HUXLOE HUNDRED 



BARTON SEAGRAVE 



internally 1 8 ft. 8 in. by 19 ft. 6 in., the grc.iter 

 dimension being from north to south, .ind the walls 

 are 3 ft. 10 in. thick. The lower stage is open to the 

 chancel and nave by semi-circular arches of two orders 

 facing west," the inner square and the outer with big 

 edge rolls, billet hood moulds, and jamb shafts with 

 sculptured capitals. In the chancel arch the capital 

 of the south shaft is carved with birds and that on the 

 north with a volute and acanthus. Both shafts of 

 the western arch have volutes and foliage of a more 

 advanced type and a cable soffit to the impost. In 

 the north wall is an inserted pointed doorway and 

 above it a late 13th-century window of two lights with 

 forked mullion and modern cusping. Above this 

 again is an original recessed semi-circular window 

 with moulded arch and jamb shafts similar to that 

 in the chancel, but with star ornament on the imposts : 

 a corresponding window on the south side of the 

 tower is unmoulded. The later bell-chamber win- 

 dows are of two trefoiled lights with a quatrcfoil 

 in the head, and the tower terminates in a restored 

 15th-century battlemented parapet with angle 

 pinnacles. The height to the top of the parapet is 55 ft. 

 The nave measures internally 31 ft. 6 in. by 21 ft. 6 in. 

 In the north and south walls, at a considerable height 

 above the floor, are the remains of two blocked 

 round-headed windows, that on the south side in the 

 spandrel above the pier of the arcade, the arches of 

 which were cut through the old wall. The north 

 doorway has a semicircular arch with roll and hollow 

 moulding and a hood with cable and sunk star decora- 

 tion, on angle shafts with high moulded bases and 

 carved capitals. The tympanum has already been 

 described.'* The capitals have grotesque heads with 

 volutes at the join, and that on the east a cable 

 moulding. The panelled oak door is probably of the 

 l6th century and retains a ring handle. East of the 

 doorway is a late 13th-century window of three lights 

 with intersecting tracery and modern cusping, but 

 the west window dates only from about 1845." The 

 clearstory windows, four on each side, are small 

 trefoiled openings set within curved triangular 

 labels, similar in type to those at Cranford, and possibly 

 as late as c. 1310-20. 



The late 13th-century nave arcade is of two bays 

 with pointed arches of two chamfered orders springing 

 from an octagonal pier and responds with moulded 

 capitals and bases. The single arch cut through the 

 south wall of the tower to the former chapel is of the 

 same period and type, the inner order carried on 

 moulded corbels supported by heads. There are 

 remains of a rood-loft stair in the tower wall at the 

 north-east corner of the chapel,** and a late 13th- 

 century trefoiled piscina has been re-used in the south 

 wall of the new south chancel. All the roofs are 

 modern. 



The late 12th-century font has a plain circular bowl 

 and flat 17th-century cover. 



The pulpit is modern, but some 16th-century linen 

 pattern panelling has been worked up in a prayer desk. 

 There is also some good late l6th or early 17th century 

 oak panelling in the screen forming a vestry on the 

 north side of the tower : from the vestry a circular 

 wooden staircase gives access to the ringing chamber. 

 In the chancel is a brass tablet to Jane Floyde 

 (d. 1616), wife of Hugh Floyde, rector, who is depicted 

 at a prayer desk attended by five children : below the 

 tower is a blue slab with indents of four corner shields 

 and an inscription, but re-used in 1686 for William 

 Henchman, rector.*' The east end of the former aisle 

 was the burial place of the Bridges family : the 

 marble wall monument to John Bridges (d. 1 71 2) and 

 Elizabeth his wife, is now at the west end of the aisle, 

 and in the old nave is a monument to his grandson 

 John, son of William Bridges, who died in 1741 : 

 both have long Latin inscriptions. There is no 

 monument to the historian of the county,*^ but in the 

 floor of the new nave, near the pulpit, is a slab in- 

 scribed ' Johannes Bridges Armiger, obiit 16 Marti 

 An. Dom. 1723/4, aetatis suae 57.' 



