HIGHAM FERRERS HUNDRED ringstead 



this time. Early in the 1 5 th century the north wall of 

 the aisle east of the porch was remodelled and two 

 large windows inserted. There was a general restora- 

 tion of the fabric in 1863. 



The building is of rubble throughout plastered in- 

 ternally, and all the roofs are modern and of low pitch 

 behind plain parapets. 



The chancel is divided from the chapel by three 

 pointed arches on cylindrical piers, while the nave is 

 separated from the aisle by a loftier' arcade of five bays, 

 the piers of which are formed of clusters of four 

 attached shafts with moulded capitals and bases, all of 

 the 13th century: the arches are of two chamfered 



OI3fflCl£NTURY 



Ol+E! Century 



115s Cent, early 

 fcii Modern 



temally 7 ft. 2 in. by 5 ft. 3 in. and has diagonal but- 

 tresses and an octopartite vault the ribs of which spring 

 from roughly carved corbels. The outer arch has wave 

 mouldings divided by casements, and the original high- 

 pitched roof is covered with stone slates. 



The 13th-century north doorway is somewhat more 

 elaborate and the nook-shafts have capitals with good 

 foliage: the hood-mould is stopped on the east side 

 by a knight's head. The i4th<entury porch, which 

 measures internally 7 ft. 9 in. by 8 ft., has an outer arch 

 of four moulded orders on nook-shafts, with a row of 

 ball-flowers in the outer hollow and ogee hood-mould 

 with finial: the gable and side walls have plain parapets. 



Scale of Feet 

 10 20 30 



Plan of Rincstead Church 



orders and in the nave spring at the east end from a 

 half-octagonal respond and at the west from a corbel. 

 The wide chancel arch is of two chamfered orders on 

 half-octagonal responds with moulded capitals and bases. 



The chancel was reconstructed in its present form 

 about 1320-30 and has a large five-light east window 

 and three three-light windows in the south wall, all of 

 which have curvilinear tracery of beautiful design:- the 

 sills of the side windows are brought very low. The 

 piscina and sedilia are both on one level and farther 

 east is a double aumbry consisting of a trefoiled recess 

 with another above it covering a shelf. At the east end 

 of the north wall is the 14th-century doorway to the 

 vestr)',^ and below the arcade is the base of a stone 

 screen which originally enclosed the chapel. There 

 was formerly the base of a similar stone chancel screen 

 also.* 



Two windows of three trefoiled lights in the south 

 wall of the nave, of similar type to those in the chancel 

 but with different tracery, are very little later in date, 

 but the wall is contemporary with the porch, a high 

 moulded plinth being common to both. The doorway, 

 however, is of the 13th century, with a plain arch of 

 two orders springing from imposts with attached nook- 

 shafts to the inner order; part of a scratch dial is built 

 into the west jamb. The south porch measures in- 



West of the porch is a 13th-century two-light win- 

 dow with a circle in the head, and high in the west wall 

 a single-light window with flat ogee head. The two 

 later windows east of the porch are of three cinquefoiled 

 lights with four-centred heads. The square-headed 

 two-light windows of the chapel have been restored. 

 Internally, a corbel of the arch dividing the aisle from 

 the chapel remains on the south side: the arch was 

 probably removed in the last quarter of the 14th cen- 

 tury, when the chapel windows were made, and the 

 clerestory, a series of square-headed two-light openings, 

 added on the north side of nave and chancel. ' 



The tower is of three stages with moulded plinth 

 and two pairs of buttresses in the lower stage. It opens 

 into the nave through a handsome 13th-century arch 

 of three chamfered orders on attached shafts* with 

 moulded capitals and bases, and has a long and narrow 

 west window like a lancet but with square top and un- 

 pierced arched head with good cusping. All three 

 stages on the north and south sides, and the upper stage 

 on the west are blank, and the tower terminates in a 

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

 There is no vice. Tower and spire are both of one 

 build and are of remarkable design, the bell-chamber 

 windows being omitted and their place taken by an 

 unusually large lower set of gabled spire-lights,' which 



' The njvc pirrs are 9 f(. 7 in. high and 

 the average width of the arches is 7 ft. 

 5 in. : the piers stand on high masonry 

 plinths. In the chancel arcade the piers 

 are 7 ft. 2 in. high. 



' The east window is figured in Sharpe't 

 Die. H'tndctv Tracery^ plate 53. 'The 

 arch is carried in the tracery over the two 

 tide lights and filled with three trefoils and 



cinquefoils.' 



' The vestry is 5 ft. 8 in. wide from 

 west to east. It has an east window of 

 three lights. The doorway has a continu- 

 ous swelled chamfer. 



♦ Ck>. Archd. A'Von, 71. It bore evi- 

 dence of having been of rich design. 



' There arc five windows to the nave 

 and two al the west end of the chancel : 



the nave windows have been restored. 



^ The shafts are on the east side only. 



^ These windows arc of two lights 

 separated by an octagonal shaft with 

 moulded capital, within a pointed arch 

 springing from jambs of two chamfered 

 orders in the recess between wluch is an 

 engaged shaft with moulded capital : 

 Chi. Arckd. J^'^tvKf 68. 



43 



