The Church of St Swithun

The church is dedicated to St. Swithun. It consists of an apse 16ft. in diameter and a nave 30 ft. long. It is built of flint rubble with angle quoins and door and window dressings of Binstead stone. Alt authorities agree that it was erected in the third quarter of the 12th century.

Nately Scures Church is probably the most perfect example of single cell Norman aisleless apsidal church existing in this country. There are only two other complete examples of this type of church in Great Britain. North Marden in Sussex, and Little Tey in Essex, and both these have had porches and vestries added (vide Aisleless Apsidal Churches of Great Britain by F. H. Fairweather).

A peculiarity of the church is the sole entrance being on the north side. This is very unusual in England, yet Up Nateley church only a mile away and Greywell two miles away have the same peculiarity.

Another peculiarity is the fact that the centre window of the apse is not truly centred but inclines to the north, this is more noticeable externally than internally. This peculiarity has never been noted by any writer on the church and all plans give the window truly centred. The only suggestion which the present writer can offer is that this feature had something to do with the sun on St. Swithun's Day, Nately Scures church like many early Norman churches in Hampshire being orientated due east (vide Shore Memorial Volume, Hampshire Archaeological Society, Part 1).

The bell gable dates from the restoration of the last century and replaces a wooden bell-cot of the 17th century. The present roof dates from 1786.

Externally the most striking detail of the church is the beautiful Norman doorway. This is of two orders; the outer semi-circular and enriched with zig-zag moulding in two planes the edge being worked into a bead and reel pattern. This order rests on circular shafts. Of the capitals of these shafts that on the east is the "Mermaid Capital" (for the legend see) that on the west is one of the original bases. The other carved capital and carved base disappeared at the restoration of the last century (vide Gentleman's Magazine, October 1836, in which an account of the church is given as it was before this restoration and from which the framed engraving in the church is taken). The inner order is square with a trefoiled head and rolled cusps.

On entering the church the first thing to note is the small plate on the inner side of the underbeam on the gallery. The inscription on it reads:

Wilim bbedall founder here
Henrys Barnes Parson
Builder Heere 1591. H.B.

The importance of this inscription is that it shows that the original gallery, of which this beam remains, was one of the earliest, if not the earliest, galleries erected after the Reformation (vide Journal Hampshire Archaeological Society, vol. VII, part II).

The rest of the present gallery dates probably from 1786.

The two windows on the south side of the nave date from the last century. They
replace a window of three lights inserted probably in the 4th century (vide
Gentleman's Magazine, October 1836). Previous to that time there was probably no window in the nave except the west window, the upper portion of which is original though the window has been lengthened. The south window of the apse is a last century reproduction of the original window, this window having been enlarged into a mullioned window of two lights probably in the 14th century. The other two windows of the apse are original.

Beneath the north window of the apse is a small square chamfered aumbry.
The pulpit, reading desk, and font all date from the last century.

The most interesting person connected with the church is Sir Guy Carleton, 1st
Lord Dorchester, who is buried in the Carleton vault, which occupies the entire space beneath the nave, and whose memorial brass is on the north wall close to the pulpit. Sir Guy Carleton is an important figure in development of the British Empire. Having served under Wolfe, he was appointed Governor-General of Canada in 1766. He was several times commander-in-chief of our forces in Canada for the Empire. He also organized the settlement in New Brunswick of some 70,000 loyalists banished from the United States after the American War of Independence.

Some of the Carleton Memorials On the south wall of the church is the memorial brass erected by the legislature of New Brunswick to General Thomas Carleton, who is also buried in the Carleton vault. This is William Cobbett's Governor of New Brunswick. It was General Carleton who carried out the loyalist settlement of New Brunswick organized by his brother Sir Guy.

On the wall above the recess at the west end of the church is a brass plate of the
17th century. The inscription on it is as follows:

Here lies John Palmer and Mary his wife
Prisoner of hope to Eternal Life.
Who deceased

Palmer eram ante obitum nemo fit palmifer at nunc
Palmifer in caelis qui modo palmer eram

Palmer on earth are pilgrims such as I
My pilgrimage is done and here I ly

The Gentleman's Magazine, October 1836, mentions a 17th century brass tablet,
obviously this one, as being affixed to the apse wall, so it was before the restoration of  the last century that it was removed from its original position probably on the floor of the nave.

Also on the wall at the rear of the gallery can be found a copy of the will of Maria Louisa Carleton

"Extract from the will of the Honble Maria Louisa Carleton, 1898.. To the Minister and Churchwardens for the time being of the parish of Nately Scures in the County of Southampton, the sum of £1500 to be held by them in trust to invest the same in Government Stock and to apply the yearly income thereof for maintaining in proper repair and condition the FAMILY VAULT containing the remains of my Father and Mother, and the Memorial or Memorials of any said Father and Mother, or to any other member of my family, or to any ancestor or mine in the Parish of Nately Scures. And to apply the balance of such income for the benefit of the Poor Inhabitants of such parish in such manner as such Minister and Churchwardens shall from time to time think fit.