William Cantrell tomb chest - St Gregory - Hemingstone, Suffolk - Stone Church Artefacts on Waymarking.com

A tomb-chest in the chancel to William Cantrell (d.1585); pilasters at the base, and an inscription framed by Corinthian columns and entablature, and above are two obelisks and a shell.

"Arthur Mee, Mortlock and others record a delightful laxity in religious observance in this parish after the Reformation, the entire parish being hauled before a church court in 1597. Perhaps the villagers were encouraged by their local Lord of the Manor, Ralph Cantrell, who was a recusant Catholic, as many such were. Mortlock recounts a story about him which explains the apparent pair of porches on the north side, one now used as a vestry.

The story goes that, wary of the monstrous fines imposed for failure to toe the Anglican line, and the prison sentence that would follow for a second offence, Cantrell built himself a little chapel on the side of the parish church. Here, he would repair with his family and servants during divine service, presumably saying their devotions quietly while the Word was preached in the main body of the Church. A squint enabled him to see what was going on, and would technically mean that he and his family were in attendance. And the vestry is known as 'Ralph's Hole' to this very day.

Intriguingly on the north side of the nave, William Cantrell's tomb of 1585, looks alarmingly like an altar; although this is quite impossible at such a date (and yet, given what else we know about the history of this parish...) "

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"William Cantrell of whom we learn in the Antiquities of the County Suffolk, Vol. 1, page 118. Prior to being beheaded by Queen Elizabeth, Thomas Duke of Norfolk put his vast estates in trust to William Cantrell and others. The queen had the Duke continue to act as trustee until she sent the Earl of Arudenl to the Tower. At that time, she appointed William Cantrell to act for her. Mr. William Cantrell of Hemingstone was considered a gentleman of fortune and consequence in the reigns of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth who granted him marks of royal favor and confidence."

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Approximate Age of Artefact: 1585 Relevant Website: Not listed

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