A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



Civil War.' A west gallery, erected in 1738, was re- 

 moved during the restoration of 1885.^ 



The chancel has a four-centred 15th-century east 

 window of four lights with vertical tracery, and in the 

 south wall a trefoil-headed piscina recess with mutilated 

 bowl, west of which is a blocked 1 5th-century doorway 

 and over it the remains of a window opening. ^ Beyond 

 this the chancel is open to the south chapel by an arcade 

 of two arches of two chamfered orders, without hood- 

 moulds, springing from an octagonal pier with moulded 

 capital and base and from end corbels. On the north 

 side there is a 1 3-ft. length of blank wall at the east end,"* 

 beyond which the chancel is open to the chapel by a 

 single wide arch of two chamfered orders with hood- 

 mould, the inner order springing from mutilated cor- 

 bels. The arches on both sides are of the 14th century, 

 and were originally filled with screens, the marks of 

 which remain. The early- 14th-century chancel arch is 

 also of two chamfered orders, without hood-mould, the 

 inner order on half-octagonal responds with moulded 

 capitals, and bases standing on high plinths.' Lintel 

 doorways to the rood-loft remain north and south of the 

 arch high up at the east end of the nave walls, but there 

 are no stairs. The roof of the chancel, and all its 

 fittings, are modern. There is no chancel-screen. 



The north chapel has a 14th-century east window of 

 three trefoiled lights with reticulated tracery and cham- 

 fered rear-arch, and on the north side a three-Ught 

 window with quatrefoil tracery. In the usual position 

 in the south wall is an early-l3th-century trefoiled 

 piscina with fluted projecting bowl, and the slots for a 

 wooden shelf above. The south chapel has an east 

 window of four lights, c. 1300, with intersecting 

 tracery and chamfered rear-arch, but the two con- 

 temporary four-light windows in the south wall were 

 re-topped in the 1 5th century with cusped lights and 

 very depressed arches.* There is a trefoil-headed pis- 

 cina c. 1300 with fluted bowl, and also in the south 

 wall a later pointed doorway, to give headway for 

 which the eastern light of the adjoining window was 

 shortened. 



The late-i2th-century north arcade has been de- 

 scribed, but at some later period the two western piers 

 were encased, built up solid, for some 3 or 4 ft., the 

 westernmost in circular and the other in hexagonal 

 form. The south arcade is also of four bays, with 

 pointed arches of two chamfered orders without hood- 

 mould, on octagonal piers and responds with moulded 

 capitals and bases. There are five square-headed clere- 

 story windows of two trefoiled lights on each side 

 placed very high in the walls: the line of the early-i4th- 

 century high-pitched roof remains over the tower arch. 



The west window of the north aisle and one in the 

 north wall west of the doorway are of two lights with 

 forked mullion c. 1300, and those in the corresponding 



positions on the south side appear to have been con- 

 temporary, but the mullion is cut away in the west 

 window and the other is modern. Near the east end of 

 the north aisle is a three-light window with tracery 

 similar to that in the north chapel, and the south aisle 

 has a four-light window east of the porch like those in 

 the south chapel. The 14th-century north doorway is 

 of two continuous orders, the inner wave-moulded and 

 the outer with a hollow chamfer. The south doorway is 

 in part of late- 12th-century date with a later pointed 

 arch of two orders, apparently of the 13th century, the 

 outer chamfered, the inner covered by the wooden 

 frame of an inserted panelled door.^ The 12th-century 

 jambs were originally shafted, but the shafts are gone, 

 though the capitals and imposts remain. The 14th- 

 century outer doorway of the porch is of two chamfered 

 orders, the inner springing from moulded corbels: there 

 is a good but much-weathered line of carving on the 

 low-pitched gable of the porch. 



The tower is of four stages, the three lower constitut- 

 ing the 14th-century structure, with diagonal buttresses 

 to the top of the second stage, and a vice in the south- 

 west angle corbelled out internally. The west doorway 

 is of two moulded orders, with hood-mould and finial, 

 and an inner order moulded only half-way, the jambs 

 of which differ. Above it in the second stage is a window 

 of two trefoiled lights with quatrefoil in the head, but 

 on the north and south the two lower stages are blank. 

 The original bell-chamber windows are of the same 

 character, but those of the superimposed 15th-century 

 upper stage are tall double transomed openings of two 

 trefoiled lights. The tower finishes with a battlemented 

 parapet and mutilated angle pinnacles.* The arch 

 opening to the nave is of four chamfered orders on the 

 east side, three of which die out, and the innermost 

 springs from half-octagonal responds with moulded 

 capitals and bases. The vice doorway has a lintel on 

 rounded corbels. Below the arch is a portion of the 

 early-iSth-century turned oak altar railing. 



The font in use was given in 1886,' and the pulpit 

 also is modern. 



In the north aisle is a broken 13th-century coffin lid 

 with cross and 'omega' ornament:'" an armorial slab to 

 John Sanderson (d. 1689) is now against the north wall." 

 There are no other monuments older than the middle 

 of the 1 8th century. In the vestry is a parish chest 

 apparently of 17th-century date. 



There is a ring of six bells cast by Edward Arnold 01 

 Leicester in 1795, and rehung by Taylor of Lough- 

 borough in 1884.'- A clock and chimes were erected in 

 1903. In 1552 there were four bells and a sanctus bell 

 and 'one other great bell hanging in one frame by itself. 



The plate consists of a silver cup of 1607, a paten 

 c. 1685 with maker's mark W.R., and a silver bread- 

 holder of 1735 given by Mrs. Sarah Page.'^ 



' Bridges, Hist, of Norihanis. i, 419. 



2 The restoration, under the direction 

 of Mr. E. J. Law, was completed in 

 August 1886. 



^ Possibly the rear arch of a 13th- 

 century window. Three voussoirs and two 

 jamb stones remain. 



■* On the south side there is about 8 ft. 

 of wall east of the arcade. 



5 The plinths follow the plan of the 

 responds and are 4 ft. high : the continuous 

 outer order of the arch stops at this height. 



* The muUions, with one exception, are 

 old. 



' The frame is in front of the door. 



which is probably of 17th-century date, 

 though the hinges are older: the back is 

 battened. 



^ The tops of the pinnacles were pro- 

 bably removed when the pyramidal roof 

 was taken down. 



' An 18th-century marble font is in 

 the vestry. The ancient font was done 

 away with when the church was newly 

 pewed, and some rich parcloses, together 

 with the open seats, shared the same fate : 

 Chs. Archd. N'ton, 250. 



'° The 'omega' ornament is figured in 

 Arch, yourn. xxxv, 259. 



" Placed there in 1885. Thedateisnow 



obliterated, but the full inscription is given 

 in Bridges, op. cit. i, 420. 



■- North, Ch. Belh of Northanli. 338, 

 where the inscriptions are given. They 

 took the place of a ring of five, the tenor of 

 which was inscribed 'Sancte Confessor 

 Cristi benedicte ora pro nobis Deum' and 

 is said to have been of 13th-century date: 

 the third and fourth were dated 1 664. The 

 history of the bells is set out in Aloultan 

 Church and its Bells, by Sidney Madge, 

 1 895: certain traditions are discussed, 45-7. 



" Markham, Ch. Plate of Northants. 

 193. The paten is probably by William 

 Romsey, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 



92 



