Yeoman;+Heveningham

According to the author of those interesting and instructive books. "Excursions Through Suffolk," which were published over a century ago, the "whole vicinity of Heveningham has been ornamented by its late noble proprietors with plantations of oak, beech, chesnut and other timber." And these remarks need no qualification at the present time, for certainly the splendid woodlands which beautify this pleasant place have lost none of their verdant attractions through the passing of the years, so that the very atmosphere of Heveningham seems charged with sylvan delights.

Naturally enough, it is the Hall which is responsible for much of the arboreal glories, for this imposing mansion is surrounded by a park of some three hundred acres, with magnificent timber and thick plantation of almost primeval charm. The Hall itself, however, can scarcely be called beautiful, for it belongs to the type which is best described as solid and spacious,without the picturesque gables and other signs of age that distinguish the earlier styles of architecture. But Heveningham Hall, comparatively speaking, of course, is of fairly modern date, for it was not until the year 1778 that Sir Gerrard Vanneck, ancestor of Lord Huntingfield, started to erect the present building, with it frontage of three hundred feet or so, its massive Corinthian columns, and its other decorative effects.

Of the manor connected with Heveningham Hall I will speak later, but at the moment it is advisable to take a brief glance at the church of St. Margaret, from the vicinity of which the cottages and houses of the village appear to be clustered together, as though sheltering beneath the shadow and protection of its grey old walls.

A place of worship is known to have been in existence here at the time of the Domesday Survey, but the present building is obviously of later date. The chancel and nave, in fact, were erected towards the end of the reign of the third Edward, the rest of the building coming into existence about thirty years afterwards, whilst numerous alterations occurred towards the close of the fifteenth century.

At the present time St. Margaret's possesses chancel and nave, South aisle and porch, and an embattled Western tower with five bells. From the porch one descends steps to gain the floor of the church, which seems to impress the visitor as being a clean and modern building, with new tiles and seats. This idea, however, is not altogether correct, for upon glancing at the nave roof, the rich old oaken effect of this is immediately noticed, whilst the beautifully carved figures of the twelve apostles which grace the ends of the beams, make a brave show of mediaeval craftsmanship against the new intrusions. Undoubtedly, one of the most interesting items in the church is at the East end of the small South aisle, for here is an altar tomb on which is a rather pathetic and very much damaged wooden effigy, believed to be that of one of the Heveningham family, although the date to which it belongs is uncertain. There, however, it lies, its hands missing, its very neglected appearance suggesting the faded glories of a dead race, and connected with its hapless look is a story showing the perils of ignorance in relation to church restoration in general. For this particular figure was not always as lonely as it is to-day as at one time it had another for company-the effigy of the original's lady. In 1847, however, certain renovations took place in the building, and these two memorials of an ancient line were hurled by foolish hands on to a bonfire, and although the one was destroyed the other was rescued, much damaged it is true, but fortunately not too badly, by the Rev. S B. Turner. This, however, is not an isolated case as far as vandalism is concerned, for as would naturally be expected, Dowsing himself paid one of his unwelcome visits here, and amongst other depredations destroyed "Eight superstitious pictures, one of the Virgin Mary, and 2 Inscriptions of Brass, one pray for the soul, and another orate pro animabus."

Several floorstones in the chancel refer to various members of the Huntingfield family, and belong to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and these give point to the reredos, which was erected in 1899 to the memory of Lord and Lady Huntingfield.

A rather rich piscina is still in existence, but this, obviously, has been much restored, and the same applies to the tracery in the Eastern window, which, although originally belonging to the fourteenth century, has certainly been considerably restored, if not renewed altogether. Unlike those in many of our Suffolk churches, the font at Heveningham, despite its traceried panels, is a rather poor specimen of fifteenth century workmanship.

One glance at the several stained windows, at the beautifully carved pew in the nave, and at the excellent memorial to the North of the chancel, and we can leave the church. This latter memorial, however, is worth inspecting for its inscription is of the type which may be termed optimistic, allied to a certain selfsatisfaction.

The monument in question refers to the Rev Samuel Faireclough and his wife, Frances, and part of the inscription remarks with all its hopeful phrasing that

"their Deare Souls are Mounted 'bove the Sky On Thrones of Glory but they'l ere long Returne And reassume those Ashes From that urne."

