A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



a iiiid-l2th-century building. The north aisle dates 

 only from 1881 but takes the place of a former aisle 

 which was injured by the fall of the spire in 1725' and 

 was afterwards taken down. The spire has never been 

 rebuilt, but its base, covered with a low pyramidal roof, 

 still remains, forming a rather unusual feature. In 

 pulling down the north wall of the nave in 1881, pre- 

 paratory to rebuilding the new aisle, a large number of 

 stones of various periods were found, some in the 

 window-jambs, others at the bottom of the footings and 

 in other parts of the walls. These included a Transi- 

 tional Norman capital and base,^ considerably injured, 

 part of a lancet window-head, ^ portions of circular 

 pillars, probably from a former arcade of late- 12th- 

 century date, and a quantity of i jth-century tracery.* 

 From the presence of these fragments in the wall it has 

 been surmised that the nave as it then was had been 

 wholly rebuilt since the 1 5th century, possibly in 1725, 

 though there is apparently no documentary evidence of 

 this.5 In 1 85 1 the chancel was restored,^ in 1869 the 

 nave was re-roofed, the chancel arch rebuilt, and the 

 south porch restored, and in 1892 the north porch was 

 added. There was a general restoration in 1925. 



The tower and chancel are of rubble with dressed 

 quoins, and all the roofs are covered with slates.' The 

 north aisle and organ-chamber are faced with brown 

 Duston stone. 



The chancel is unbuttressed and has a modern east 

 window* of three lancets under a 13th-century hood- 

 mould. The south wall is pierced by an original win- 

 dow of three lancets under a single hood-mould west of 

 the priest's doorway, the portion farther east being 

 blank. The doorway has a semicircular arch of two- 

 square orders and hood-mould, with chamfered jambs 

 and imposts. There is a trefoiled piscina recess in the 

 plastered wall, and in the north wall a square-headed 

 aumbry. The wide semicircular chancel arch is of two 

 chamfered orders. 



In its present form the nave is modern, with double 

 lancet windows and an arcade of pointed arches on 

 round pillars. 



The tower is of four receding stages, and is con- 

 siderably battered in the upper stage.' It has a plain 

 parapet carried on a corbel table of carved heads, and 

 gargoyles at the western angles. The round-headed 

 west doorway has long been blocked and little or no 

 architectural detail remains: above it in the second 

 stage is a double lancet with head cut from a single 

 stone, but the third stage is blank. The bell-chamber 

 windows are of two widely spaced lancets with separate 

 hood-moulds carried round the tower as a string.'" The 

 walls are of great thickness in the lower stage and are 

 unbuttressed, but heavy buttresses have been added 



at a later time at the junction with the nave. The 

 pointed tower arch is of three square orders, with 

 chamfered imposts and hood-moi'ld. 



The font is of 15th-century date, with octagonal 

 panelled bowl, similar to that at Abington, and the oak 

 pulpit is Elizabethan on a modern pedestal: a wrought- 

 iron hour-glass stand has been retained. 



The slab in the sanctuary floor which marked the 

 burial-place of the Rev. James Hervey, rector (d. 1758), 

 'that very pious man and much admired author', is now 

 placed upright in a recess on the north side of the 

 chancel. There are brass floor plates to Elizabeth, wife 

 of Francis Hervey (d. 1 642), and Mary, wife of William 

 Hervey (d. 1645), and a number of 18th-century 

 mural tablets. In the vestry is preserved a piece of 

 needlework representing the Last Supper, wrought by 

 the wife of Sir John Holman in 1698, and formerly 

 over the communion table." 



There are five bells, four cast by Henry and Matthew 

 Bagley of Chacombe in 1683, and the tenor by Henry 

 Penn of Peterborough in 1707.'- In 1552 there were 

 three bells and a sanctus bell. 



