11th century parish church of St Leonard Hythe, Kent

st. leonard s church



shelf containing skulls in ambulatory below chancel, commonly inaccurately described crypt.

the large 11th century church hill; tower @ eastern end destroyed earth tremor in 1739 , restored in 1750. chancel, 1220, covers processional ossuary (a bone store, more commonly found on continent) lined 2,000 skulls , 8,000 thigh bones. date medieval period, having been stored after removal, make way new graves. common in england, bones dispersed, , rare collection. several of skulls show marks of trepanning. 1 of 2 surviving ossuaries in england; other in holy trinity church in rothwell, northamptonshire.

other curiosities worth looking for. on pillars on south side of nave medieval graffiti depicting ships. vestry door, on north side of nave, unlocked; open see fine norman doorway. has been suggested this, in late medieval times apparently on outer wall of church, once internal wall, earlier norman church stage higher hill. make existing chapel of st edmund (or north transept) original chancel, original nave being on other side of north wall. evidence of earlier masonry visible on north wall. going round north transept, clear roman masonry re-used in building of arch, narrow , late saxon in style. @ time of hasted s history of kent doorway blocked , not visible on inside.

lionel lukin, credited inventing self-righting lifeboat, buried in parish churchyard.