File:St Peter's Church - C15 brass - geograph.org.uk - 907115.jpg

English: St Peter's Church, Merton, Norfolk, monumental brasses, north wall of nave, depicting the figures kneeling in prayer of William de Grey (d.1495), of Merton Hall, lord of the manor (left), with his two successive wives facing him (right), with sons behind their father and daughters behind their respective mothers. Brass speech scrolls, prie-dieu between the couples, and inscription all lost. The monument is identified by Blomefield (Norfolk, Vol.2, p.303), as for "William de Grey, son and heir of William and Christian de Grey, who married first Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Bedingfeld of Oxburgh, and second Grace, daughter of Thomas Teye"

Three shields, left to right (source: Farrer, Edmund, Church Heraldry of Norfolk, Vol 2 (1889), pp.141-2[1]):

• 1: (above husband) Azure, a fess between two chevrons or (de Grey ("of Merton") (arms of Cornerd adpoted by de Grey of Merton in lieu of paternal arms of Grey, of Grays Thurrock, Essex (senior line founded by w:Henry de Grey (1155-1219)): Barry of six argent and azure)) impaling Sable, a fess between two chevrons or (Baynard).
• 2: (above first wife Mary Bedingfeld) Quarterly of 4:
  • 1&4: de Grey
  • 2&3: Baynard

impaling quarterly of 4:

• 1&4: Ermine, an eagle displayed gules (Bedingfield)
• 2&3: Lozengy argent and gules (Tudenham/Todenham/Tydenham/Tidenham of Norfolk)

• 3: (above second wife Grace Teye) Quarterly of 4:
  • 1&4: de Grey
  • 2&3: Baynard

impaling: Argent, a fesse between in chief three martlets and a chevron in base azure (Teye) (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.1004 "Tey of Essex").

St Peter's church > 696764 - 907090 - 907110 is situated in the grounds of Merton Park, which forms part of the estate of the de Grey family; the south porch once used to serve as the private entrance into the church for members of the de Grey family and the southern section of the churchyard offers a fine view towards Merton Hall > 906010 where the present representative, John de Grey, 9th Baron Walsingham (b. 1925), still lives. Opinions are divided whether the round tower of the church is Saxon or early Norman but all are agreed on the original church being older. The church was extensively restored in the 19th century and most of the stained glass windows date from that time. The east window > 907093 depicts 12 scenes from the life of Christ. The three-sided communion rails > 907098 - dating from about 1690 - are a rare survival of this Puritan arrangement which gave the laity access right up to the east wall of the chancel. The two-decker pulpit > 907100 with a reading desk is early C17 and the opening seen behind it is the entrance to the former rood loft. The exquisitely carved rood screen is original and dates from the 14th century. Its panels have a stencilled floral motif > 907104. On the wall nearby there is a brass (seen here) to William de Grey (d. 1495) with his two wives facing him. The de Grey family's large Jacobean box pew > 907107 is located at the east end of the south aisle; on the floor is a brass > 907112 to Thomas de Grey (d. 1562). The hexagonal font > 907116 - unusual because East Anglian fonts are commonly octagonal - dates from the 15th century. (This information was taken from an information leaflet compiled by Simon Cotton and Richard Butler-Stoney.) The church is kept locked and access is possible by appointment only. See also: http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/merton/merton.htm