A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



three moulded orders, the two inner springing from 

 attached shafts with moulded capitals and bases. 

 The chamber over measures internally 1 1 ft. 3 in. 

 by 9 ft. 6 in., and is lighted on the south by a tran- 

 somed window of two trefoiled lights with quatrefoil 

 in the head, and there was also a window, now blocked, 

 at the north end opening to the church. The original 

 stairway from the aisle is blocked, access to the cham- 

 ber being by an external stair turret at the north-east 

 corner, added in 1794,^ the doorway to which, as 

 already stated, was removed from the chancel and 

 placed here about 1841. The porch chamber contains 

 a collection of about a thousand books given to the 

 church in 1788 by Sir John Dolben.^ 



The tower is of four stages, with moulded plinth 

 and coupled buttresses well set back from the angles 

 and finishes with a battlemented parapet, the height 

 to the top of which is 76 ft. There is a vice in the 

 north-west corner. The tower was built clear of 

 the church and afterwards joined up to the nave, 

 the length of which was thus extended by about 5 ft. 

 The west doorway has continuous mouldings and 

 ogee crocketed hoodmould, flanked by pinnacles, 

 and above it is a three-light window with reticulated 

 tracery. The two lower stages are blank on the north 

 and south sides, but in the third stage is a window 

 of two trefoiled lights with quatrefoil in the head, 

 breaking an ornamental panelled band composed 

 of trefoiled triangles arranged alternately with the 

 base and apex uppermost. The bell-chamber stage 

 is slightly recessed, the angles of the tower above 

 the buttresses forming plain pilasters. The lofty 

 double windows are of two trefoiled lights with a 

 quatrefoil in the head and have separate hoods ; above 

 them is a row of quatrefoils, and an elaborate trefoiled 

 corbel table supporting the parapet. The spire is 

 133 ft. high above the ground, and has ribbed angles 

 and two sets of lights on each of the cardinal faces. 

 It was rebuilt in 1897. The tower arch is of two 

 chamfered orders which die into the wall. 



The 12th-century sculptured font has already been 

 described.^' 



Before the restoration in 1848, the nave and aisles 

 were filled with oak seats of late 15th or early l6th 

 century date, with tracery panelled ends and original 

 doors of the same character. A number of these 

 still remain, but all the doors have disappeared. 



The organ is in a west gallery ; it was originally 

 built for tiiis position by Christopher Shrider at 

 the cost of Dr. Dolben in 1717, and the handsome case 

 remains unaltered. 



The lower part of a stone chancel screen remains, 

 but it was so extensively restored in 1858 as to be 

 practically of that date. The upper or ' ornamental 

 portion ' was destroyed in 1848.'" 



Painted on the plaster of the north wall of the 



tower is the name ' William Clifton clarke and sixston 

 1686,' and six other names. 



There are eight bells, two trebles having been added 

 in 1897 to a former ring of six ; five of these were 

 recast by Gillett and Johnson, of Croydon, in 191 3. 

 The tenor is by Taylor and Co., of Loughborough, 

 1875.38 



The plate consists of a silver-gilt cup, cover paten, 

 flagon and breadholder of 1683. There are also a 

 mother of pearl christening bowl and alms-dish pre- 

 sented by Sir John English Dolben, bart. ; the sides 

 of the bowl are formed of curved sections riveted 

 together and enclosed by a metal rim, and the dish 

 is of the same character. Both appear to be of foreign 

 workmanship.^' 



The registers before 1812 are as follows : (i) 

 baptisms (November) 1538-1708, marriages (May) 

 1539-1705, burials (November) 1538-1678; (ii) bap- 

 tisms and marriages 1695-1728, burials 1678-1728; 

 (iii) baptisms 1729-1785, marriages 1729-1753; 

 burials 1729-1784; (iv) marriages 1754-1812; (v) 

 baptisms and burials 1785-1812. 



There are churchwardens' accounts 1653-82, 

 1732-84, and 1825-32. 



