A HISTORY OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, BOTTISHAM
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(Hailstone). William’s son, William Alyngton, of Bottisham, who was married to
Joan, daughter of John Ansty of Quy, also became Speaker of the Commons in
1472: he died (1479) without issue in the year he was appointed to the Privy
Council with “a handsome salary”. A year before his death, in 1478, the Manor of
Alyngton was created for him. William was buried at Bottisham in 1479.
There is mention of a chapel built for William’s soul, and for Joanna his
wife, at Bottisham, in 1474 (Hailstone): this is the chapel at the east end of the
north aisle of Holy Trinity. Hailstone records that the patent rolls state, the chapel
was built . . . . ‘to the praise of Almighty God, the glorious Virgin Mary his
mother, and Saints Martin and Mary Magdalene at Botesham by our beloved and
faithful William Alyngton..’. A chaplain was commanded to perform divine
service in the chapel, every day,
for the souls of William and, ‘our very dear
consort Elizabeth Queen of England’. Later the Allington chapel was completely
blocked, and used as a repository, until
the restoration of the church in 1839. A
wooden screen, has the south side closed by the Allington tomb: the screen
originally formed a part of the rood screen. Hailstone points out that, although no
altar remains in the chapel, there is a bracket on the right-hand wall with elaborate
Perpendicular moulding, which he dates as 1474. He also records that William
Allington probably influenced the building of the Perpendicular stone screen. The
Alyngton family left Bottisham for their estates at Horseheath.
Tomb chest
-adjacent to pulpit
The Purbeck marble slab and
tomb chest of Speaker, William Allington, lies adjacent to the present pulpit of
Bottisham Church, under the screen, at the eastern end of the north aisle. Only the
matrix of a brass effigy, and marginal inscriptions, remain on the upper surface of
the tomb. A stone canopy disappeared at the time of re-seating the church in 1839.
Remains of the stone canopy were reported to be in the former vicarage garden
(Hailstone) but all trace of the stones has been lost. On each of the north and south
sides of the Purbeck-marble tomb are three lozenge panels containing blank
shields. Originally these were three coats of arms upon which there were nailed
brass plates.
Coat of Arms - corner of screen The Allington and Argentein
coat of arms on a wooden shield, reported by Cole (1770), is fastened to the south-
west corner of the screen, at cornice level. Hailstone reported that the shield was
stained over in 1839 to make it look like the rest of the woodwork! However, at
the cornice level of the south-west upright of the screen there is a painted armorial
shield which may have been restored. William Allington, the father of the founder
of this chapel, married Elizabeth Argentein. A John Reyns married Catherine
Scudamore: the shield relates to the Allington, Argentein, Reyns and Scudamore
families. We again find the family recorded in Bottisham Church during the
sixteenth century. George was buried at Bottisham in 1584, Lionel in 1638,