Lady Elizabeth Culpepper © PE Blanche 2002 The Nave and Chancel © PE Blanche 2002

The Lady pictured above and to the left is my fascination with this Church - which I mentioned on the first page. She is Lady Elizabeth Culpeper (nee Cheney b. 1582 d. 1638) and these pictures do not do total justice to her effigy. She lays with her head on a pillow, in a beautiful flowing dress and at her feet is a mythical creature, a Thoye which is chained. It has the head of a dog, cloven hooves and a lion's tail - a sinister looking creature. I was beginning to worry that my interest was because I've been single too long and as hunting around country churches is hardly the place to meet ladies (most of the time they are totally deserted). I was really wondering if I was losing it! However, when I read through Arthur Mee's "Kent" it states there: "The Culpeper Chapel.........in it lies the beautiful Lady Elizabeth, chiselled in white marble by Edward Marshall. She is a lovely figure by which we linger and to which we come again and again. She has pretty curls, rings on her fingers and exquisite lace-work on her dress" In the Church about Hollingbourne and the Culpepers (sometimes Culpepper in other places in Kent), it states: "The monument to Lady Elizabeth......is one of the finest works of the important 17th Century sculptor Edward Marshall. The recumbent effigy of Lady Culpeper is exquisite." So, I'm not the only one that has been drawn to this tomb and hopefully, I'm not totally mad although some sort of social interaction should perhaps be considered. Obviously, too much time on one's own is not a good thing! The husband of Lady Elizabeth was Sir Thomas Culpeper and was a close advisor to Charles II and he left England with him and stayed with him during the Commonwealth period. The family was rewarded with certain grants of land in Virginia and several family members traveled there, some to stay and some to return. (Another family with close associations to Virginia, the Sandys, has a fine monument at St. Augustine's Church at Northbourne in East Kent). The history of the Culpeper family is intriguing and has its up and downs both in regard to financial matters and relationships between the family members. The walls of the Culpeper Chapel are covered in blank shields which were obviously fitted into the original construction to commemorate future generations. Declining fortunes meant that some were not added but within about two hundred years the family had left Hollingbourne, never to return. In the meantime, Lady Elizabeth continues her quiet vigil and continues to intrigue people like myself who will see her again soon. The Church has other associations with wealthy families from this area and there are many wall tablets to gaze at and wonder about. Perhaps I will come back to this subject later if I should find the time. The interior of the Church is interesting but mainly because of the addition of the Culpeper Chapel on the North side, thus blocking the windows , the Chancel is very dark. This Church like most suffered at the hands of Victorian restoration but not in the extreme. There is some very nice glass here. It is recorded that in 1382 the Church suffered damaged as the result of an earthquake which required that some very early restoration work be carried out. Earthquakes are uncommon in this part of the world, thank goodness, although in the same year Canterbury Cathedral suffered considerable damage from the same source. For more information on the exterior of the Church see the first page.