WILLYBROOK HUNDRED 



FOTHERINGHAY 



height and brede that the said quire is of,' and the 

 aisles also are to be of the same height and breadth as 

 the quire aisles, with windows, ' accordyng in all 

 poynts unto the wyndows of the said quire, sawf they 

 shal no bowtels haf at all.' 



Some idea therefore of the appearance of the quire 

 may be gained from the existing nave, for which it 

 served as a model. 



The nave arcades are of five bays in the arches of 

 two moulded orders, 'growndid upon ten' mighty 

 pillars with four respounds,' which have shafts to the 

 inner order and others on the face running up to end 

 in corbels for the jacklegs of the wooden roof. The 

 eastern bay of the nave is blank on both sides, ' two 

 perpeyn walls of free stone clene wroght ... on 

 aither syde of the myddel qwere dore,' and in it are 

 set the monuments of Edward of York and Richard 

 of York, made in 1573 by order of Queen Elizabeth 

 to supply the place of their former monuments, 

 which perished with the quire in which they stood. 

 They have panelled bases, with Corinthian columns 

 in pairs round the upper part of the monuments, 

 which are finished with a frieze and cornice and 

 have strap-work panels of heraldry, the falcon and 

 fetterlock badge being carved on both monuments. 

 The clearstory windows in this bay are of three 

 cinquefoiled lights under a four-centred head, and in 

 all other bays of four lights 'according in all points to 

 the wyndows of the clerestory of the said qwere.' 

 The same arrangement exists in the aisles, the east 

 bays having tracery windows of three cinquefoiled 

 lights, and the other bays four-light windows, includ- 

 ing those at the west ends of the aisles. 



The north doorway, in the sixth bay of the north 

 aisle, has a four-centred arch under a square head. 

 It opens to a large porch, over which is a room with 

 a square-headed north window of five cinquefoiled 

 lights, and a blocked south window of three lights, 

 formerly looking into the church. It contains a piscina, 

 and is approached by a stair on the west, its lower 

 •entrance being in the west bay of the aisle. It continues 

 upwards, being carried over the west end of the aisle to 

 the north-west angle of the tower, and so to the lan- 

 tern stage above. 



At the east end of the south aisle are remains of 

 the abutment of the collegiate buildings, which stood 

 to the south of the church. This is the site of the 

 ■• porch joyning to the dore of the said cloystre ' of 

 the contract. In the east bay is a square-he.ided 

 •doonvay and a three-light window, both set in a 

 :square recess, and on the outside the marks of a two- 

 story building with an east window in the upper 

 :story. On the north side of this bay is a square- 

 headed window of two lights with iron stanchions, in 

 the wall above the monument of Richard of York, and 

 there must have been a gallery or loft over the aisle at 

 this point. In the second bay is a large blocked door- 

 ■way, and over it a small single light. No other 

 remains of the collegiate buildings are to be seen, 

 though their site is clearly shown.' 



The west tower is of three stages, the lowest open 

 to nave and aisles by ' three strong and mighty arches 

 vawthid with stoon,' ' with a large west doorway 

 under a square head with quatrefoils in the spandrels, 

 and above it a window of eight lights with tracery and 

 transoms.' There are clasping buttresses at the 

 angles, which end in the second stage in short octa- 

 gonal embattled turrets, with crocketed spirelets. This 

 st.ige is lighted by large four-light windows with 

 smaller two-light openings below them. At the third 

 stage the tower changes from a square to an octagon 

 with three-light tracery windows in each face, and 

 panelled angle buttresses running up to an embattled 

 parapet, and crowned with pinnacles. The lights of 

 the windows are nearly entirely blocked, only the 

 heads being left open. On the top of the tower is 

 set a flagstaff, with a finial of copper, representing a 

 falcon and fetterlock. The lower stage of the tower 

 has an inserted stone fan-vault, on the north-west 

 springer of which is a date in arabic numerals, 

 A° D° isag*". 



The aisles have tall pinnacled buttresses between 

 each b.ay, and the clearstory has flying buttresses to 

 take the thrust of the nave roof. This is a fine piece 

 of work, with arched and braced principals, em- 

 battled wall plates, and large carved bosses at 

 the junctions of the purlins and principals.* The 

 north aisle has a good roof with moulded tim- 

 bers, the tiebeams being slightly cambered, and heavy 

 braces which rest on slender stone shafts, like those in 

 the nave. The south aisle has a roof of like con- 

 struction but plain detail. 



The pulpit is of the 15 th century, hexagonal, on a 

 slender stem. It is set against a pier of the north 

 arcade, and has a hexagonal fan-vaulted canopy, and a 

 panelled b.ack on which are the arms of Edward IV ' 

 with his supporters, a lion and a bull, and in panels 

 on either side are a bull and a boar. 



A 17th-century canopy has been set over the older 

 one, with arabesques and pendants of acorn shape. 

 The body of the pulpit has a moulded cornice and 

 two tiers of panels, the upper tier being cinquefoiled 

 with carved spandrels, while the lower has a plain 

 linen-pattern. At the angles and between the panels 

 of the upper tier are crocketed pinnacles.' 



The font has an octagonal bowl with quatrefoiled 

 panels, and a panelled shaft with a band of carving at 

 the top. It stands on two steps, under the east arch 

 of the tower. 



The casements of several fine brasses remain, rvvo 

 being within the altar rails (one partly hidden by the 

 monument of Edward of York), two in the middle 

 aisle, and one at the east end of the north aisle. 



The church has only one old piece of silver plate, a 

 paten of 1 6.^.0. There are two cups, a paten, a fl.igon, 

 an alms-dish, and a strainer spoon, all of 1827, and a 

 pewter fl.igon. 



There are four bells and a priest's bell. The 

 treble of 1595, the second of 1614, by Tobie Norris 

 of Stamford, the third, formerly of 1609, re-cast by 



1 Really eight. There are a good 

 ■many variations from the contract in the 

 finished building. 



' For their condition in 1550 see Harl, 

 608, fols. 61*, 67. 



" This suggests that a vault under the 

 tower was part of the original design ; 

 but there is nothing to show whether 

 ihat now existing had a predecessor. 



* * A window rysing in height al so 

 high as the giet arche of the stepiU, and 

 in brede as the body will issue.* 



* It is very insufficiently tied, and the 

 flying buttresses which are set to counter- 

 act its thrust, being by no means the * six 

 mighty arches butting on aither side to 

 the clcre-story' specified In the contract, 

 are in a very shaky condition, and are now 

 (1906} receiving a much-needed repair. 



575 



^ The lis are I and 2, not 2 and i as 

 usual. 



" The beautiful detail of the pulpit 

 makes it all the more to be regretted 

 that nothing else of the ancient fittings 

 has been retained. The stalls in the 

 chancels of Tansor and Hcmington 

 churches came from the quire at Fothcr- 

 inghay. 



