HUXLOE HUNDRED 



FINEDON 



the exception of the tower and spire it is all of one 

 date, and is one of the finest examples in the county 

 of a church of this period." The tower and spire 

 were erected about fifty years later, perhaps shortly 

 after the appropriation of the church to Croxton 

 Abbey. The whole building is therefore substantially 

 of one style and it preserves a unity in design which 

 gives it particular distinction. 



The church is built largely of dark local ironstone, 

 but internally a contrast of colour is obtained by the 

 use also of light freestone. All the roofs arc leaded 

 and of low pitch behind battlemented parapets, except 

 those of the chancel, which are plain. Internally the 

 walls are plastered. The vestry was built in 1841 on 

 the site of one long destroyed and the church was 

 extensively restored a few years later. 



The windows are of two main types : those of the 

 chancel and nave and the end window of the south 

 transept have uncusped elongated reticular tracery, 

 while those of the north transept and the side windows 

 of the south transept are composed of three acutely 

 pointed uncusped lights, or gradated lancets, under 

 a single arch, with pierced spandrels. All these 

 windows, with the exception of the east window of 

 the chancel, are of three lights with ogee heads and 

 hood moulds, those in the chancel and transepts 

 being in addition richly moulded and with internal 

 shafted jambs.^* In the nave the jambs have a double 

 hollow chamfer only. 



The chancel is divided into three bays by boldly 

 projecting buttresses, and was planned to carry a 

 vaulted roof. The springing of the ribs remains in 

 the corners, but the vault seems not to have been 

 executed.'^' The five-light east window has un- 

 cusped reticulated tracery similar to that in the other 

 windows, but with a circle in the head, and the 

 double jamb shafts have foliated capitals. In the 

 eastern bay the south window has been blocked, and 

 on the north the wall was covered by a vestry, the 

 doorway to which remains, as well as a piscina and 

 aumbry now within the modern vestry. The two 

 western bays are lighted by windows on each side, 

 the jambshafts of which, except in three instances, 

 have carved capitals. In the usual position in the 

 south wall are a rectangular aumbry, piscina, and 

 triple sedilia, exposed during the restoration,^' the 

 piscina and sedilia forming a single composition of 

 four arches. The inner wall arcades of the sedilia, 

 on triple attached shafts with moulded bases and 

 carved capitals, remain, but the front arcade and 

 canopies have been cut away.^' The priest's door- 

 way, in the middle bay, is blocked, and further west 

 is a large shallow recess, with a pointed arch on clus- 

 tered shafts, probably the rear arch of a low-side 

 window,*" the opening of which no longer is visible 

 on the outside."- The chancel arch is of two moulded 



orders on triple shafts, tlie capitals of which are 

 richly carved with naturalistic foliage. A burial vault 

 vv.is made under the cast end of the chancel about 

 1710.^'- 



Thc nave arcades have arches of two moulded 

 orders on piers composed of four shafts with hollows 

 between and responds of similar character all with 

 moulded capitals and bases and standing on massive 

 square plinths of three courses of masonry.^^ The 

 two eastern piers are increased in diameter from 

 north to south, being planned to receive the spring 

 of transverse arches between the aisles and transepts. 

 Their inner faces differ but slightly from the piers 

 further west, but towards the aisle the soutliern pier 

 is elongated by the addition of three smaller shafts, 

 and its capital is finely carved with naturalistic foliage 

 like that of the chancel arch. The north pier is simi- 

 larly planned, but differs in detail, and the capital 

 has been rebuilt. The transverse arches are of two 

 moulded orders similar to those of the nave arcades, 

 and spring from shafted responds against the aisle 

 walls. 



In course of time, the transverse arches came 

 to exercise strong outward pressure, against which 

 the supporting piers proved inadequate and the 

 expedient of a strainer arch across the nave wa» 

 adopted. The arch appears to be of early 15th cen- 

 tury date, or of the last years of the 14th century, 

 and consists of a moulded segmental pointed lower 

 arch, springing from the capitals of the greater piers, 

 with an upper single-centred segmental inverted 

 arch resting upon it. The spandrels are filled with 

 large traceried circles and elongated quatrefoils, 

 and the inverted arch is richly decorated with a band 

 of pierced quatrefoiled circles between embattled 

 mouldings, the whole producing a very striking and 

 characteristic effect, combining grace with strength. 



The transepts project 16 ft. beyond the aisles and 

 have two windows in the east wall, and one in the 

 end and west waOs. The south transept has coupled 

 buttresses of four stages, but on the north the 

 buttresses are set diagonially, as also those of the 

 porch. There is a rood stair turret north of the 

 chancel arch, the doorway to which from the transept 

 is now blocked, a new one having been made outside ; 

 the turret stair occupies the angle of the transept 

 and chancel, and gives access to the roofs. There is 

 a rectangular aumbry in the east wall of the north 

 transept, but no other ancient ritual arrangements 

 remain west of the chancel. A moulded string runs 

 all round the church at sill level inside. There are 

 eight clearstory windows on each side, of two- 

 lights with ogee heads. 



The north and south doorways are in the second 

 bay from the west, and have continuous mouldings. 

 The porch is vaulted and has an outer doorway of 



** A resemblance between the windowi 

 at the west end of Acton Burnell church, 

 Salop, built by Bishop Burnell before 1290, 

 and those of the transept! at Finedon, hat 

 led to the surmise that the rebuilding of 

 Finedon church may be due to the 

 Bishop's nephew and successor Philip 

 Burnell, and that he may have inherited 

 his uncle's munificence and taste in archi- 

 tecture. G. A. Poole in Cbs. Arcbd. 

 Nortbampi. 141. 



** Except the west window of the south 

 transept, which has moulded jambs only, 



the shafts are of octagonal section and have 

 moulded (or carved) capitals and bases. 



" The plaster has been removed in part 

 from the north and south walls in order 

 to show the line of the wall ribs. 



" On the removal of the painted deal 

 wainscot which lined the whole of the 

 chancel walls. Bridges says there were 

 'long forms on each side adjoining to the 

 wainscot.' There was also a ' high 

 rcrcdo! which concealed more than half 

 the east window ' : Cbi. Arcbd. Norlhampt. 

 140. 



201 



" Probably when the wainscotting wai 

 erected. 



'" An. Arch. Soc. Reps, xxix, 41 1. 



" The external arch had been removed 

 by the rector before the restoration, and 

 used in the stair tuiret of the porch. 



" Bridges, Hut. oj Northanis, ii, 260. 

 First used for the burial of John Dolben, 

 son of the Archbishop of York, who died 

 29 May, 17 10. 



•• The plinths measure 4 ft. by 3 ft. 

 10 in. OD plan. 



