The Church of St Peter and St Paul, Salle
by Carole Bull
Salle is unusual in that it has retained many medieval features, escaping the Victorian rebuilding which many of the churches underwent. There is clear evidence around the church which can date it. There is a shield above the west door with the coat of arms of Henry V when still Prince of Wales (1400-1413). It is also recorded that Thomas Brigg, one of the wealthy local donors, had the south transept completed by 1444. He is depicted, kneeling in prayer, in the east window of the south transept. Thomas Rose was responsible for the north transept, completed 1440, his brass in the north transept also showing his wife and 12 children. Another brass, in the nave, features Geoffrey and Alice Boleyn, the great grandparents of Anne Boleyn: Geoffrey died in 1440.
The first impression for most people when they walk in the west door is just how big it is. Looking around outside it clearly isn't because of a large population and the first question many people ask is why is such a large church standing in such a remote location. It is to do with money, status and the need to ensure a smooth path to the next world when you depart this one. Salle was fortunate to have a number of wealthy families close by, not just the Boleyns but others who were able to fund the building of this church in the 15thC. They were very likely the families who had benefitted from the changes in land ownership which followed the Black Death of 1349. The endowments and bequests they made would also have funded the saying of prayers on their behalf, by a chantry priest, a common practice in the medieval period. Even poorer people would pay in to a guild to have a priest pray for them. Salle apparently had seven priests at one time, with a population of only 200 souls.
At the west end of the church the font with its huge cover can be dated to the late 15thC. The Luce family appear to have been responsible for the building of the font, a dedication on the font step to John and Agnes Luce, John having died in 1489. In the windows are also depicted Thomas and Robert Luce with an image of the font which they had paid for.
The church retains the bottom half of its rood screen, the screen when it was complete separating the laity from the clergy during the service. This separation was often continued in upkeep of the building, the clergy responsible for the chancel and the parish for the nave. Indeed the nave was often used for non-religious purposes, for parish meetings or carrying out parish business. At Salle records show that parish business was carried out in the north porch as this was closest to the parish footpath outside. Perhaps this accounts for the bar on the door, if money was kept on the premises.
The carvings on the choir stalls, both on the bench ends and misericords depict animals and human faces, some with fantastic or grotesque figures. It is not clear what the grotesque or gargoyle figures on medieval churches were for but one theory is that they kept evil spirits out of the building. Similarly inside the church, the purpose of the fantastic carved figures and animals is not certain but it may be to do with the church being a liminal space, between one world and the next, where anything was possible. The medieval church served both worlds, providing space for the everyday activities of the parish in this world and for the saving of their souls in the next.
At the west end of the church the font with its huge cover can be dated to the late 15thC. The Luce family appear to have been responsible for the building of the font, a dedication on the font step to John and Agnes Luce, John having died in 1489. In the windows are also depicted Thomas and Robert Luce with an image of the font which they had paid for.
The church retains the bottom half of its rood screen, the screen when it was complete separating the laity from the clergy during the service. This separation was often continued in upkeep of the building, the clergy responsible for the chancel and the parish for the nave. Indeed the nave was often used for non-religious purposes, for parish meetings or carrying out parish business. At Salle records show that parish business was carried out in the north porch as this was closest to the parish footpath outside. Perhaps this accounts for the bar on the door, if money was kept on the premises.