SPELHOE HUNDRED 



flat-arched moulded recess. The first 7 ft. of the north 

 wall from the east are blank, beyond which the chancel 

 is open to the chapel (now used as an organ-chamber 

 and vestry) by an early- 16th-century arcade of two 

 pointed arches with octagonal pillar and corresponding 

 responds. The 14th-century chancel arch is of two 

 chamfered orders, the inner on half octagonal responds 

 with moulded capitals. The chancel roof is modern' 

 and the walls, as elsewhere internally, are plastered. 



The late-l2th-century north nave arcade consists of 

 four semicircular arches of two orders, the outer 

 square and the inner chamfered, springing from circular 

 pillars with carved capitals, square moulded abaci, and 

 circular moulded bases: the responds are of similar 

 type. Nail-head ornament occurs in the angle foliage 

 of the capital of the west respond, but not elsewhere. 

 The pillars of the 14th-century south arcade are also 

 circular, with circular moulded capitals and bases, and 

 support pointed arches of two chamfered orders. The 

 old south doorway, moved outward when the aisle was 

 erected, has a semicircular arch of two orders, the outer 

 with chevron ornament resting on angle shafts with 

 cushion capitals and moulded bases, and the inner with 

 a round moulding carried down the jambs below the 

 capitals.- The later north doorway is of Transitional 

 Norman character with semicircular arch of two square 

 orders and label on moulded imposts, with outer angle 

 shafts, and inner chamfered jambs. The shafts have 

 moulded bases and capitals with early foliage. 



The south aisle has diagonal angle buttresses of two 

 stages and a 14th-century moulded string all round at 

 sill level. The west window and two in the south wall 

 are of two trefoiled lights with quatrefoil in the head, 

 one being modern and another much restored. The 

 I jth-century easternmost window in the south wall is 

 of three cinquefoiled lights with four-centred head: 

 when it was inserted the east wall was either rebuilt or 

 much altered, a reredos for the aisle altar in the form 

 of an arched recess with crocketed head and flanking 

 pinnacles being substituted for the formerly existing 

 window. Two moulded corbels, one on each side of 

 the reredos are of I4th<cntury date, as is the piscina 

 in the south wall. Farther west are two moulded wall 

 recesses of the same period, the arches of which spring 

 from short shafts with moulded capitals and bases and 

 are enriched with ball-flower. 



The north aisle is without buttresses and does not 

 appear to have been rebuilt, but the three two-light 

 windows in its north wall are 14th-century insertions, 

 while that at the west end is a four-centred Perpendi- 

 cular opening of three cinquefoiled lights. In the north 

 wall is a restored 14th-century recess, and at the east 

 end in the usual position a piscina serving the north 

 aisle altar. 



There are four clerestory windows on each side, but 

 three on the south and two on the north are T5th-cen- 

 tury insertions' in the 14th-century wall, and break the 

 moulding of the parapet: they are four-centred and of 

 two lights. The three remaining openings arc square- 

 headed in the 14th-century style, but date only from 

 1847. The I 5th-century nave roof is of five bays, with 



SPR.^TTON WITH 

 LI'lTLE CRE.\TON 



plain oak principals on stone corbels. The roof of the 

 north aisle, which is a continuation of that of the 

 chantry chapel, has been restored. The chapel has a 

 wide four-light east window with plain Perpendicular 

 tracery, and two plain four-centred windows of three 

 lights on the north side. 



The tower is of three main stages, the lower part on 

 the north and south being blank, but on the west 

 is again divided by strings, making five stages in 

 all on that side. The semicircular west doorway is 

 decorated with chevron ornament and grotesque heads 

 in the label and above it is an arcade of three round 

 arches, over which an arcade of pointed arches is 

 taken round the tower, five on each side. In the bell- 

 chamber stage the two middle openings in an arcade of 

 four pointed arches are pierced and recessed within 

 a semicircular containing arch, but the arcade is not 

 continued to the angles, which form fiat clasping 

 buttresses. Nearly all the shafts of the lower pointed 

 arcade, as well as the bell-chamber windows, arc new, 

 but though much restored in places the upper part of 

 the tower is still a very interesting example of early- 

 ijth-century work. The battlemcntcd parapet with 

 cross oeillets is built above the original corbel table of 

 heads, and the spire has ribbed angles and a single set 

 of lights on its cardinal faces. The semicircular arch 

 to the tower from the nave is of a single square order, 

 the shafted jambs having scalloped capitals and moulded 

 bases: above it is a tall round-headed window originally 

 above the nave roof, but now blocked. There is no vice. 

 The floor of the tower is two steps above that of the nave. 



The 13th-century font has an octagonal bowl with 

 round-headed trefoil arcading on a plain pedestal and 

 chamfered plinth. 



The pulpit and chancel screen are modern. 



Below the westernmost arch north of the chancel is 

 a panelled table tomb with the alabaster effigy of Sir 

 John Swinford (d. 1 371) already described,'' enclosed 

 by a contemporary iron grille, and under the eastern 

 arch a later tomb with panelled sides containing blank 

 shields within quatrefoils, upon which was formerly a 

 wooden effigy. In the floor of the chapel, now in part 

 covered by the organ, is a slab with the brass figures 

 of Robert Parnell (d. 1464) and Joan his wife, with 

 their children below. ^ There is also a brass plate on the 

 floor of the chapel to Edward Twigden (d. 1614) and 

 Ann his wife,* but no other monuments older than the 

 1 8th century remain. 



There are five bells in the tower, cast in 168; by 

 Henry and Matthew Baglcy of Chacombe.' The frame 

 was repaired in 1 886, in which year a clock was erected. 

 In 1930 the oak frame was replaced by one of steel; 

 two of the bells were recast and three were quarter- 

 turned and retuned. 



The plate consists of two cups of 1790, a paten of 

 1839, a flagon of 1868, and a silver-plated alms basin. 

 There are also a pewter flagon and a pewter plate.* 



The registers before 1 8 1 2 are as follows: (i) baptisms, 

 marriages, and burials i 538-1652; (ii) baptisms and 

 burials 1737-1801; (iii) baptisms and burials (1802- 

 I 2 ; (iv) marriages 1754-85; (v) marriages 1 786-1 8 13. 



■ The tabling of a former high-pitched 

 roof remains on the east gable of the nave. 



' The inner order has a moulded capital 

 on the east and a carved capital on the west 

 •ide. 



' There is also a blocked 1 5th-century 

 window over the chancel arch. 



* y.C.II. Korihanli. i, 407. A more 



detailed description is given in Hartshorn's 

 Recumbent Ahni. Effigies of Norlhatitt. 

 (1876), 33-4. The tomb was elaborately 

 painted and gilt, but the tinctures of the 

 shields are now nearly obliterated. 



> Described and Agurcd in Hudson's 

 Braises cf N^rtkants. (1853). The head 

 and shoulders of the man arc gone : he is 



in civilian coftume with rosary. The 

 woman wears a veiled head-dress. 



'' She died in the same year, leaving 

 three daughters. 



' North, Ch. Bells of Norlhanls. 399, 

 where the inscriptions arc given. In 1552 

 there were three bells and a sanclus bell. 



• Markham, Ch. Pljtt of Norlhanls. 160. 



IV 



105 