A lychgate was erected in 1888. 



The advowson of the church of 

 ADVOWSON Finedon was apparently held by 

 the king^" until 1 241, when it was 

 granted with the manor to William de Forz and 

 his wife Christina.*' It passed to John de Burgh, 

 who presented to the rectory in 1262,''- but after his 

 death his daughters and their husbands exchanged 

 it in 1280 with the king for lands in Somerset.*'' In 

 1339, Edward III granted it to the Abbey of St. 

 Michael at Antwerp, in consideration of the long 

 residence of the king and queen and the birth of the 

 king's son Lionel there. '^ In 1346 the abbot obtained 

 licence to assign the advowson in frankalmoin to 

 the Abbey of Croxton, which, like Antwerp, belonged 

 to the Premonstratensian order.''^ 



Leave to institute a vicarage was obtained from 

 Pope Clement VI in 1347, 15 marks a year being 

 assigned to the vicar.'* 



After the dissolution of Croxton Abbey, the rectory 

 and advowson of the vicarage were held by the lord 

 of the manor of Thingdcn and Burton Latimer (q.v.), 

 till after 1805.*' In 1810 the advowson of the 

 vicarage was in the possession of Samuel W. Paul** 

 and in 1874 of the Rev. George Woodfield PjuI. 

 It was purchased about 1895 by Miss Mackworth 

 Dolben from Canon Paul and presented by her to 

 the Bishop of Peterborough, who is now patron of the 

 living.** 



A chantry was founded by William Aston, but no 

 date is recorded, for a priest to sing mass in the church 

 of Thingdcn. He received a pension of 7 marks a 



•* The date it cut on a itone iniidc the 

 itaircaie. 



•* It includn a copy of the great Bible 

 printed in 1541 by Edward Whitchurch. 



•• y.C.II. Northanti. ii, 194. 



^ Cbt. Arch. Sortbampt. (1S49), 139. 

 The upper portion ii ihown in the view 

 of Che interior of the church. 



"The old tenor wat dated 1613. 

 The five belli recast in 1913 dated from 

 1815. North, Ch. Belli cf Norlhanli. 270. 



'• Markham, Cb. Plan of Nonbantt. 

 115. 



*" Rot. Chart. (Rec. Com), p. 192*; 

 Rot. Lilt. Pat. i, p. 103 ; Cal. Pal. 

 1216-25, p. 29; Rot. Roht. Groisrtestt 

 (Cant, and York Soc), 221. 



" Cal. Chart.R.i,p.i6i. 



" Rot. Rtc. Gravetend (Cant, and York 

 Soc), loi. 



*• Feet of F. Dlv. Coi. Trin. 9 Edw. I ; 

 Cal. Pal. 1292-1301, p. 234; 1317-21, 



P-79; HJUmo, P- 117- 

 " Ibid. 133S-40, pp. 313, 404. 

 "Cal. Pal. 1345-48, p. 157 J Valor 



F.ccl. (Rec. Com.)iv, p. 311. 



202 



•• Cal. Papal Pelitioni, 1 342-1419, 

 p. 128 ; Cal. Pat. 1350-54, p. 18. 



" /.. and P. Urn. till, xiv, pt. i, 

 g. 651 (43); Feet of F. North.mis. Ilil. 

 I and 2 Ph. and Mary ; ibid. Trin. 1 and 2 

 Ph. and Mary; ibid. Eait. 3 Eliz. ; 

 ibid. Mich. 6 and 7 Eliz. \ ibid. Ilil. 

 1659; ibid. Mich. 3 Jai. II; Initit. 

 Bk«. (P.R.O.) 1615, 1684, 1688, 1757, 

 1785; Priv./lctofParl.^^ Go. III,c. 44. 



♦« Inntit. Bki. (P.R.O.) 1810. 



♦• Whellan, //»(. 0/ Norlhanli. 1874, p. 

 752 ; inf. from Rev. A. C. Bagthaw. 



