NAVISFORD HUNDRED 



TITCHMARSH 



arch re-used, and in all probability a 12th century 

 church stood on the site consisting of an aislcless 

 nave and chancel. The first extension was probably 

 made by the Lovel family, in 1250, by adding an aisle 

 on the north side and by lengthening the cliancel to 

 its present extent. The chapel is also of the same 

 period and seems to have been part of the original 

 re-building. .'\ south aisle was added, or a former one 

 rebuilt, early in the 14th century, and a little later 

 the north aisle was rebuilt in its present form and 

 the transept added. The tower, clearstory and porch 

 were additions of the 15th century, at whicli period 

 new windows were inserted in the chancel, aisles, 

 and chapel, the building then assuming its present 

 appearance. Tliere were restorations in 1840-3 and in 

 1866, and in 1926 a chancel screen and new pulpit 

 were erected. Tlie tower, which is about loo ft. higli, 

 has lately been repaired. 



The tower is faced with wrought Weldon stone, but 

 the rest of the building is of rubble with wrought 

 stone buttresses and dressings. The parapets of 

 the chancel and clearstory are battlemented, but else- 

 where plain, and the roofs, which are modern, are of 

 low pitch, leaded. The porch has a chamber over, at 

 one time used as the pew or ' gallery ' of the Pickering 

 family,'^ and said to have been connected by an over- 

 head passage with the manor-house, which then stood 

 immediately to the south of the church. The 

 chamber is now inaccessible, the openings having 

 long been blocked : the chimney from the fireplace 

 remains on the west side. 



The walls of the chancel and the arcade opening to 

 the chapel '* on its north side are of 13th century date 

 and the walls of the chapel are probably contemporary, 

 but with one exception aU the windows are 15th 

 century insertions. The four-centered east window 

 is of five lights with perpendicular tracery, and in the 

 south side are three windows of similar type but of 

 three lights. The pointed 13th century priest's 

 doorway has a plain continuous chamfer ; the rear- 

 arch already referred to is ornamented with chevrons. 

 The piscina is original, with trefoiled head and stone 

 shelf above the bowl, but the sedilia are formed in the 

 sill of the easternmost window at two levels. Below 

 the westernmost window is a blocked rectangular 

 low-side opening, and in the north wall at the east 

 end is a restored recess similar to that of the piscina. 

 West of this a low pointed 13th century doorway, 

 now blocked, led to what appears to have been a 

 priest's room, or sacristy, the lean-to roof of which was 

 below the sill of the late 1 3th century two-light window 

 with forked mullion at the east end of the north wall 

 of the chancel. The greater length of this wall is 

 open to the chapel by an arcade of two arches springing 

 from a cylindrical pier and half-round responds, all 

 with moulded capitals and bases, the nail-head 

 occurring in the former. The lofty chancel arch was 

 rebuilt in the 15th century, but the north jamb to a 

 height of about 7 ft. is original.*''* 



The chapel had originally an east window of two 



lights, which was refashioned in the 15th century 

 into one of four lights, using the old hood-mould, the 

 jambs re-used for the wider opening and the sill 

 lowered : it has external shafted jambs with delicately 

 carved capitals at its original 13th century springing. 

 A three-liglit window in the north wall has been 

 blocked. The original piscina in the south-east 

 corner was cut through in the 14th century to form a 

 squint from the chapel ; the openings on either side 

 have cusped heads and moulded jambs. The chapel 

 is open to the north aisle of the nave by a 13th century 

 arch. 



The north arcade of the nave has arches springing 

 from cylindrical piers and half-round responds, all 

 with moulded bases and capitals, in the latter of which 

 the nail-head occurs. The 14th century south arcade 

 is generally of the same character, the piers having 

 moulded bases, but the capitals have boldly carved 

 upturned leaf ornament, and the mouldings are later 

 in character and without the nail-head. 



The moulded north doorway belongs to the 14th 

 century rebuilding of the aisle, but has been restored : 

 west of it is a restored window with intersecting 

 tracery, and in the west wall a square-headed window 

 of two trefoiled lights. The other window and that in 

 the transept are 15th century insertions. In the 

 south aisle all the windows are 15th century insertions 

 with four-centered heads, cinquefoiled lights and 

 perpendicular tracery, similar in type to those of the 

 clearstory, of which there are five on each side. 



In the south aisle, between the two easternmost 

 windows, is a 14th century tomb recess ** with pointed 

 arch of two hollowed orders, containing a 13th century 

 grave slab with floriated cross. The south doorway 

 is a modern restoration. A scroll string runs round 

 the south aisle externally, and the buttresses are of 

 an early type with gabled heads. 



The magnificent west tower is of a type uncommon 

 in the county, being rather akin to the towers of 

 Somersetshire. It is of four stages, with open para- 

 pets and lofty angle and intermediate pinnacles. The 

 two lower stages are blank on the north and south 

 but in the third stage is a pointed two-light window 

 with transom at half-height, and the double bell- 

 chamber windows** are of the same type, the thick 

 dividing mullion between them being carried up the 

 face of the wall to form the intermediate pinnacle. 

 Ornament is chiefly concentrated in the ground 

 story and upper stage, there being a triple band of 

 quatrefoils in circles above the moulded plinth, and on 

 either side of the west doorway a pointed niche with 

 straight-sided crocketted hood-mould. There are 

 also canopied niches in the second and third stages on 

 the west side, all the niches being filled with modern 

 statues. The moulded arch of the doorway, which has 

 an ogee crocketted label, is set within a rectangular 

 frame, the spandrels of which are filled with blank 

 shields in quatrefoils. The vice is in the south-west 

 angle and is lighted by quatrefoil openings. The 

 four-centered west window is of three cinquefoiled 



" Bridget, Hut. Norlhants. ii, 385. 



'* Possibly the chapel of St. James 

 mentioned in wilts of 1521. Ex inf. 

 Canon Luckock. Now used as an organ 

 chamber. 



'** One of the stones at the base was 

 part of a Norman capital inverted. Ex 

 inf. Canon Luckock. 



*^ The recess was opened out in the 

 restoration of 1866. Possibly it was the 

 tomb of one of the Lovcls who probably 

 rebuilt the church. 



*• The windows are now filled with 

 open brickwork set diagonally ; the 

 windows in the third stage are similarly 

 treated on the north and aouth ; oa the 



H7 



east and west they are blocked. On the 

 south side of the tower is a painted sun- 

 dial dated 1798, the gnomon gone, and 

 lower down the disused clock face made 

 by George Eayre in 1745. The present 

 clock with quarter chimes was installed 

 in 1886. 



