The North Aisle
The north aisle presents another of those unanswerable questions – why is the west end paved with expensive Purbeck marble (now somewhat broken up by later memorial ledgers)? Above the paving is the only 14th century window in the Decorated style, and now glazed with Clayton & Bell work of 1888, showing in the upper tier the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple, and in the lower tier the Annunciation, the homage of the Three Kings, and the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. On the left are the steps up to the north porch, which is of Tudor moulded brickwork, and is best seen from the outside. The height of the steps demonstrates how far below ground level outside is the church floor.
PICTURES AISLE & TORLESSE WINDOW
The centre window, opposite the south door, commemorates the long and distinguished service (Vicar 1832-1881) of the Rev.Martin Torlesse, and is again the work of Clayton & Bell (1883). It depicts the Good Shepherd, the True Vine, and the Light of the World. He was a remarkably forward-thinking man who founded a Friendly Society into which the farm labourers could pay a subscription, and receive a pension which would keep them from penury in retirement. In 1862 he also organised the first Choir Festival in England.​​
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Memorial for
Sir John de Peyton's Father
(Brass Removed)
Badge of
Lord Henniker
Moving eastward, on the left there is St.Edmund’s or the Peyton chapel, a small chantry built by Sir John de Peyton (d.1318) in about 1300. He is buried there with his three wives, while his father and grandfather lie at the threshold under a memorial slab with an inscription in Norman French carved round the perimeter in Lombardic capitals, which reads:
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“Vous qe par ici passet
Pur’ l’ame Sire Jehan de Peytona priet
Le course de oi ici gist
L’ame receyue I H U Crist. Amen”
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“You who pass this way pray for the soul of Sir John de Peyton. His body lies here, may the Lord Jesus Christ receive his soul”.
The Peytons were a very old family who had a residence in Stoke but their seat was Peyton Hall outside Boxford, 3 km NW of Stoke, and there is another Peyton Hall in Ramsholt on the east bank of the Deben 8 km south of Woodbridge.
At the top of the entrance arch of the chapel is the badge of Lord Henniker, probably and 18th century benefactor of the church, and work in 1845 uncovered two paintings of female saints, one clearly St.Ursula of Cologne with some of her legendary 10,000 virgin martyrs, and the other probably St.Lucia, carrying a lamp. Drawings of them have survived, but probably not the originals, which were plastered over. The arms of the Rowley family are in the north window “Argent on a bend azure between two Cornish choughs proper three escallops” (two Cornish choughs and three scallop shells) Choughs are a bird of the crow family, with a red bill and legs, now rare in England, though the population is recovering.
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The aisle ends at the chancel step, where there is a 15th century screen.
