The History of Mary Magdalen Tower

The site has ancient monument scheduling which incorporates the church tower of St Mary Magdalen, the buried remains of the church and the surrounding churchyard, a rectangular area of ground orientated north east-south west, together with the associated graves and gravestones.
Stony Stratford emerged in the medieval period, growing up along either side of the former Roman road of Watling Street (now the High Street) which formed a boundary between the two ecclesiastical parishes of Calverton and Wolverton.
The churches associated with the two parishes were situated along the Roman road: the church of St Mary Magdalen occupied a plot on the north east side of Watling Street in the parish of Wolverton and the church of St Giles was sited on the south west side of Watling Street in the parish of Calverton.
It is not known when the two churches were first built, but references dating to 1202 and 1203 mention three clerks and one priest at Stony Stratford and therefore suggests the presence of at least one church at that time. The two churches are first mentioned by name in 1476 when a chantry is recorded as being founded `in the chapel of St Mary Magdalene and St Giles'. However it is probable that both churches were in existence by 1290 when Hugh de Vere was granted an annual fair on the vigil and feast of St Mary Magdalen, in addition to the fair granted to him in 1257 on the vigil, feast and morrow of St Giles. In 1487 John Edy, who was founder of the town guild, left funds in his will for the repair of the chancel of St Mary Magdalen.
At the dissolution of the chantries during the 1540s the church of St Mary Magdalen was referred to as a free chapel with two priests, one of which was `maintained by the guild of Stony Stratford'. Not long after 1641 the chapels of St Mary Magdalen and St Giles in Stony Stratford were united and services held in them alternately.
The church tower, which is a Listed Building Grade II*, is built of limestone in the perpendicular style of the 15th century and stands to its original height. It consists of three stages with a parapet at the top, and a string course between each stage. The original internal stone staircase survives.
There are blocked-up arches on the north east and south east sides of the bottom stage. The north east arch would have provided access between the nave of the church and the tower whilst the south east arch would have provided access to the tower from the churchyard. This pointed arch has been partly filled-in leaving a low rounded arch, less than 1.52m high, with a brick voussoir (a wedge-shaped stone, used in building an arch or vault).
Access to the tower is provided through a padlocked iron gate and a wooden door on this side. On the south west side of the tower there is a blocked-up window with a moulded stone arch. Pilaster angle buttresses rise from the bottom four corners to the top of the second stage of the tower and there are square headed loop lights on the south east and south west faces.
The windows on all four sides of the top stage, or bell chamber, each consist of two cinquefoiled (five leaved) lights with a transom and a quatrefoil under a two-centred head. The string course dividing this upper stage from the parapet has gargoyles on all four corners. The parapet is embattled on the north east and southwest sides and gabled on the North West and south east sides, indicating that the roof of the tower was formerly pitched.
In the east window were the arms of John Plantagenet, who was Duke of Bedford in the 15th century, and on the roof of the church, on stone escutcheons, were the arms of James de la Plaunche, who died in 1305.
The main part of the church would have originally extended in a north east direction from the church tower and a string course marking the gabled roof of the nave is visible on the north east side of the tower. The footprint of the church is not clear on the ground which is uneven and slopes from the south east and north west sides of the churchyard. However its foundations will survive buried beneath the ground surface, together with the remains of graves and other features which originally lay within the church.
After the 1742 fire, burials continued within the churchyard until about 1865 despite the destruction of the church. These burials, with accompanying gravestones, are laid in rows on the same north east-south west orientation as the church and some have been interred within the footprint of the church nave and aisles.
The churchyard is surrounded by limestone walls on the north east and north west sides, by a limestone and brick wall on the south east side and by the back wall of number 96, High Street and an iron fence on the south west side.
Stony Stratford emerged in the medieval period, growing up along either side of the former Roman road of Watling Street (now the High Street) which formed a boundary between the two ecclesiastical parishes of Calverton and Wolverton.
The churches associated with the two parishes were situated along the Roman road: the church of St Mary Magdalen occupied a plot on the north east side of Watling Street in the parish of Wolverton and the church of St Giles was sited on the south west side of Watling Street in the parish of Calverton.
It is not known when the two churches were first built, but references dating to 1202 and 1203 mention three clerks and one priest at Stony Stratford and therefore suggests the presence of at least one church at that time. The two churches are first mentioned by name in 1476 when a chantry is recorded as being founded `in the chapel of St Mary Magdalene and St Giles'. However it is probable that both churches were in existence by 1290 when Hugh de Vere was granted an annual fair on the vigil and feast of St Mary Magdalen, in addition to the fair granted to him in 1257 on the vigil, feast and morrow of St Giles. In 1487 John Edy, who was founder of the town guild, left funds in his will for the repair of the chancel of St Mary Magdalen.