And now to peep into the story of the manors of Heveningham, although first of all it is as well to glance across the road at the rectory, which, naturally enough-for it would certainly be out of keeping with the rest of the village if such were not the case--is situated in the heart of the beautiful parkland already noticed, and yet so feebly described. But it is the manors with which I am now dealing, and perhaps the first one to record is that of Heveningham Hall itself, for connected with this and its owners are several interesting items.

To begin at the beginning: According to some accounts, a certain Walter FitzRobert, whose name has passed down the manifold pages of history as the donor of Heveningham church to the Priory of St. Neots', and whose death occurred in 1198, seems to have been the original lord, but undoubtedly the family which took its name from the village was in possession at a very early date, and it is believed that a Heveningham was one of the nobles present when King Canute "pulled the legs," to put it in the present-day vernacular, of those flatterers who, with their tongues in their cheeks, suggested his ability to usurp the powers of the Almighty and rule the coming and going of the ocean.

This, however, is supposition only, but we do know from Sir Richard Gipps, who lived from the years 1640 until 1708, that the Heveninghams were "thought to be one of the most ancient Familys in the County"-and they also had large possessions in other places, whilst they were knights successively for many generations. And, again to quote Sir Richard, "William Heveningham was one of those daring Monsters who usurped the authority of God, to whom alone Kings are accountable, and impiously sat in judgment upon his Anointed. But soon after the Family wither'd and came to Nothing."

The above is surely a remarkable example, showing as it does the awe in which the monarchs of other days were held. God's anointed, forsooth ! Whatever the rights and wrongs of the quarrel 'twixt Charles and his Parliament - and I know where my sympathy would have lain-the divine right of kings seems an anachronism at the present time, even to the most loyal of subjects. Yet it was a very real thing at that period, and the fact that a man dared to dispute an issue with his liege was looked upon as not only a crime but a sin against high Heaven itself and worthy of the most heinous punishment.

But who was this William Heveningham; what offices did he hold, and what actually was his story? In the first place we find that William Heveningham was noted for the part he took against Charles the First, and one of the Committee for Suffolk and Norfolk, whilst he also represented Stockbridge in Hampshire in that Long Parliament with which every schoolboy is familiar. Also, he was one of those who 'sat in judgment" on the King, any gave his assent to the grim sentence of death although, as something to be said in his favour- or was it a case of backsliding?-he refused to seal and sign the warrant. Then, again, he was one of the Council of State in the year 1649 and 1650, and at the Restoration surrendered himself, although here we find that the "Merry Monarch" treated his father's foe in a much more generous fashion than Heveningham had treated the ill-fated Charles, for the former seems to have escaped scot-free. Later on, however, he was tried for high treason but this time he was again successful in saving his neck, and although he lost his estates these were ultimately restored to his son.

However the calamity mentioned by Sit Richard Gipps as being only common justice to anybody who defied his king, was soon to fall, and, about 1700, the family certainly did "wither and come to nothing." After this, the manor of Heveningham Hall and also that of B1aunchards, with which it had long been associated, passed to John Bence and thence to the Huntingfield family,in whose keeping they still remain.

So much for the story of Heveningham, but before leaving the village it is as well to notice that the charities here of some eighty pounds a year are utilised for the support of the schools-incidentally an elementary school was erected in 1859 and enlarged about thirty-six years later-for the relief of the poor, for the maintenance of the highways, and for general purposes in connection with the church, and whilst mentioning this I notice that a place of worship for the Wesleyans exists in the village.

Much more might be written of Heveningham; various other items brought to light. One might discuss in many words the beauty of its woodlands, the glory of its splendid trees, the delightful atmosphere one always associates with nobly timbered parks. But enough has been said to realise that even in the most peaceable rural district life not always pursues a placid course, and in the story of the Heveninghams-pre-eminent here for many centuries, people of importance, associated, so rumour has it, with King Canute himself- there is a lesson if one cares to look, for surely, although it is impossible to agree with Sir Richard Gipp's story of the "Anointed," their history is an object- lesson in the rising and falling of the ever changing tides of life.

Yeoman.