HAMFORDSHOE HUNDRED 



capitals and bases. The south jamb of a contemporary 

 window remains in the west wall of the north aisle, 

 but the existing window in that position is of four 

 cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery, all the other 

 windows of the aisles being of the same type but of 

 three lights. 



The late- 12th-century south doorway has a semi- 

 circular arch of two orders, the inner with chevron 

 ornament, the outer with a roll and hollow moulding, 

 on octagonal shafts with cushion capitals and moulded 

 bases: the shafts are enriched with chevron ornament. 

 The inner order rests on imposts with scroll volutes, 

 below which the jambs are chamfered. The four- 

 centred north doorway is modern, but the covering 

 porch has a I4th<entury outer doorway of two cham- 

 fered orders on half-round responds with moulded 

 capitals," and above it is a plain niche. The porch has 

 an upper chamber approached by a wall stair from the 

 aisle and lighted by small windows east and west: there 

 are also narrow openings on the north side, on either 

 side of the niche. 



The south porch is also of two stories, with a stair- 

 way in the west wall entered from the aisle. ^ The 

 chamber may be an early-i jth-century addition, the 

 west wall of the porch being then rearranged for 

 steps; if so, it was completed before the erection of 

 the chapel on the east side.' The porch has diagonal 

 angle buttresses and an elaborate i jth-century groined 

 vault springing from angle shafts with moulded bases,* 

 but without capitals. The outer doorway is of two 

 continuous chamfered orders, and above it is a cinque- 

 foiled niche containing a modern Pieta, with a small 

 trefoil-headed window on each side lighting the 

 chamber. 



The small south chapel east of the porch opens from 

 the aisle by an arch similar to, and no doubt copied 

 from, that adjoining at the west end of the Lady Chapel. 

 It has a four-light window in the south wall, and a 

 squint cut through the north end of the east wall 

 directed to the high altar. The bosses of the panelled 

 oak roof have shields with the emblems of the Passion. 

 The roof of the south aisle is also of the i 5th century, 

 but the roofs of the nave and north aisle arc modern. 



There are four clerestory windows on each side: 

 three on the south and the westernmost on the north 

 are 14th-century square-headed openings of two lights, 

 but the others on the north have depressed arches and 

 two of them are of three cinquefoiled lights. 



The tower is of three stages, with moulded plinth, 

 coupled buttresses to the height of the second story, and 

 vice in the north-west angle. The two lower stages 

 are faced with alternate bands of ironstone and oolite, 

 above which the walls arc of dressed freestone. The 

 west doorway' has a pointed arch of three orders 



WELLING- 

 BOROUGH 



springing from nook-shafts with moulded capitals and 

 bases, above which is a traccried circular window. The 

 middle stage has pointed windows of two trefoiled lights 

 with quatrefoil in the head, that on the west now 

 blocked and covered with a clock dial, but the lower 

 stage north and south is blank. The face of the upper 

 story is slightly recessed, with shafted pilaster angle 

 buttresses, and has double bell-chamber windows of 

 two lights with arches of two moulded orders on shafts 

 with moulded capitals and bases. The tower finishes 

 with a bold corbel table and has tall pinnacles rising 

 from the broaches of the spire, the angles of which are 

 ribbed. The spire is 165 ft. in height,* and has gabled 

 lights on the cardinal faces near the top and bottom.' 

 The tower arch is of three chamfered orders towards 

 the nave, the innermost order springing from half- 

 round responds with moulded capitals and bases. The 

 screen was erected in 1907. 



The font appears to have been formed from the 

 socket stone of a cross, worked from square to octagon 

 shape by plain broaches, the centre hollowed to a 

 circular bowl and lined with lead: the surface has been 

 scraped or recut; it is mounted on a square stone base.* 



The pulpit is modern and of wood. 



Near the south doorway is an elaborate mural monu- 

 ment' with effigies of a man and a woman with no other 

 inscription than the date '1570', which according to 

 Bridges commemorates Lingar, Serjeant of the bake- 

 house to Queen Elizabeth.'" A marble slab to Walter de 

 Scaultorp, noted by Bridges" in the north chapel, has 

 now disappeared, and several 'slabs of great antiquity' 

 mentioned by Cole have likewise gone. There is a con- 

 siderable number of memorial stones and tablets, a few 

 of late- 17th-century date but mostly belonging to the 

 1 8th century and later.'- A tablet commemorating 

 William Batley, architect, d. 1674, is built into the 

 outer wall of the vestry. 



There are eight bells, two trebles by Taylor & Co. of 

 Loughborough having been added in 1884 to a former 

 ring of six, one of which (now the fifth) was then re- 

 cast. The third (old treble) was given by Sir Paul 

 Pindar in 1640, the fourth is by Newcombe of Leicester 

 1604, the sixth by Islip Edmunds of London 1764, the 

 seventh dated 1620, and the tenor 1639." There is also 

 a priest's bell, cast by Henry Penn of Peterborough in 

 1708. 



The plate is allof silver gilt and consists of a cup'* and 

 cover paten of 1564, a cup, paten, and two flagons of 

 1634 given by Sir Paul Pindar in that year, a paten of 

 1719, a cup off. 1730 purchased from a Spanish con- 

 vent and given to the church in 1843, and an alms dish 

 of 1874. '5 There are also three plated alms dishes, 

 1861. 



The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) all 



' The bases arc covered. 



' The doorway, long blocked, was 

 opened out in 1928, the stairway widened, 

 the groining strengthened, and the cham- 

 ber restored to form a library — a bay 

 window being inserted at the north end 

 overlooking the nave. In the course of 

 these alterations a 13th-century grave 

 slab with incised calvary cross was found 

 in the west wall. The lower moulding of 

 the parapet of the aisle runs through the 

 roof of ttie porch. 



1 This is implied by a window in the 

 east wall of the chamber, now opening on 

 to the chapel. 



* The bases of the shafts appear to 



belong to the 14th-century work. The 

 groining was probably inserted after the 

 completion of the upper story. 

 ' It was restored in 1887-8. 



* Bridges, Hisi. of Norihanls. ii, 151. 



7 About 1 2 ft. of the top of the spire 

 was rebuilt in 1886. 



• Aisoc. Arch. Soc. Ref>orls, xxiii, 192. 

 It was turned out of the church in 1815, 

 and in Cole's time (1837) was in the 

 vicarage garden; it was restored to use 

 during the incumbency of the Rev. G. P. 

 Lightfoot (c. 1870). 



° It was moved to its present position 

 from over the doorway in 1928. In 

 Bridges' time it was against the east wall 



of the south chapel. 



"> Bridges, op. cit. ii, 152. 



" Ibid. 152. It was inscribed round the 

 edge; 'Hie jacet dominus Walterus de 

 Scaultorp quondam rector ecclesiae de 

 Arold isiius . . .'. Presumably he was 

 rector of Harrold, Beds. 



*' The inscriptions are given in Cole's 

 Hillory (1837). 



'J North, Ck. Btlh of Northanlt. 435, 

 where the inscriptions on the older bells 

 are given. The third, seventh, and tenor 

 bear the shield of Hugh Watts of Leicciter. 

 The old third was dated 1729. 



'♦ Now used as a ciborium. 



' » Markium, Ck. PUtt of NortAaHlI. 305. 



143 



