The Glaven Valley Benefice St Margaret's Church, Cley
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St. Margaret's Church, Cley stands on a slight rise of land. The church of St. Mary the Virgin, Wiveton seems almost within touching distance. However, the land between was originally an expanse of water where craft plied, not just those of fishermen, but those engaged in trade with foreign ports. It was here that strong links were made with Hanseatic traders and it was in some measure due to their wealth that today we are able to wonder at the size and magnificence of St. Margaret's.

Stepping inside St. Margaret's we can grasp the almost cathedral-like proportions - the high nave, richly carved pew ends and signs of the stone-mason's craft. When one views the vast west window, surely one of the largest in Norfolk, one wonders why the squat tower does not echo this grandeur; the chancel too somehow lacks the aggrandisement of the nave and in comparison appears to be a poor relation. However, the south porch, emblazoned with shields, reassures us that here is a church built to last and supported by noble families.

The Patrons and Donors of the 13th and 14th Centuries

Sir John de Vaux was a very rich man whose family had been given estates after the Norman conquest and we also know from a copy of a Charter in the British Museum that in 1265 he was granted land by King Henry III. Sir John already owned land round Boston in Lincolnshire and this meant that the sea provided comparatively easy access to his estates in both Boston and Cley. To set the scene for the period we must realise that in the early 13th century Boston was a very important port and paid more tax than any other English port other than London. Cley was also a prosperous port and its tax assessment was three times that of Holt. Norwich was the second city in England and Norfolk the wealthiest county

After the death of Sir John de Vaux his estates were divided between his two daughters, Lady Petronilla (the eldest) who, after the death of her first husband, married a Norfolk knight, Sir William de Nerford. The second daughter, Lady Maud, married William Lord de Roos, the second Baron Roos of Helmsley. It was the de Roos family in 1288, when the manor of Cley was divided between the two daughters, who became the patrons of Cley. The patronage continued with this family for nearly 300 years.

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	Evidence of the patronage which Cley enjoyed is to be found in the shields displayed round the entrance to the south porch. The chequy shield of Sir John de Vaux can be seen as can the shield of The Erpingham family. Sir Thomas Erpingham, who owned Blickling Hall, administered the estates of Edmund Mortimer, Roger Mortimer's son, during his minority, on behalf of Henry IV.
	Also included is the shield of Sir William de Nerford with its rampant lion; he it was who married Lady Petronilla the eldest daughter and co-heiress of Sir John de Vaux.
	The de Roos family shield is near the top of the archway and, as mentioned earlier, it was this family who became the patrons of St. Margaret's.
	Shield of Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, who died in exile in 1389. His son, the 2nd Earl, also Michael, married Catherine Stafford, niece of Lady Roos.
	Royal connections came by way of Roger Mortimer, earl of March and Ulster, and his shield too is evident round the arch of the south porch. He was a great-grandson of Edward III and friend of Michael de la Pole. Shortly before his untimely death in Ireland in 1398, Parliament had named him heir to the throne of the childless Richard II; Richard II was married to Anne of Bohemia.
	Queen Anne was the accomplished daughter of The Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Her marriage brought a popular and profitable alliance to England and her father was a supporter of the Hanseatic League (a confederation formed in the 13th century between certain German towns for the protection of commerce) whose trade meant much to Cley. It is the shield of Richard II with his Queen's coat-of-arms on the left which indicates that the gift was hers and not his; the shield is on the right of the porch showing that the Queen was probably a principal donor.
	The shield of Beatrice, wife of Thomas, Lord Roos, 5th baron, is on the left of the porch and indicates she was the other chief donor. Beatrice had been associated with Cley for more than 50 years. William, who became the Roos heir on the death of his eldest brother in 1394 became Lord Treasurer of England and a very wealthy man; he was no doubt a benefactor as well as being a patron of Cley.

Stone carved head of a fourteenth century master mason, Norwich Cathedral.

Fourteenth Century Master Mason

When the heiresses of John de Vaux, Lady Petronilla and Lady Maud, inherited their father's property the importance and population of Cley were increasing and the church was not large enough. There is no record of the master mason commissioned to rebuild St. Margaret's but the work is very similar to that of John Ramsey who was master mason to Bishop Salmon of Norwich and the Cathedral Priory and later of even more important work at Ely. It was quite likely that John Ramsey was the designer of St. Margaret's but, because of other commitments, that he entrusted the execution of the work to a master mason who had worked with him and knew his style intimately. Lady Petronilla de Nerford died in 1326 but the date of Lady Maud de Roos's death is uncertain.