File:St Mary's church - the Gawdy chapel window - geograph.org.uk - 1431183.jpg

English: St Mary's Church, Redenhall, Norfolk. The Gawdy Chapel window, arms of Gawdy of West Herling, Norfolk, Baronets: Vert, a tortoise argent.

Heraldry

Source: Farrer, Edmund, Church Heraldry of Norfolk, Vol 1 (1885), pp.20-1 [1]. 4 rows, top to bottom, left to right:

• 1:
  • 1:Or, three bars azure on a canton argent a chaplet gules leaved vert (Holmes), impaling: Sable, a chevron ermine between three saltires couped argent (Grimwood).
  • 2: Circular escutcheon: Gules, a lion rampant argent (Mowbray ?)
• 2:
  • 1: Argent, a lion rampant gules crowned or the tail forked and surrounding a cross-crosslet of the second (Brewse ?) impaling: Sable, a bend between two crescents or (Debenham);
  • 2: Vert, a tortoise argent (Gawdy) impaling: Gules, two lions passant in pale argent debruised by a bendlet or (Strange of Hunstanton, Norfolk; Thomas Gawdy (d.1556), Serjeant-at-law, married Katherine Le Strange (d.1564), a daughter of Robert le Strange (d.1511) of Hunstanton, Norfolk (by his wife Margaret le Strange, a daughter and co-heiress of Thomas le Strange of Walton in Warwick), widow of Sir Hugh Hastings of Elsing, Norfolk, and a sister of w:Sir Thomas Le Strange (1494–1545) of Hunstanton;

• • 3: Gules, two bars and a chief indented or (Hare), impaling: Gyrony of twelve azure and or (Bassingbourne); Sir w:Nicholas Hare (c.1484-1557), Master of the Rolls, Speaker of the House of Commons, and on the accession of Queen Mary to the Crown, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, married Catherine Bassingbourn, a daughter and co-heiress of John Bassingbourn of Woodhall, Watton-at-Stone, in Hertfordshire. (Farrer, Vol.2, p.197, XXXV);
• 3:
  • 1: Argent, a chevron engrailed azure between three hurts each charged with a lion's gamb erased of the first (Hogan ?) impaling: Gawdy;
  • 2: Gawdy impaling Bassingbourne
  • 3: Or, on a fesse paly of six gules and argent between three estoiles of six points sable a demi-lion rampant between two fleurs-de-lis all counterchanged (Gay), impaling Gawdy;
• 4:
  • 1: Quarterly of 4:
    • 1&4: Gawdy;
    • 2&3: Bassingbourne;

impaling: Quarterly of 4:

• • 1&4: Argent, a wyvern displayed sable in chief three pallets gules

• • • 2&3: Argent, a chevron sable between three holly leaves vert
  • 2: Quarterly of 4:
    • 1&4: Gawdy;
    • 2&3: Bassingbourne;
  • 3: Gules, on a fesse between three estoiles of six points argent as many mullets sable (Everard), impaling: Gawdy quartering Bassingbourne.

Other information

St Mary's church > 1431114 is situated on an elevation above the small village of Redenhall. Its magnificent 15th century tower, which took 60 years to build, can be seen for miles > 1431112. Like the equally grand north porch its west facade is covered entirely with flushwork > 1431143. The chancel dates from the 14th century but the church was extensively restored in the second half of the 19th century and the reredos are from this time. The rood screen > 1431153 was re-assembled in 1920 and the panels are over-restored. The tomb of Sir Thomas Gawdy lies between the chancel and the Gawdy chapel > 1431182 at the east end of the north aisle. The heraldic glass in the chapel window comes from the demolished Gawdy Hall as does a 15th century Venetian chest > 1431187 made from cypress wood and with rare paintings inside. The large organ > 1431195 at the west end was built by G.M. Holdich in 1843 - it is the biggest organ he ever built and it has not been altered. The font > 1431201 is a 19th century copy of an older one. St Mary's church is kept locked.