A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



FossFBROOK. Azure a 

 salttre between four cinq' 

 foils argent. 



a year 

 CHURCH 



Maidwell, Arthur Bold and Jolin Bland." In 1654, 

 Arthur and John Bland sold it to Henry Hudson," 

 who resold it in 1657 to Bernard Walcott.*^ In 1700, 

 his grandson William, son of another Bernard W'alcott, 

 sold it to Sir James Robinson, bart.,^* who later 

 purchased Daundclyn's manor (q.v.). 



The Earls of Gloucester claimed various privileges 

 in connection with their holding in Cranford, which 

 they presumably obtained after the forfeiture of the 

 Bishop of Coutances, but they 

 held more than the virgate as- 

 signed to the bishop in 1086.*' 

 Both the Daundelyns''* and 

 Fossebrooks*^ held land of the 

 honour of Gloucester. The 

 earls had a view of frank- 

 pledge, court leet, assize of 

 bread and ale, pillory, tumbril, 

 infangthief and outfangrhief, 

 chattels of felons and fugitives, 

 waifs and strays, and the re- 

 turn and execution of all writs, 

 summons and orders of the 



king, for their Cranford lands.^" A mill belonged to 

 Godric's land in Cranford in 1086. It then paid 2s. 



. 61 



The church of ST. ANDREW stands 

 within the park of Cranford Hall, a 

 short distance south-west of the house, 

 and consists of chancel 24 ft. 6 in. by 13 ft., north and 

 south chapels, each 8 ft. 6 in. wide, clearstoried nave 

 of three bays 38 ft. 6 in. by 16 ft. 3 in., north aisle 

 8 ft. wide, north transept, south porch and west 

 tower 9 ft. 6 in. square, all these measurements being 

 internal. The width across the nave and aisle is 

 26 ft. 10 in. The transept was added in 1847 at the 

 eastern end of the north wall, and measures internally 

 II ft. 8 in. square.*- 



The building generally is of rubble, with low- 

 pitched leaded roofs. A former external coat of 

 plaster is now rapidly peeling away. There are 

 plain parapets to the nave, aisle and chapcl.% but the 

 chancel and porch are battlemented. The chapels 

 cover the chancel its full length, the walls being flush 

 at the east end. 



The earliest part of the building is the nave arcade, 

 which is of late 12th-century date, and consists of three 

 round arches of two square orders springing from 

 cylindrical piers with plain circular capitals and roll 

 bases, and at either end from corbels. In the 13th 

 century the church appears to have been largely 

 reconstructed, the tower being then erected, the 

 nave probably rebuilt,''^ and a north chapel first 

 added. The 13th-century arch between the aisle 

 and chapel is of two chamfered orders on half-round 

 responds, with moulded capitals and bases, but the 

 chapel itself retains no original architectural features. 

 The tower consists of a lofty lower stage with coupled 

 buttresses of small projection and a bell-chamber 

 story which has been heightened at some later 



period by the addition of plain masonry above the 

 windows, and an embattled parapet. The 13th- 

 century west doorway is of two moulded orders on 

 noo'' shafts with moulded capitals, but the bases are 

 gone, and the outer order is disfigured with plaster. 

 Above is a single wide lancet, and there is another 

 lancet on the south side high up in the lower stage, 

 the north side being blank. The bell-chamber 

 windows are c. 1 280, of two trefoiled lights and cusped 

 circle in the head, except on the west side, where 

 there is simple trefoiled tracery above the lights and 

 a plain circle. The arch to the nave is a beautiful 

 piece of 13th-century work of four^'' chamfered orders, 

 the first or innermost springing from triple shafts 

 with moulded capitals and bases, the second and 

 outer continuous, while the third terminates with 

 tall 'extinguisher' stops above slender angle shafts 

 with moulded capitals and bases.^ 



In the first half of the 14th century the church 

 underwent a very extensive alteration, amounting 

 almost to a rebuilding, the clearstory and porch being 

 then added and new windows inserted. The aisle 

 may have been rebuilt at this time, but the south 

 wall, at any rate up to sill level, was retained. Further 

 alterations took place in the 15th century, when the 

 south chapel was added, and the chancel and north 

 chapel assumed their present aspect. The south 

 chapel was largely refaced with ashlar in 1674.** 



The chancel has a four-centred east window of 

 three cinquefoiled lights, with vertical tracery, and 

 is open to the chapels by arches of two chamfered 

 orders, that on the south carried on corbels, the 

 other dying out. The piscina, reredos, and all the 

 fittings are modern : a screen was erected in 1893. 

 The 14th-century chancel arch is of two chamfered 

 orders, the inner springing from half-octagonal 

 responds with moulded capitals and bases. The 

 rood-loft stair remains on the north side, at the end 

 of the aisle, the steps ascending from the east in 

 front of the 13th-century arch to the chapel : the loft 

 doorway is blocked and covered with plaster. 



The north chapel is now used as a vestry and orgar. 

 chamber and is lighted by I5th-rcntury windows, 

 but both windows ot the south chapel are modern. 

 The aisle retains a 14th-century square-headed two- 

 light window, but its doorway has been transferred 

 to the transept : another window of the aisle is a 

 15th-century insertion. Both windows in the nave 

 are 14th century, that west of the porch square- 

 headed and of two trefoiled lights, the other a pointed 

 three-light window with curvilinear tracery : the 

 clearstory windows, four on each side, are trefoiled 

 openings similar to those at Barton Seagrave, within 

 curved triangular labels. There is a 14th-century 

 trefoiled piscina in the south wall of the nave, west 

 of the screen, but the south doorway is a I5tli-century 

 insertion with four-centred head. The porch has 

 a continuous moulded outer arch and small windows 

 of two trefoiled lights on each side. 



The font is ancient and consists of a plain octagonal 



" Sorihonli N. and Q. (New Scr.), il, 

 14-15; I'lct of F. Nnrllianli. Mich. 

 1; Cl>]i. I ; ibid. Mil. 22 Chat I. 



"Ibid. Mich. 1654. 



'"' Nolciof Finci, Northanti, Trin. ilj;/. 



" Feet of F. Northanti. Mich. 1 1 

 Will. III. 



«' I'C.II. S'erlhnnll. i, Jllfl. 



" i.'j/. Close 1354-60, p. 4;3. 



*• Ch.irt. In(^. p.m. 4 llcii. IV, no. 41. 



'» flac. de Quo If'arr. (Rcc. Com.), 571 ; 

 Cal. Pal. 1401-5, 341). 



" y.C.U. Nonhanli. i, J17A. 



" It wa> erected by the Rev. Sir OorRe 

 Robiiiion, b.irt., rector, at a kind of * hall 

 prw,' with futernil entrance. 



188 



**A kecI-B)t.ipfd BtriiiK at lilt level (»n 

 tlir south nidc is -ill the architect urat 

 cvidrticc that mirvivcs. 



'^' Three orJcn facing west. 



^'•^ The :ircli was opened out. ahiiut 1847 

 by the removal of a wc^t gallery. 



''" The date is on the south wall over 

 the dnnrway. 