At the dissolution of the chantries during the 1540s the church of St Mary Magdalen was referred to as a free chapel with two priests, one of which was `maintained by the guild of Stony Stratford'. Not long after 1641 the chapels of St Mary Magdalen and St Giles in Stony Stratford were united and services held in them alternately.
The church tower, which is a Listed Building Grade II*, is built of limestone in the perpendicular style of the 15th century and stands to its original height. It consists of three stages with a parapet at the top, and a string course between each stage. The original internal stone staircase survives.
There are blocked-up arches on the north east and south east sides of the bottom stage. The north east arch would have provided access between the nave of the church and the tower whilst the south east arch would have provided access to the tower from the churchyard. This pointed arch has been partly filled-in leaving a low rounded arch, less than 1.52m high, with a brick voussoir (a wedge-shaped stone, used in building an arch or vault).
Access to the tower is provided through a padlocked iron gate and a wooden door on this side. On the south west side of the tower there is a blocked-up window with a moulded stone arch. Pilaster angle buttresses rise from the bottom four corners to the top of the second stage of the tower and there are square headed loop lights on the south east and south west faces.
The windows on all four sides of the top stage, or bell chamber, each consist of two cinquefoiled (five leaved) lights with a transom and a quatrefoil under a two-centred head. The string course dividing this upper stage from the parapet has gargoyles on all four corners. The parapet is embattled on the north east and southwest sides and gabled on the North West and south east sides, indicating that the roof of the tower was formerly pitched.
In the east window were the arms of John Plantagenet, who was Duke of Bedford in the 15th century, and on the roof of the church, on stone escutcheons, were the arms of James de la Plaunche, who died in 1305.
The main part of the church would have originally extended in a north east direction from the church tower and a string course marking the gabled roof of the nave is visible on the north east side of the tower. The footprint of the church is not clear on the ground which is uneven and slopes from the south east and north west sides of the churchyard. However its foundations will survive buried beneath the ground surface, together with the remains of graves and other features which originally lay within the church.
After the 1742 fire, burials continued within the churchyard until about 1865 despite the destruction of the church. These burials, with accompanying gravestones, are laid in rows on the same north east-south west orientation as the church and some have been interred within the footprint of the church nave and aisles.
The churchyard is surrounded by limestone walls on the north east and north west sides, by a limestone and brick wall on the south east side and by the back wall of number 96, High Street and an iron fence on the south west side.
Browne Willis

16 September 1682 – 5 February 1760
In 1742 the church of St Mary Magdalen burnt down in a fire which destroyed much of the town. Only the tower at the west end of the church survived the fire and its restoration took place led by the local notary, Browne Willis. Thirty pounds was spent in 'setting up, leading' and putting a new roof on the tower with the idea of rebuilding the rest of the church.
Browne Willis had previously made a survey of the church in about 1730 describing it as consisting of two aisles with a tower, 65 feet in height with six bells and a clock.
Willis was born at Blandford St Mary, Dorset, the eldest Son of Thomas Willis of Bletchley, Buckinghamshire. Between 1724 and 1730, Browne Willis built St. Martin's Church on the site of the old Chantry Chapel of St. Margaret and St. Catherine at Fenny Stratford. He was grandson of Dr Thomas Willis, the physician and fellow of the Royal Society.
In order to perpetuate his own memory Browne Willis arranged for a sermon to be preached at St. Martin's. The firing of the 'Fenny Poppers', six small cannon, dates from this time. In 1740 Browne Willis bought a house in Aylesbury Street, Fenny Stratford and the rent from this was used to pay for the sermon and gunpowder for the Fenny Poppers. A tradition which continues today.
In 1742 the church of St Mary Magdalen burnt down in a fire which destroyed much of the town. Only the tower at the west end of the church survived the fire and its restoration took place led by the local notary, Browne Willis. Thirty pounds was spent in 'setting up, leading' and putting a new roof on the tower with the idea of rebuilding the rest of the church.
Browne Willis had previously made a survey of the church in about 1730 describing it as consisting of two aisles with a tower, 65 feet in height with six bells and a clock.
Willis was born at Blandford St Mary, Dorset, the eldest Son of Thomas Willis of Bletchley, Buckinghamshire. Between 1724 and 1730, Browne Willis built St. Martin's Church on the site of the old Chantry Chapel of St. Margaret and St. Catherine at Fenny Stratford. He was grandson of Dr Thomas Willis, the physician and fellow of the Royal Society.
In order to perpetuate his own memory Browne Willis arranged for a sermon to be preached at St. Martin's. The firing of the 'Fenny Poppers', six small cannon, dates from this time. In 1740 Browne Willis bought a house in Aylesbury Street, Fenny Stratford and the rent from this was used to pay for the sermon and gunpowder for the Fenny Poppers. A tradition which continues today.