There are five bells, the treble by Taylor and Co., 

 of Loughborough 1903, the second by Thomas 

 Newcombe of Leicester (c. 1562-80) with an imperfect 

 inscription, and the others of pre-Reformation date 

 inscribed respectively ' S. Jacobe,' ' Sti Petre o.p.n.,' 

 and ' S. Johanne.'*^ A clock was presented in 1 891 

 by Viscountess Hood. 



The plate consists of a cup, paten and almsdish of 

 1832, each inscribed ' Barton Seagrave 1833,' a 

 flagon of 1868, and a silver christening bowl of 1763 

 with the arms of the see of Rochester, inscribed 

 ' In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. 

 Ecclesia de Barton Segrave in agro Northantoniensi.'** 

 The registers before 1812 are as follows : (i) 

 baptisms 1609-1810, marriages 1609-1750, burials 

 1610-1685, (ii) burials 1678-1812, (iii) marriages 

 1754-1809, (iv) marriages 1811-12. There are church- 

 wardens' accounts 1 743-1 836, and overseers' and 

 constables' accounts 1728-1797. 



The advowson of the church 

 ADVOWSON of Barton Seagrave was granted by 

 Geoffrey de Clinton to the Priory 

 of Kenilworth, which he founded about 1 1 22.*-' In 

 the early 13th century Richard de Hanred unsuccess- 

 fully claimed the advowson.*' The priory held the 

 advowson at the Dissolution and a yearly pension of 

 £z was paid to it from the rectory.*' 



In 1543, the advowson and pension were granted to 

 Edward Humphrey, a younger son of Richard 

 Humphrey, the lord of the manors of Barton Seagrave 

 and Hanred (q. v.)** William Humphrey, his brother, 

 held them on a lease at the time of Edward's death and 

 they seem to have passed into his ownership, as 

 John Humphrey, an elder brother, predeceased tlicir 

 father.*' Before 1629, however, they seem to have 

 been alienated, since Sir John Lambe presented in 



" On the ca»t lide the archci have a 

 ■ingle iquare order only. 



" y.C.H. Nortbanti. ii, 196. See alio 

 Kcfter'i Norm. Tympana, fig. 67. 



'• Churchfi Archd. Nor' Ion (1849), 150, 

 where the window ii itated to have been 

 inserted ' a few yean ago.' 



•* Now the new chancel. In iti original 

 form the chapel wai divided from the aitlc 

 b^ a wall and arch. The piicina belonged 

 to the chapel altar. 



'' It is Eaid to have been the tombstone 

 of one of the Seagrave family : Bridges, 

 //irr. of Northantt. ii, 220. 



•' The monumental inscription printed 

 on p. vi of the Preface to Bridges' Iliiiory 

 is not in the church. 



" North, Cb. Bells of Norlbanli. 190. 



'* Marlcham, Cb. Plate of Norlbanli. 29. 



" Cat. Cbari. R. iii, 276-7 ; Dugdale, 

 Mon. Angl. vi, 220-1. 



179 



" I'eet of F. Northanti. 14 Hen. Ill, case 

 172, file 23, no. 245 ; Rot. Hug. de Ifillei 

 (Cant, and York Soc), ii, 157. 



" Cal. Pal. 1345-8, p. 292; Dugdale, 

 Afon. .^ngl. vi, 222. 



"« L. &■ P. Hen. Fin, xviii, i, g. 981, 

 no. 62. 



*• Wards and Liv. Inq. p.m. (Set. ii) vi, 

 41 ; L. S- P. Hen. fill, xi«, ii, g. 527 

 (48); Feet of F. Northanti. IVIich. 36 

 Hen. VIH. 



