History - St. Margret's (Margaret's) Church, Sotterley, Suffolk, England

Domesday mentions the parish of Sotterley as having a church and manor and a flourishing village. Although some of the material in the present church is probably of Norman origin (notably the lower stages of the nave walls), the structure is mostly fifteenth century perpendicular.  This term is used to describe a Gothic form of architecture that was developed and used in England.  According to The Grove Dictionary of Art, The essence of Perpendicular is regularity: straight lines or crystalline shapes, a thin and transparent structure exploiting stained glass on the inner surface, monochrome building materials, modular repetition and a fineness of detail almost approaching preciousness.

Extensive restoration took place in 1899. St. Margret's suffered less than most churches in this area at the hands of the Roundheads (derisive name for the supporters of Parliament during the English civil war originating about1641 and referring to the short haircuts worn by some of the Puritans in contrast to the fashionable long-haired wigs worn by many of the supporters of King Charles I, who were called Cavaliers). 

The Church has many interesting features:

• the rood screen; lower panels show the Apostles (late painting)
• the choir stalls; original traceried fronts and poppy heads
• the south door; contemporary 15^th Century ring handle
• the font; typical east anglian octagonal
• carved stone corbels; of unusual shape
• 15th Century glass; considerable fragments.

Later features include the reredos and stone alter designed by Sir Charles Nicholson, R.A., in the 1920's; the East Window designed by E. C. Kempe.

The church is rich in monumental records, commemorating the three families who have owned the Sotterley estates and lived here in the park through six centuries: Sotterley's from ca. 1300, until the War of the Roses, when they were deprived of their property; the Playters from 1470 to 1740, when the estate was acquired by Miles Barne, who built the present house.

The exterior photos of the church were taken by Ann Swaidner in 1963.

Full details of the history, inscriptions, etc. are to be found in Suckling's History of Suffolk, Volume I. (Suckling, Alfred. The History and antiquities of the county of Suffolk with genealogical and architectural notices of its several towns and villages. London: J. Weale, 1846-1848. 2 vols.).

Additional information about St. Margaret's is available at The Churches of Suffolk web site.

Photographs of St Margaret's can be found on the Fisk Family History site (thanks to Alicia Satterlee Chrysler for finding this site).

 

Editor's Note:  This material was adapted from the published works and some personal notes of Goldie Satterlee Moffatt.  Unfortunately, the materials did not contain the original photos, but rather the copies you see here.  If you have better copies of these photos or other photos of higher quality, we would be pleased to place them here.  You can see the contributions of David Satterlee, Jr. on the Photographs of Sotterley page. Please contact webmaster@satterlee.org with contributions of photos.  Thanks to Katie Jaques for providing an electronic transcription of the published text.