File:St Mary's church - C19 east window - geograph.org.uk - 910306.jpg

English:

St Mary's Church, Fishley, Norfolk, east window displaying the arms of Marsham: Argent crusily fitchée sable, a lion passant gules in bend between two bendlets azure each charged with three crosses crosslet or (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.663 "Masham of Stratton Strawless, Norfolk"). Arms of Reverend Edward Marsham (1757-1859), the second son of Robert Marsham Esq., of Stratton Strawless in Norfolk, by his wife Sophia Hase, second daughter of Edward Hase Esq. of Sall. He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge, where he was admitted pensioner 6 October 1803, scholar 1805, B.A. and 10th Wrangler 1808. He also became a Fellow of Emmanuel College 28 May 1810, and was ordained deacon at Norwich 8 July 1810, M.A. 1811, and held the posts of Rector of Wramplingham in Norfolk 1811 1849, of Sculthorp 1811 1859, of Brampton 1826 1828, and of Stratton Strawless 1828 1859. (Source: https://armorial.library.utoronto.ca/stamp-owners/MAR004). Miss Sophia Catherine Edwards of Hardington Hall, renovated the church in 1860, having been bequeathed the Fishley estate by her uncle the Reverend Edward Marsham. Repaired to the designs of her cousin, the Reverend John Barsham Johnson, Rector of Welborne. (Source: Stacia Briggs, Does Fishley’s St Mary’s Church hide a secret message in its stained glass windows?, Eastern Daily Press, August 28, 2019[1])

The manor of Fishley is listed in the Domesday book. No traces of the village remain but it is believed that it was located where wheat is now growing, in a field > 910267 adjoining the church to the northwest.

St Mary's church > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/910289 - https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/910303 - https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/910323 is situated at an elevated and isolated position with Fishley Hall Farm > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/910281 being its only neighbour, surrounded by tall trees and fields beyond, just to the north of Acle; a narrow single track road turning off the South Walsham Road > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/910160 leads to a concrete hardstand which can be used for parking. From here onwards this road is private > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/910272. The round tower is believed to date from pre-conquest times; the main doorway is Norman but much of the stonework has been renewed. At some time the church was widened and an extensive restoration took place in 1861, which resulted in the replacement of all church furnishings. Many of the furnishings were paid for by a Miss Edwards to whose memory a brass plate > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/910317 is attached to the lectern. All windows presently contain Victorian glass - see also > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/910310. The only remaining wall monument is to Revd. David Thomas Barry who was Rector here for 22 years > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/910313. The church houses an interesting 18th century organ > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/910326 which is hand blown, as the church remains unconnected to mains electricity. A plate affixed to it informs that it was made by Edward John Paston of London in 1781. (This information was taken from a leaflet compiled by W.J. Goode, based on source material from 'East Anglian Round Towers and Their Churches'). The church is kept locked. See also: http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/fishley/fishley.htm