St Sampson’s Window Restoration – from start to finish!
During the lockdown months of Covid, in spring 2020, many grant funders retreated and changed their funding criteria to emergency Covid related funding. At first this felt like a setback, but then we realised that many funders for stained glass windows had objectives that could not be changed. So, as this was the case, window funding is what we diligently worked on during that lockdown time.
A conservation report for the windows had been commissioned in December 2019. We had the necessary faculty permission and we had quotes in place for both glazing and stonework. A grand total of £53,000 was needed. A potential list, in spread sheet format, was compiled of our targeted funders, and our eager fingers started springing into action on keyboards.
It took thirteen grant funders and three individuals to say ‘yes’ to our request, and reach our target. Six more sent their gentle ‘unsuccessful’ replies. We consider a 60% success rate a good result and the power of perseverance absolutely pays off! I remember a particular deadline looming, and the technical problems of sending a lot of very large attachments, which seemed so often to happen. I was sat in the garden on my phone, with muddy hands and a wheelbarrow of compost in front of me, and after some fraught conversations and emails, was very relieved when the problem was eventually sorted and the application sent. I am grateful to have an ‘outdoor’ office; with my phone in my pocket, I can be anywhere!
Our funding research took us in all sorts of directions and we made a fascinating discovery that one Trust had a Trustee who had significant connections with St Sampson’s, and with one window in particular.
The chancel (south) window at St Sampson’s is dedicated to Major Percy John Rice (1810-1850) and Lucy Maria Elton (nee Rice) (1814- 1846), brother and sister of the then Rector of South Hill, Revd. Horace Rice. The inscription contains the words “Ah my brother! Ah my sister!” (probably a quote from Jeremiah 22:18). Lucy Maria was the great great grandmother of this Trustee, Julia Rice Elton. She was unaware of her family window but delighted to discover it and kindly gave a generous donation towards its restoration.
Another connection was made with Baron Lord Clinton. The Trefusis/Clinton family were closely involved with South Hill and Callington churches for many years. From early 1791 to 1820 the family held the advowson of the church, with the right of presentation to both St Sampson’s, South Hill and the daughter church of St Mary’s, Callington. The Trefusis coat of arms appears in three places in St Sampson’s: the west tower window, on shields on the south aisle roof and on a pew frontal. Revd. John Trefusis, younger brother of the 17th Baron Clinton, was Rector of South Hill from 1802-1841. The tower window, with its Trefusis coat of arms, is dedicated to his curate, Revd. John Sargeant. Lord Clinton’s Charitable Trust also kindly made a donation.
At this point I learnt another new skill, that of looking up genealogies, something I hadn’t done before. Many pleasant hours were spent wading through family trees and church records along with my much more knowledgeable colleagues. We researched all the families mentioned in the window inscriptions and discovered we had connections all around the world, as well as a short distance down the road. A family in Australia has since been in regular contact with me and in September 2021 we had a simultaneous sponsored walk, one in Melbourne, Australia and one at South Hill, Cornwall! One day it will be wonderful to meet them in person.
I have a fascination with one particular dedicatee who remains somewhat of a mystery, a woman called Mary Fookes (1754-1812) who died aged 58 (my age at the time of researching). The window was inserted in 1859. She appears to have been married twice and records indicate that Mary was buried at St Sampson’s, South Hill. The reason she was commemorated in our window is that she was mother of William the Curate of South Hill and Callington and she was buried in South Hill where she probably died - while staying or perhaps living at the Rectory with her son. Her will dated dated around 15th April 1794, said she wanted to be buried in the parish in which she died, in a “plain manner” (south Hill Parish Registers).
I spent many hours on a typical Cornish misty November morning looking at every gravestone in the churchyard. I didn’t discover her resting place, but feel she is here somewhere. I also sadly failed to trace any living relative of hers, but maybe one day someone will trace themselves to St Sampson’s church and Mary’s window.
My favourite window, for its images, is in the Manaton Chapel. The right-hand
side shows Edward White Benson (1829-1896), the first Bishop of Truro (1877-1882) and later
Archbishop of Canterbury (1883-1896) holding a model of Truro Cathedral. St. Sampson of Dol, the patron saint of the church, is depicted in the centre and Frederick Temple (1821-1902), Archbishop of Canterbury after Benson, is on the left-hand side. Beneath these figures are pictures of a sower, a reaper and a gleaner representing not only the biblical allusions but also the agricultural nature of the parish of South Hill and the fact that the dedicatee family were farmers in the parish.
In October 2022 there was a memorial service with an internment of ashes in the churchyard of an Italian gentleman. He had married a local Cornish woman and his request was that his ashes be laid to rest with hers at St Sampson’s. He had spent many happy times in the parish. His son and daughter were most surprised to find they had a family window, regrettably boarded up for repairs at the time of the funeral, but soon to be reinstalled.
It is always fascinating to discover some hidden history and make connections with people who loved and cherished this church as much as we do. Restoring and repairing the thirteen windows is very much a continuation of the history and heritage of St Sampson’s Church.
In November 2021 the work to repair the windows finally started, after further delays caused by bat legislation. Our magnificent St Sampson’s window was repaired in situ and two others removed and boarded ready for the stone masons to use their extensive skills. What a wonderful moment in January when they were replaced. I don’t think anyone realised exactly how much difference it would make. No more rusty bars, no more wobbly glass panes, simply beautiful windows, letting in the light and allowing us to see the trees outside.
With our bat mitigation licence in place, five more windows were taken out and boarded in the intense heatwave of August 2022 and put back in December, amid the freezing temperatures and even some snow. We were able to fully admire them amongst the oranges and candles of Christingle. The inscriptions could all now be easily read, the colours of the stained glass vibrant and fulsome. It felt like a true honouring of the families Trehaine, Body, Dunston and my mystery lady, Mary Fookes, all now remembered.
The final five windows were removed in May 2023, including the East window, which was a sad sight to see boarded up, but glorious when replaced in August. By the end of September 2023 all our windows were restored.
During the phase when our windows were boarded up, there were a few ‘what a shame your windows have been broken’ comments, and I had to keep explaining to visitors that bricks and vandalism, were not the cause. However, it then gave me the opportunity to regale them with all the history, and point them towards the collection box!
How wonderful that all our windows are now fully restored. Watching the skilled heritage craftsmen of Dan Humphries Stained glass Ltd and C.F. Piper & son at work has been amazing. Their knowledge is immense and we are very grateful to them for the sensitive restoration that they have achieved. And it all came in under budget!