The church is approached by a narrow carriage way, which leads from the westward side of the turnpike road; but it stops at a gate opening into a field, in which the church stands, and a short path leads to it from the gate.
There is one remarkable singularity connected with the church, which is, that there is every appearance of the church, and the college after mentioned, having stood in a square space enclosed by a moat. A moat regularly formed, and as straight as a canal, exists at a short distance from the east end of the church, except at one small spot near the centre, which appears to have been filled up, in order to admit of the path to the church; and it turns with an abrupt angle at each end, and extends a considerable distance on the north and south sides of the church. I was unable, however, to trace its existence on the west side, or to discover whether it had ever completely encompassed the church.
Besides the erection of the church, there was erected there by Henry IV., or by Roger Ive, clerk, by virtue of a charter or license from Henry, a small college, consisting of a principal or master, and five secular chaplains, together with a hospital for several poor persons, of which Henry IV. was a benefactor. [17a]
The charter or license was of the eleventh year of the reign of Henry IV., and the first principal or master was the said Roger Ive. [a/][17a]
A copy of an impression of the seal of the college, is given in Dukes’ Antiquities of Shropshire, [17b] which exhibits on it, not as might be expected, the effigy of St. Mary Magdalen, but that of the Virgin Mary crowned, bearing the infant Jesus on her right arm, and a palm branch in her left hand.
At the time of the dissolution, the yearly revenues amounted to £54. 1s. 10d. net. Not a vestige now remains of the college.
There are several shallow holes or pits in the meadow on the south side of the church, which have been dug into, in hopes of discovering something of interest; but nothing remarkable was discovered. It has been conjectured that they are the sites of small fishponds, which may have existed before the college was destroyed; but they appeared to me more like the excavations, where the foundations or cellars of the old college buildings may have been. Besides the indications of a moat, which present themselves to the eye, the charter or license of Henry, given at length by Dugdale, strongly corroborates the opinion before expressed, with respect to the moat. That document, as set out by Dugdale, grants to Roger Ive, of Seaton, rector of the chapel of St. John Baptist, at Adbrighton Hussee, in the county of Salop, a piece of ground, with all the edifices and erections on it, within the lordship of Adbrighton Hussee, near Shrewsbury, situate in the field called Battlefield, in which a battle had been lately fought between the King and Henry Percy deceased and other rebels; and by the grace of God, the King had obtained victory and triumph, which piece of ground is enclosed with a ditch, and contains in length and breadth two acres of land, together with two inlets and outlets, one extending along the lands of Richard Hussee twenty feet, and the other containing in breadth fifteen feet. [18a] The piece of land appears to have been before conveyed by feoffment to the said Roger Ive, by virtue of the royal license, by Richard Hussee, [18b] who seems from that circumstance to have held the same from the King. The charter or license of 11th of Henry IV., states the land to have been granted to Roger Ive, for the purpose of a chapel being built on it, in honour of St. Mary Magdalen, [19a] in order that prayers might be said for evermore, for the souls of the King, &c. &c., and for the souls of those who were slain in the battle, and were buried there. [19b]
Battlefield is a distinct parish, and was, prior to its becoming so, in Henry IV.’s reign, attached to the then existing rectory of St. John the Baptist at Adbright Hussee. [19c] St. Alkmond’s and St. Mary’s parishes, of Shrewsbury, adjoin it. The living is a perpetual curacy, of which the Rev. J. O. Hopkins was the late incumbent; and it is in the patronage of Andrew William Corbet, Esq., of Sundorne Castle, Shropshire.
The present dilapidated state of the nave of Battlefield Church is generally ascribed to the Puritans of the time of the Commonwealth; and a note in the church register, above one hundred years ago (1749), states, that it was then in its present ruinous condition. [a/][19c] The conduct of those who committed the injury in this instance, brings to recollection the passage from the Holy Scriptures:—“But now they break down the carved work thereof, at once, with axes and hammers. They have cast fire into thy sanctuary; they have defiled by casting down the dwelling-place of thy name to the ground.” [19d]
On viewing this ancient church, I could not, either as a Christian or as an antiquary, see this handsome edifice, which had been erected by a King of England, in commemoration of an important historical event, and dedicated to the worship of the Most High, so injured by violence or neglect, without experiencing feelings of regret. Still its walls and remains, in their present state, are truthful records of the past, and furnish an authentic and valuable example of church architecture, of the time of Henry IV. The mere preservation of them from further injury, by time or negligence, would be laudable; but if the tasteless and ignorant scheme, which has been suggested, of renovating the church, should ever unfortunately be carried into effect, great mischief will be done; the original will be falsified; in its renovated state it will be a mere imitation; and it will no longer be an interesting and authentic example of the architectural science of the period to which it belonged.