A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



clerestory windows of two cinquefoiled lights, but on 

 the north the wall is solid. The roof and parapets are 

 modern. 



The lower part of a 14th-century oak rood-screen 

 remains below the chancel arch, with solid tracery 

 panels and moulded rail:' the screen crossed the south 

 aisle, and the lower steps of the stairway to the loft 

 remain, uncased, in the sill of the window in the outer 

 lateral wall. 



The chapel of St. Peter still retains some of its 13th- 

 century walling and a good south doorway of that 

 period of two chamfered orders, the outer on shafts with 

 foliated capitals and moulded bases. The north jamb of 

 an original window remains at the east end, and in the 

 south wall, between the later windows, are the jambs 

 of another window^ now blocked and covered by a 

 buttress. The inserted windows are of three lights, that 

 at the east end with segmental head, double transoms, 

 and vertical tracery, both tiers of lights being cinque- 

 foiled: the two windows in the south wall east of the 

 doorway are four-centred,^ with simple tracery and 

 without transoms, and farther west is a tall square- 

 headed two-light window without tracery or hood- 

 mould.'' In the east wall, south of the former altar, is an 

 elaborate piscina with trefoiled head, crocketed label 

 and finial, and bowl with twelve flutings. The east end 

 of the chapel is now partitioned off as a vestry: the 

 organ in the western part. The roof is modern. 



The south arcade of the nave consists of five and a 

 half bays with arches of two chamfered orders without 

 hood-moulds on octagonal piers with moulded capitals 

 and bases. Reference has already been made to the 

 compound pier between the first and second full bays 

 from the east, the core of which belongs to the 12th- 

 century fabric, and to the 13th-century west respond 

 which, like that of the north arcade, is half-round in 

 section. The capitals of the piers vary considerably in 

 detail and in the three western arches the voussoirs are 

 alternately of ironstone and freestone: elsewhere free- 

 stone alone is used. 



The more regularly spaced north arcade has oc- 

 tagonal piers and arches similar in type to those opposite 

 but with hood-moulds, and the piers are less in diameter' 

 with capitals all of one pattern: the eastern respond 

 follows the section of the piers. 



The 13th-century south doorway is of two cham- 

 fered orders, the outer on shafts with moulded capitals 

 and bases and the inner continued down the jambs 

 below moulded imposts. The large three-light west 

 window of the south aisle is a modern reconstruction,* 

 but may reproduce one of 15th-century date: in the 

 south wall are four two-centred three-light windows of 

 this period with tracery of a different type. The porch 

 (10 ft. 4 in. by 1 1 ft. 3 in.) has a 13th-century outer 

 doorway of three chamfered orders on triple shafts with 

 moulded capitals and bases: it was refaced and altered 

 when the chamber was added in the 1 5th century, and 

 has diagonal angle buttresses and four-centred side- 

 windows of two trefoiled lights, and a similar window 



over the doorway lighting the chamber. The 13th- 

 century porch was vaulted, but only the angle-shafts and 

 the lines of the wall-ribs remain: the shafts have 

 moulded capitals and bases, and behind those at the 

 north end is a line of dog-tooth ornament. The 15th- 

 century oak ceiling has moulded beams, and access to 

 the chamber is by a stairway in the thickness of the west 

 wall, entered from the aisle by a four-centred doorway. 

 The embattled parapet was renewed in igoo. On the 

 south-west buttress is a scratch dial. 



The 13th-century north doorway is of two cham- 

 fered orders, the outer on shafts with moulded capitals 

 and bases, the capitals, like those to the south doorway, 

 having plain bells: the label has headstops. Except for 

 the doorway, the north aisle is of the 14th century, with 

 a large inserted four-light window at the west having 

 restored vertical tracery. The other windows are all of 

 three cinquefoiled lights with excellent geometrical 

 tracery,' and there is a moulded string at sill level 

 breaking round the two-stage buttresses. At the east end 

 of the aisle in the usual position' is a piscina recess with 

 mutilated fluted bowl. 



The nave clerestory has on each side seven four- 

 centred windows of two trefoiled lights with pierced 

 spandrels, and a plain string-course at sill level within. 

 The nave and south aisle retain their late- 1 4th- or 

 early- 1 5th-century low-pitched oak roofs, with moulded 

 principals, curved struts, and wall-pieces resting on 

 octagonal wooden shafts with moulded capitals and 

 bases, supported by corbels; the traceried spandrels are 

 considerably restored. The roof of the north aisle is of 

 the same period but plainer, the wall-shafts being 

 omitted. 



The beautiful west tower is of four stages, with 

 moulded plinth, coupled buttresses set well back from 

 the angles, and shallow porch covering the west door- 

 way, as at Higham Ferrers. On the north and south 

 sides the short bottom stage is quite plain and the two 

 middle stages are arcaded, but the west front is more 

 elaborately treated. The bell-chamber windows are the 

 same on all four sides and the tower terminates with a 

 corbel table of notch-heads from which the spire rises. 

 The vice is in the south-west angle. 



The west porch has a richly moulded outer arch on 

 triple nook-shafts with moulded capitals and bases, the 

 outer order dying out into square jambs and the hood- 

 mould terminating in notch-heads. On each side, 

 between the porch and the corner buttresses, is a 

 moulded wall arch of two orders, the outer being two- 

 centred and the inner of trefoil form ornamented with 

 dog-tooth, springing from foliated corbels. The inner 

 doorway is of four moulded orders and label, the outer 

 order carried on plain corbels and the others on triple 

 shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The porch is 

 shallower than that at Higham Ferrers and its narrow' 

 pointed barrel vault is quite plain: there is a stone bench 

 on each side. 



Above the porch is an arcade of four arches, the two 

 middle ones of two chamfered orders and the outer with 



thus blocked and on the west was plastered 

 flush with the east wall of the nave, the 

 upper half of the hood-mould (now again 

 complete owing to restoration) being cut 

 away to make a smooth unbroken surface 

 for the rood-group. These alterations took 

 place in the latter half of the l 5th century: 

 Arch, yourn. Ixix, 477. The rood is 

 referred to below. 



' Portions of the 14th-century rood- 



screen are preserved in a glazed case in the 

 vestry, 



^ At sill level is part of a keel-shaped 

 string. 



3 The hood-mould of the easternmost 

 window has grotesque stops. 



** It may be a 13th-century window 

 heightened. 



5 The piers of the south arcade are 

 25 in. diam., those of the north 22 in. 



' Chs. Archd. N'ton (1849), 57, where 

 it is described as modern, 'a bad imitation 

 of some old one'. It has a four-centred 

 ogee-head and vertical tracery. 



' The tracer)' of the east window is a 

 later insertion. 



^ In the return wall to which the east 

 respond is attached. 



9 It is 2 ft. wide. 



36 



