Historic Churches 2020

BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 27 TH ANNUAL EDITION 39 the storage of books and vestments in churches but banned their use for the collection of money for crusades, and so existing money slots were covered up. Since many chests held sacred items of church accoutrements, they too were made sacrosanct; this explains why they originally stood next to the altar, the most sacred part of the church. During the Reformation, many church chests and their contents were destroyed or sold to raise money for the crown, but some chests, particularly those in rural or remote areas, escaped destruction and remain in parish churches to this day. Some were gallantly hidden in crypts, belfries, or even streams. The weatherworn dug-out chest at Foy Church in Herefordshire lies hidden from view in the belfry, open to the elements (illustrated below). It is believed to have been hidden here from Oliver Cromwell’s men during the Commonwealth, but as the only way up to the chest is via a very narrow spiral staircase, the chest must have been hoisted up into the belfry prior to the present flooring being fitted. CONSERVATION ISSUES AND CONCERNS Many churchwardens and members of the congregation face a challenge as to how to look after the legacy of the church chest. Often chests have been relocated to the rear of the church (if they can be moved) and used to store flower-arranging equipment, vases and Christmas decorations. Many have water-stains on their lids, broken hinges and missing locks, and often they contain mice droppings, decaying fabric and dust. As part of research for an MRes in Medieval Archaeology, a total of 132 church chests in Herefordshire and 78 church chests in Worcestershire have been systematically recorded by the author. Around half were found to be poorly looked after and timber decay was prevalent: one churchwarden stated that the woodworm ‘come and go’ as though the chest would go on for many years to come. Sadly, this is not the case. Furniture beetle grubs live inside the timber, chomping away unseen for anything up to five years, before pupating and hatching just below the surface, emerging from their flight holes as little brown beetles. These have a few days to mate and lay their eggs, often in old flight holes. So continues the cycle until there is no nutrition remaining in the wood and it is reduced to a crumbling mass of dry ‘honeycomb’. Woodworm favours sapwood, the timber just below the bark of the tree, but it will also attack heartwood if the conditions are right. Generally, relative humidity levels of around 60 per cent are required for the eggs to hatch and for pupation to occur. In a house or office environment it is almost always possible to reduce moisture movement to ensure that relative humidity never reaches these levels, however, this may be difficult in a church and if a chest is to remain in a damp environment the only recourse may be a proprietary chemical treatment to break the cycle and protect the timber from further decay. Tell-tale signs of active woodworm include piles of gritty crumbs (frass; the regurgitated wood from the beetles) on the floor beneath the chest (see illustration), and flight holes which appear brighter in colour where pupa have recently emerged, with bits of frass beneath. A further common ailment of the church chest is that of the ironwork becoming detached and lost. It is important that any ironwork which becomes loose or breaks away from the chest is kept in a safe place, preferably with labelling as to where it came from and when it came loose. Only a specialist conservation blacksmith should be consulted in the re-fitting or remaking of any replacement ironwork (see Commissioning Conservation Work from Blacksmiths , NHIG.org.uk) ; modern repairs should be obvious and always catalogued. The same is true for any necessary repairs to woodwork. Filler may be suitable for joinery which has been planed and painted, but on the The 13th century dug-out chest in the belfry at St Mary’s Church, Foy, Herefordshire