The Church Plate

The church plate, not now stored in the church, consists of a silver flagon, chalice, paten and alms dish all of which are recorded and illustrated in 'The Church plate of Leicestershire' compiled by Rev. Andrew Trollope and published in limited edition in 1890.

The flagon was made in 1738 by Francis Spilsbury of London and was donated to the Church of East Norton in 1739 by Mrs Catherine Parker who also, in 1741, most probably donated the chalice, again made by Francis Spilsbury.

Catherine Parker was born in 1666 and was the only daughter of Thomas Wilson (London merchant and purchaser of Keythorpe) and his wife Anne. Anne Wilson was a daughter of Sir Christopher Packe of Prestwold, Lord Mayor of London. There are many fine monuments to the Packe family, including Sir Christopher, to be found in St Andrew's church in Prestwold. Catherine married Charles Parker of Peterborough as his second wife. His first wife was also named Catherine and both she and Charles are buried in Peterborough Cathedral. The second Catherine Parker survived Charles who died on 25th February 1730, and she came to live in the old manor house at East Norton, long since demolished. She died there, having no issue, on 2nd July 1747 and is buried in the chancel of Tugby church where there is a monument on the north wall to her father, mother, three brothers and herself.

In her will dated 31st May 1746 she bequeathed sums of money to various charitable objects. £1000 to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, £50 to the Society for the Promotion of Christian Literature. £60 in trust to her stepson to administer the interest in providing coals or bread to the poor in certain parishes in Peterborough. £15 to the poor of Cranoe. £5 each to the poor of Uppingham, Goadby, Hallaton, Billesdon and Clapham, Middlesex. £2 to the poor of Tugby. £100 to apprentice and clothe ten poor boys chosen by her executors, two being from both Uppingham, Cranoe, Tugby and Hallaton and one from both Goadby and East Norton.

Amongst many legacies to friends and relations, Catherine Parker also left £1000 to Rev George Fenwicke, Rector of Hallaton and Rev Joseph Pippin, Vicar of Tugby. These gentlemen invested the money in land in Tur Langton which they conveyed by deed to trustees for the support of six poor aged women, three from East Norton and Tugby, and three from Hallaton. Mr Fenwicke also gave a house close to the church at Hallaton for the three women of his parish to live in.

The silver paten was donated in much later years (1864) by the Rev Thomas Norris, Vicar of Tugby and East Norton from 1862 until 1877 when he was appointed Rector of Allexton. Prior to this he had been curate to Allexton and East Norton under Rev. Winslow from 1851. During his time here he was also instrumental in the procurement of the silver alms dish, which is inscribed to the memory of Mary Letitia, Baroness Berners who died on September 30th 1856. After her death the parishioners gave a small barrel organ to the church in her memory but this was afterwards parted with when the better instrument (still in use today) was presented by Susanna Heycock in 1875. Rev Norris and parishioners wanted the memory of Baroness Berners to live on by 'means of some utensil of the church' and so purchased the alms dish and had it inscribed accordingly.

Rev Norris died in 1890 and is buried in Allexton churchyard.

The inscription on the base of the Alms Dish

The East Norton Communion chalice