Penyston Chapel

This chapel appears on stylistic grounds to have been built in the late sixteenth century. This corresponds to the time that the Temple family acquired the ownership of the manor of Stowe, together with the two Dadford holdings and one of the two at Lamport (the other at Lamport being held by the Dayrells). It seems likely that the Temples had used
as their family chapel. Many parish churches have private chapels added or screened off for their own use by the principal local gentry as one of the cherished signs of heirarchical status.The large monument is to Martha, Lady Penyston. She was the fourth daughter of Sir Thomas Temple, and wife of Sir Thomas Penyston of Leigh, Essex. Like his father-in-law, Sir Thomas Penyston received one of the first batch of baronetcies sold by King James I in 1611.Martha Penyston died in January 1619. From this year on, several of the Temple family were buried in a vault beneath the chapel. The fact that in 1592 the infant John Temple was interred in the chancel could possibly indicate that the chapel was not complete by this date. Martha's infant daughter Hester died in 1612, and there is an effigy representing the child at the foot of Martha's monument. Hester is apparently interred in the floor of the chapel - this might be taken to indicate that the chapel existed by this date but that there was as yet no vault beneath it.The infant Hester's memorial slab is in the floor immediately by the entrance from the North aisle.Source: Local Signage