alterations. The north aisle is Norm.; some small portion of the church is E.E., a larger is Dec. The north wall contains herring-bone masonry, with some resemblance to Roman bonding courses, but the material is stone, not brick. There are pieces of Roman bricks in the walls among the flints, and in the east wall is one fragment with Roman red mortar adhering to it. In the south chancel are three paving tiles with patterns of various colours, two tolerably perfect, the third is much defaced, merely exhibiting patches of light blue; apparently they are Venetian, though by some supposed to be Moorish. In a small lateral chapel, now the vestry, of "The Mayor's Chapel" at Bristol, a large proportion of the pavement is composed of small variegated glazed tiles, of which the pattern varies, but none are equally elegant with those of Milton.—On an altar-tomb is a small brass of a man in armour, temp. K. Edward IV(?), and in the vestry, loose, are two other figures from the same tomb, one an armed male, the other a female; also, a shield of arms, loose, belonging to the above-named tomb.
The church of Milton (Middeltona) was granted, together with that of Faversham, to St. Augustin's, Canterbury, by K. William I. (Monast. I, 144.) There is no note, whereby to distinguish which of the three Miltons in this county is intended, but from the nearer propinquity it may be presumed that this place is signified, particularly as to this day the dean and chapter of Canterbury are patrons of the living, which is not the case with either of the other Miltons.—At Northwood Chasteners in this parish was a free chapel, erected by Stephen de Shepey, with licence from the Archbishop. No date is given, but it must have been previous to K. Richard I, in whose reign the estate was possessed by another family. (Harris.)
225. Minster in Sheppey.—In this church are brasses of Sir John and Lady de Northwode, which are noticed for some curious particulars in (Monum. Brasses, 24, 42, 44, 53.) In 1833 the effigy of a knight was exhumed in Minster churchyard, from a depth of five feet below the surface. It is of Purbeck (q. Weald?) marble, its date the fifteenth century, and is now preserved within the church. For a general description, and notice of the peculiarities consult (Archæol. Journal, VI, 351...358.)—The monastery at this place was founded by Sexberga, daughter of Ercombert, king of Kent, and mother of King Egbert, (she was afterwards canonised, Lambarde) for seventy-seven nuns about A.D. 675. (Monast. II, 49.) Hasted gives the date
