| Tour of All
Saints' Church, Little Staughton, Bedfordshire, part 4 |
Unlike many other
medieval churches, Little Staughton has remained much
as it was at the end of 16th century. An 18th century
pulpit, perhaps part of the triple-decker pulpit, and
reputed to have been given to the church by Corpus Christie
College, is situated on the north side of the aisle. The
Gery family, although closely linked to the church,did
not build the great tombs favoured in the later part of
17th century. There were no Victorian benefactors to fill
the windows with brightly coloured stained glass or replace
the rood screen across the entrance to the Chancel. Thus,
only a simple oak chest, dated 1771, a few pews of the
same period, a simple pulpit and the early 20th century
oak pews and choir stalls are all that mark the passage
of time from late 16th century to the present day.
Viewing the changing scenes through the centuries are
the stone corbels with carved faces that bear the weight
of the main timbers of the roof of the nave. They were
too high up to be damaged by the hammers of the religious
zealots. One in the middle of the north wall is the figure
of a man - perhaps the local miller - with puffed out
cheeks playing the English bagpipes - one can only imagine
that, as our black garbed puritan forebears sat solemnly
at prayer in the bare church below, he was quietly playing
"I am the Lord of the Dance" to his motley group of friends
supporting the other timbers around him - perhaps remembering
his pilgrimage to Canterbury immortalised by Chaucer in
his Canterbury Tales!
THE ENGLISH BAGPIPER.
A baggepype wel coude he blowe and sowne
And there-with-all he brought us out of towne
Chaucer, Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
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