By John Saul
This article was published in the December 2023 edition of Soul Search, the Journal of The Sole Society
The church of St Mary’s Stevington in north Bedfordshire lies in a secluded spot not far from the village of Stevington overlooking the valley of the River Ouse.
The date of origin of the church is not known but we do know that it was granted to the nuns of Harrold Priory, a few miles away, in 1149, by Baldwin of Ardres ‘for the sake of my soul and those of my father, mother and brother’, the usual mechanism by which monasteries accumulated their great wealth
It contains much of interest, but of particular relevance to the Sole Society is the presence in the south arcade is a fine brass of a knighted figure bearing a Latin inscription as follows:
Pray for the soul of Thomas Salle knight who died 21st day of the month of April in the year if our Lord 1421.
A photo of the brass can be seen below. Nothing more is known of Thomas Salle, if anyone can help with identifying him, please let us know.
