was Elizabeth Tilney (d.4-Apr-1497) who married 2ndly to Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Surrey from 1483 and 2nd Duke of Norfolk from 1514. She was daughter of Sir Frederick Tylney & Elizabeth Cheney, granddaughter of Sir Philip Tilney (b.bef.1437 d.c1453) & Elizabeth Thorp (d.10-Nov-1435, dau. of Edmund Thorp).

Who was Jane Blennerhassett, perhaps nee Sutton, and what is her relationship to to Lady Surrey?

2. She and her husband were represented on a small brass shield of arms, illustrated here, part of the monumental brass for Sir Thomas Blennerhassett in the Church of St.Andrew the Apostle at Frenze, Co.Norfolk. This brass shield was one of four formerly on the tomb but lost at some date after 1816.

The arms are:

Quarterly: 1st Blennerhassett, 2nd Lowdham, 3rd Orton, 4th Kelvedon (for Sir Thomas Blennerhassett)

impaling two lions passant (for his wife Jane, said to be named Sutton but this is uncertain)

Documentation relating to this brass shield of arms:

1805 - [BLOMEFIELD vol.1 1805 p.143] correctly describes "two lions passant" but does not mention the name "Sutton".

1816 - [COTMAN - “Sepulchral Brasses of Norfolk & Suffolk” by John Sell Cotman, 1839 (vol.1 Norfolk, vol.2 Suffolk) vol.1, frontpiece pl.63, illustration dated 1816] illustrates "two lions passant", the illustration shown here.

c18?? - [SPURDENS - "Historical Notes by W.T. Sputdens, NRO Ms.4576 p.241 p.139A, "Diss", "Family Tree of Blennerhassett Family" p.252]. He has Sir Thomas married "...1st wife Jane, daughter of Sutton...". Some information on this page is similar to that f.353 of the [DAVY] Ms. and this may perhaps be a source used by [DAVY].

c1840 - [DAVY - Ms. notes on the Blennerhassett family by Suffolk antiquarian David Elisha Davy c1840, 37 pages] in the Davy Collection at [BL Add. Ms.19118 f.353]. He has Sir Thomas m. "...Jane, daughter of _____ Sutton...". Some of the information on this page may have come from [SPURDENS].

1919 - [BOK - "The Blennerhassetts of Kerry: Earlier English Stock” by S.M.] in [KAM - “Kerry Archaeological Magazine”, vol.5 No.21 July 1919 p.38] this article is a summary of [DAVY].

This states Sir Thomas "...married 1stly Jane, daughter of Sutton..."

1944 - [MORIARTY/1 -“Genealogical Research in England - East Anglian Blennerhassets” by G.Andrews Moriarty pub. in [NEHGR] vol.98 No.1 Jan.1944, pp.67-73; vol.98 No.3 July 1944, p.277]

states Sir Thomas "...married first Jane Sutton..." but wrongly describes these arms as "...2 lions rampant (probably Sutton)..."

1976 - [BIFR -"Burke's Irish Family Records" 1976, republished 2007, p.133] describes the first wife of Sir Thomas as "...Jane Sutton (who bore arms similar to those of the Suttons, Barons Dudley - see BURKE'S Dormant and Extinct Peerages)..." but this is not the case, the arms of Sutton, Baron Dudley are a single "lion rampant".

1984 - [VoS - "The Visitation of Suffolk 1561", part II, p.358, as edited by Joan Corder 1984, published by The Harleian Society, New Series, vol.3, 1984] states that Sir Thomas married "1st., Jane, daughter of _____ Sutton" and also describes these arms as "Sutton Barons Dudley" but without illustration.

Was her name really Sutton?

Where did [SPURDENS] find the name Sutton? it does seem not to appear in any of the Visitations.

It could be that the later writers mentioned were misled by [DAVY] and [SPURDENS].

Is there any reference earlier than [SPURDENS] and [DAVY] c1840 to her being named Sutton?

Were "two lions passant" ever used as Sutton arms or Dudley arms? I cannot find them used as such, anywhere.

Could she perhaps be a Somery, of Dudley Castle, whose arms were "Or two lions passant azure" (see right). Is there a relationship between the name Somery and Lady Surrey?

1551

MARY BACON (previously CULPEPPER, nee BLENNERHASSETT) d.1587

Monumental portrait brass from the tomb of Mary Blennerhassett Culpepper Bacon (d.17-Sep-1587),

in the nave of the church of St Andrew, Frenze, Co.Norfolk.

also a drawing of 1816 by John Sell Cotman, published in his “Sepulchral Brasses of Norfolk & Suffolk”, 2 vols, 1839

[COTMAN vol.1, pl.83]

click on image to enlarge

Arms and Inscription for Mary Bacon, Frenze Ch. Norf'k

Drawn Etched & Published by J.S.Cotman, Yar[mouth] 1816