A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



The oldest work in the building is in the north 

 arcade of the nave, c. 1 190—1200. Its three eastern 

 bays probably represent the length of the 1 2th-century 

 nave, which was lengthened westwards in the next 

 century. The north wall of the north aisle is of the 

 14th century, and the late i zth-centur)' aisle was prob- 

 ably n.irrower. At the west of the north chapel is a 

 clustered pier of early I 3th-century date, not designed 

 for its present position, and no features earlier than 

 the I4.th century are to be seen in the chapel. 

 The south walls of the nave and chancel seem to 

 have been entirely rebuilt at the beginning of the 

 14th century, and the west tower was added shortly 

 afterwards. In the 15th century the east bay of 

 the chancel was rebuilt or refaced, and in modern 

 times the north walls of the vestry and chapel have 

 been renewed. 



The roofs are of low pitch, with modem timbers, 

 and there arc plain ashlar parapets, those of the porch 

 being embattled. 



The chancel has an east window of three cinque- 

 foiled lights with quatrefoil tracery under a four- 

 centred head, and the easternmost of the two south 

 windows of the chancel is of similar detail, but smaller, 

 and has engaged shafts in the jambs with embattled 

 capitals. Its sill is carried down to serve as sedilia. 

 These two windows belong to a repair of the 

 east end of the chancel, c. 1450, the lower parts of 

 the walls being of 14th-century date. The second 

 window on the south side, of three cinquefoilcd 

 lights, belongs to the end of the 15th century, 

 and replaces a 14th-century window, part of the 

 head of which remains in the wall east of the present 

 window. 



In the north wall of the chancel is a four-centred 

 doorway to the vestry, and a 14th-century arch of two 

 moulded orders with half-round responds opening to 

 the north chapel. The vestry, which may have been 

 added in the 15th century, has been rebuilt, and has 

 a modern two-light east window, and in its north wall 

 a single trefoilcd light. There are recesses in the west 

 and south walls. 



In the north wall of the north chapel is a square- 

 headed window of three trefoiled ogee lights of 14th- 

 century style, but for the most part of modern 

 masonry. The chapel opens to the north aisle of the 

 nave by a pointed arch of two hollow chamfered 

 orders springing from a corbel on the south, and a 

 pier of four engaged keeled shafts on the north. The 

 latter is clearly not in position, and seems to have 

 formed part of an arcade ; it dates from the early part 

 of the 13th century. 



The chancel arch is of two moulded orders, 

 with shafts to the inner order having embattled 

 capitals like those in the south-east window of the 

 chancel, but the arch mouldings are of 14th-century 

 section. 



The north arcade of the nave has three bays 

 with semicircular arches of two chamfered orders 

 and plain round capitals, with round shafts and 

 moulded bases, and at the west a fourth bay with 

 half-round responds and a pointed arch of two 

 chamfered orders. This bay is of I jth-century date, 

 and points to a lengthening of the nave in the first 

 half of the century. 



The north and west walls of the north aisle appear 



to be of the 14th century, and the width of the aisle 

 is equal to that of the north chapel. The north door- 

 way is of two chamfered orders, the inner order being 

 of new stonework. East of it is a square-headed 

 14th-century window of three trefoiled ogee lights 

 with pierced and cusped spandrels. The west window 

 of the aisle has 15th-century tracery of two trefoiled 

 lights with a quatrefoil in the head. 



The south wall of the nave, rebuilt at the begin- 

 ning of the 14th century, has two windows of 

 this date, one on either side of the south doorway. 

 They are of two trefoiled lights with flowing tracery. 

 The east window in this wall is an insertion of 

 c. 1480 to light the nave altars and the rood. It 

 has three large cinquefoilcd lights under a four- 

 centred head. 



The south doorway is of two continuous moulded 

 orders, and opens to a porch with stone seats on east 

 and west, and a four-centred outer archway. The 

 porch is probably of the 14th century, and its outer 

 archway has been lowered to its present 15th-century 

 shape, the old stones being re-used where they could 

 be adapted to the flatter curve. 



The tower is of three st.ages, ashlar-faced, with very 

 good details, having an octagonal stone spire with two 

 tiers of spirelights, and a ballflowcr cornice at the 

 base. The four belfry windows are large, of two 

 uncusped lights with a lozenge in the head, and filled 

 as high as the springing line with stone slabs pierced 

 with trefoils, quatrefoils, and the like, only part of 

 those in the south window being ancient. 



In the second stage are small lights on north, 

 west, and south, and in the ground stage a west 

 window of geometrical style of two trefoiled lights 

 with a quatrefoil in the head. The tower arch is of 

 two moulded orders, the outer continuous, and 

 the inner having a small filleted shaft and moulded 

 capital. 



There is a vice at the south-west and pairs of 

 buttresses at the western angles. 



In the east wall of the chancel are two embattled 

 image brackets, that on the north side having over it 

 a niche with an ogee head, cinquefoilcd and crocketed. 

 There is also a fine piscina in the east wall of the 

 chancel on the south side, c. 1 340, with a well- 

 moulded pointed arch under a gabled head with 

 carved finial, flanked by shafts with crocketed pin- 

 nacles. In the south wall next the sedilia is a plain 

 15th-century piscina with a four-centred arch. 

 Another piscina ' like that in the east wall of the 

 chancel is to be seen in the east wall of the north 

 chapel, and near it in the south wall of the chapel 

 is a square locker. In the south wall of the nave 

 near the east end is a cinquefoilcd piscina with a 

 gabled head,' and in the north-east angle of the 

 nave are remains of the rood-loft stair. The south 

 porch has in its north-east angle the base of a large 

 octagonal shaft, which may have carried a holy-water 

 stone.' 



The font appears to be of 1 3th-century date, having 

 a plain octagonal bowl on a circular stem, and four 

 engaged shafts with moulded capitals and bases ; it is 

 fitted with a pyramidal oak cover. 



There are no monuments of importance in the 

 church, but an incised slab in the pavement near the 

 south doorway of the nave may be noted. 



1 Not one of these elaborate piscinae 

 appears to be in iicu. 



^ There are two of the same type in 

 the neighbouring church of Ufford, 



462 



^ A somewhat similar 

 exists in Helpston church. 



arrangement 



