Dr Peter Chamberlen

Detail of the inscription on Chamberlen's tomb

I first visited the little churchyard of Woodham Mortimer some 35 years ago and was intrigued to discover that the church lay a good half mile away from the village. I didn't discover the reason - though I had my suspicions! - until this most recent visit, when I found that the council had put a blue plaque on the house next to the church, identifying it as the home of Dr Peter Chamberlen. Naturally the man who paid for the church would have it built next to his own house and the nearby villagers would have to put up with it!

The only thing is that whoever built the church, it wasn't Dr Chamberlen, whose religious beliefs were at variance from those held by the Established Church. In fact, it was only his royal connections and the fact that he was the last hope of women in labour that kept him out of prison.

The inscription in the picture above states:

As for his religion was a Christian kee-
ping ye Commandments of God & faith
of Jesus being baptized about ye year
1648 & keeping ye 7th day for ye Saboth
above 32 years.