SIR THOMAS MORE.—Against the south wall of the chancel is the monument of Sir Thomas More, erected according to his own desire, in the year 1532. The tablet on which the inscription is engraved is under a Tudor arch, the cornice of which is ornamented with foliage, and in the centre of it is his crest, viz., a Moor’s head. The spandrils of the arch are ornamented with branches of the vine, and in the midst are his arms and those of his first wife, and on each side are the arms of himself and his two wives. The eventful history of More, and the termination of his earthly career, must be familiar to the reader. After he was beheaded, his body is said by some to have been interred in the church, but others have contended that it was buried in St. Peter’s, in the Tower. There are many legends respecting the head, but Mr. Brayley asserts positively that it was finally deposited in St. Dunstan’s, near Canterbury, and that he saw the head there many years ago. The inscription on the tablet is of considerable length.
THE MARQUISE DE CUGNAC.—Near the Communion Table, against the south wall, on a square ornamental slab, is an inscription to the memory of Elizabeth, the wife of the Marquis de Cugnac. As a proof of his unshaken love he erected this monument. She died in 1653, aged 20 years. The marquis was of a Protestant family, famous in the reigns of Henry IV., Lewis XIII. and XIV.
THE SEDILE.—In the south wall of the chancel, near the altar, was usually placed the “_Sedile_” a seat for the use of the priest at certain intervals during the celebration of the Mass, but when the church was almost rebuilt, in 1667, this ancient architectural ornament, and many others were removed, and not a vestige of them now remains.
THOMAS HUNGERFORD, Esq.—In the upper chancel is the monument of the above-named gentleman, having the effigies of himself and his two sons in armour kneeling on one side of an altar, and his wife and daughter on the other. The entablature is supported by three Corinthian pillars, resting on pedestals.
REV. JOHN RUSH.—On the right of the one above are tablets to the memory of the Rev. John Rush and family. He was Curate of the Parish for a great many years, and when the new Parish Church was completed, Mr. Rush became Minister of the Old Church, and resigned the curacy. He was one of the Directors of the Waterloo Bridge Company, and took a great interest in everything connected with the construction of that bridge. He died in 1855, aged 85, and was buried in the Brompton Cemetery.