A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



piscina with fluted bowl and inner trefoil arch on 

 plain corbels. The other windows are later and of 

 two cinquefoiled lights. Both doorways have con- 

 tinuous moulded head and jambs, and there is a 

 pseudo-Gothic plaster ribbed ceiling to the porch. 

 At the west end of the south aisle is a stone wall- 

 bench. The clearstory windows are square-headed 

 and of two trefoiled lights. 



The tower is of three stages with later diagonal 

 angle buttresses and new tiled roof. On the north 

 side in the lower stage is a waU arcade of three arches, 

 the outer semi-circular, the middle one pointed, 

 springing from shafts and responds with moulded 

 bases and capitals with conventional foliage. The 

 west window is a single lancet (restored) and in the 



Wadenhoe Church Font 



stage above is a small blocked round-headed opening. 

 There is also a small lancet on the south side in the 

 middle stage. The bell-chamber windows vary, those 

 on the east and west being of two round-headed lights 

 within a semi-circular enclosing arch, the tympanum 

 pierced with a small vesica-shaped opening ;••* on tlie 

 south two lancets ; and on the north a restored late 

 14th-century square-headed window of two lights. 

 There is a vice in the north-west angle. The 13th 



century arch to the nave is of two chamfered orders, 

 the inner resting on half-octagonal responds with 

 moulded capitals and bases. 



The beautiful 13th century font consists of a cir- 

 cular bowl moulded round the lower edge and orna- 

 mented at the top with lunettes of foliage, below each 

 joint of which are rosettes, dogtooth and masks in 

 relief set vertically on the face of the cylinder. The 

 font has been reset on an octagonal stone step. 



The early iSth century oak pulpit was re-arranged 

 at the restoration. The seating is modern, but in 

 the aisles are some carved and traceried bench ends, 

 perhaps of l6th century date. There is a brass plate 

 in the floor of the nave to John Andrewe (d. 1629), 

 and in the chancel a mural monument to Brooke 

 Bridges (d. 1702). 



There are three bells in the tower, the first cast 

 by Tobie Norris, of Stamford, in 1603 ; the second 

 a mediaeval bell inscribed 'Ave Maria gratia plena 

 Dominus tecum'; the tenor dated 1607. The 

 tenor alone is rung, the others being cracked.*' 



The plate consists of a silver cup and cover 

 paten of 1755, a flagon of 1776, and a silver dish 

 with the mark of Jacques Cottin, of Paris, r. 1726, 

 inscribed ' To the Pious Memory of ye Revd. Mr. 

 Nat. Bridges who was 33 years Rectr. of this 

 Church 1747.'" 



The registers before 1812 are as follows : (i) all 

 entries 1559-1648, and births 1654-81 ; (ii) bap- 

 tisms 1695-1812, marriages 1695-1754, burials 

 1683-1812; (iii) marriages 1754-1812. The second 

 volume contains entries of penances between 1719 

 and 1763. 



There are some good 17th century tombs and 

 headstones in the churchyard, and on one of the 

 buttresses on the south side are three scratch dials. *^ 

 The advowson of the rectory 

 ADVOWSON of Wadenhoe has been held with 

 the manor throughout its his- 

 tory.*' The first recorded presentation was made 

 by Henry de Vere in 1227.*'' In 1307 the King 

 granted licence to Henry, Earl of Lincoln, to 

 alienate in mortmain the advowson of the church 

 in substitution for that of Wivelingham, which he 

 had granted to the scholars of a newly-founded 

 house in the University of Oxford.** It does not 

 appear, however, that the licence was ever used. 

 The benefice was in 1925 united to Pilton {q.v.). 

 A pension of 10/. a year was payable in 1 291 from the 

 rectory of Wadenhoe to the Prior of Colne, Essex.*^ 

 The grant was probably made by one of the Veres. 



Francis Hilditch gave ^^30 to the poor 

 CUARIT7' and this sum was invested in 1789 in 

 j^39 8j. %d. Consols now with the 

 Official Trustees of Charitable Funds and producing 

 19;. 9,d. annually in dividends. The income is 

 applied by the Rector to the widows of Wadenhoe. 



*• The cast window has a circular mid- 

 shaft with rough cushion capital, the other 

 a plain mullion. The confusion of detail 

 may he due to the ' rebuilding ' mentioned 

 by Bridges (see above). 



*• 'f'herc arc mural tablets in the north 

 aisle to Thomas Welch Hunt and his 

 wife, ' both cruelly shot by banditti, near 

 Paestum, in Italy,' Dec. 3, 1824, and to 

 Mary Caroline Hunt, lady of the manor 

 (d. 1847) : she contributed largely to the 

 repair of the church in 1844 ; in the south 



aisle is a brass plate to Admir,il Sir 

 M;chacl Culmc Seymour (d. 192c). 



'» North, Ch. Bells of Nonhanls. 425, 

 where the inscriptions are given. The 

 treble is Tobie Norris's earliest bell in the 

 county. 



" Markham, Ch.Plair of Norihants, 293. 



^' One perfect, and traces of two others. 



'• Koi. Hug. dr Hrlln (Cant, and York 

 Soc), ii, 127, 239; Rot. Rah. Gnaetesle 

 (Cant, and York Soc), 168, 212 ; Rot. kic. 

 Gravettnd (Cant, and York Soc), 1 00, 1 2 1 i 



152 



Feet of F. Div. Cof. Mil. 12 Edw. Ill; 

 Trin. 24 Hen. VII! ; Northants. Hil. 35 

 Hen. VIII; Trin. 19 Chas. II; Mich. 

 35 Chas. II ; Chan. Inq. p.m. 27 Hen. VI, 

 no. 29 ; ibid. (Ser. ii), ccclxxvi, 94 ; 

 Pat. R. 5 Edw. VI, pt. 3 ; Instit. Bki. 

 (P.R.O.), 1641, 1670, 1674, 1747, 1783, 

 1792. 



" Rot. Hug. de Wellrs (Cant, and Yoik 

 Soc), ii, 127. 



" Col. Pat. 1307-13, p. II. 



•• Popt Ntch. Tax (Rec. Com.), 39*. 