The plate consists of a silver cup and paten 'the gift 

 of Lucas Ward minister of Weston in ye county of 

 Northampton 1674', and a silver alms dish of 1724 

 given by Frances Lady Twysden in 1725.'-' 



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

 1540— 1735, marriages 1545— 1735, burials 1540- 

 1678 ;'•* (ii) baptisms and burials 1 73 5-1 8 12, marriages 

 1735-53; ("') marriages 1754-1812. The first 

 volume has been newly bound. 



The first mention of Weston Favell 

 ADFOWSON church occurs about 1200 when 

 Richard de Weston bestowed the ad- 

 vowson upon St. Andrew's Priory, Northampton. '^ He, 

 moreover, bequeathed to the Prior and Convent i vir- 

 gate of land in Weston which Godric held, with his 

 palfrey, harness, and saddles, a barn and 10 measures of 

 corn to make wafers, 7 silver spoons, a silver cup with 

 carved handle, and a silver gilt ring.'* The right of 

 presentation to the church was afterwards contested by 

 John Favell and Ralph Griffin, but decided in favour of 

 the priory in 1233." Sir Hugh P'avell the son of John 

 bestowed upon the Prior and Convent a messuage in 

 Weston, to be held by the rectors for the time being,'* 

 and in 1261, with Richard Griffin, the grandson of the 

 above-mentioned Ralph, confirmed to the priory the 

 advowson, of the gift of their ancestor, Richard de 

 Weston." The church, which was worth ;^6 in 1291,^° 

 had increased in value to /J7 6s. %J. in 1535.^' After 

 the dissolution of St. Andrew's in 1538,-- the advowson 

 was apparently granted to Sir Thomas BrudeneU who 

 died seised of it in i 550, when it was inherited by his 



' Not 1726 as often stated: it was 

 struck by lightning. 



^ Used in the new north doorway. 



3 Used in the window of the organ- 

 chamber and vestry, then erected. 



♦ Letter of Matthew Holden, architect, 

 to Sir Henry Dryden, in Dryden MSS., 

 Northampton Free Library. 



5 Dryden MSS. as above. The windows 

 on both sides of the nave till 1881 were 

 square-headed, but the sections of their 

 jambs, heads, and mullions in no wise 

 agreed. It may be fairly concluded that the 

 plain oblong nave w-as built in 1725, or at 

 least between Perpendicular times and 

 that date : ibid. 



*' In 184.9 hoth the chancel and tower 

 arches were closed with galleries and there 



was a plaster ceiling: Chs. Archd, N^ton^ 256. 

 Galleries and ceiling have been removed. 



' Except that of the south porch, which 

 has stone slabs. 



8 The east window in i S4.9 was Mate 

 and bad Perpendicular' : Chs. Archd. 

 N'ton, 255. The lancets restore the 

 original design. 



' The upper stage is banded with iron, 

 and there are four iron clamps at the south- 

 west angle and one on the north. 



'° The high modem roof now blocks the 

 east bell-chamber window. The line of the 

 old roof is seen above the tower arch from 

 the nave. 



" It is dated 'Weston Favell, December 

 1698'. Sir John Hohnan (d. 1698) 'neatly 

 wainscoted the chancel in oak* (Bridges, 



i, 469), but his work has not survived. 



'^ North, Ch. Bells of Northanls. 441, 

 where the inscriptions are given. The bells 

 were rehung in igoS. The old framework 

 bore the date 1 808. 



'3 Markham, Ch. Plate of Northants. 

 311. 



'* There are no burials recorded between 

 1678 and 1735. 



■5 Cott. MS. Vesp. E. xvii, fol. 55, 54 d. 



■' Ibid. 



" Rol. Hug. de ITelles (Cant, and York 

 Soc), ii, 164-5. 



'8 Cott. MS. Vesp. E. xvii, fol. 54 d. 



'9 Ibid. fol. 54. 



2» Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 40, 43. 



" Valor Eccles. (Rec. Com.), iv, 324. 



" y.C.H. Northanls. ii, 108. 



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