ORLINGBURY HUNDRED 



BROUGHTON 



The chancel is faced with roughly dressed coursed 

 ironstone and has a stone-slated eaved roof. The aisles 

 are of rubble and together with the nave have low- 

 pitched leaded roofs behind plain parapets, except on 

 the north side where the lead overhangs. The clere- 

 story is of coursed stone. Both porches are gabled and 

 have slated roofs. 



The chancel has a late-i3th-century east window of 

 five lights with intersecting tracery and quatrefoiled 

 circle in the head, moulded jambs, and hood-mould 

 with head-stops. The lower part of the east wall, with 

 dwarf coupled buttresses, appears to be old, and has 

 a chamfered string-course. There is a contemporary 

 moulded doorway in the north wall,' and west of it 

 a plain rectangular low-side window with chamfered 

 edges,^ but otherwise the wall is blank. In the south 

 wall are two pointed windows of two trefoiled lights, 

 the easternmost much restored with quatrefoil in the 

 head, the other traceried and wholly new. Internally 

 the sill of the easternmost window is lowered to form 

 two graded seats,' and at the east end of the north wall 

 is a restored trefoiled aumbry. The walls, as elsewhere 

 in the church, are plastered. The 14th-century chancel 

 arch is of two chamfered orders, the inner on half- 

 octagonal responds, with moulded capitals and bases. 



The nave arcades are of three bays with arches of two 

 chamfered orders springing from octagonal piers with 

 moulded capitals and bases. The arches were cut 

 through the older wall leaving a 5 ft. length of masonry 

 at each end on either side, but the south arcade seems 

 to be the earlier, its piers being more massive and differ- 

 ing in detail from those opposite. At the east end of the 

 north arcade there is a half-octagonal respond, but at 

 the west and on the south side the arches spring from 

 corbels, that at the north-west supported by a mask, the 

 others moulded. There are hood-moulds on the south 

 side only, and the piers stand on square plinths. Two 

 rood-loft doorways remain, one high up north of the 

 chancel arch, the other (blocked) to the stairs at the 

 east end of the south aisle, about 2 ft. 6 in. above 

 the floor. 



All the windows of the aisles are square-headed and 

 of three trefoiled lights. The 13th-century north door- 

 way is of three orders, the innermost with a continuous 

 sunk quarter-round, the others moulded on shafts with 

 moulded capitals.* The outer doorway of the porch is 

 of a single continuous wave-moulded order and hood- 

 mould with head-stops. The modern front of the 

 south porch has a doorway with stone lintel. 



The nave roof is of four equal bays spaced irrespec- 

 tive of the arcades; there are three square-headed clere- 

 story windows of two trefoiled lights on each side, the 

 western roof-bay being blank. 



The tower has a moulded plinth and coupled but- 

 tresses of three stages, but is without string-courses, and 

 on the north side is blank. On the west is a three-light 

 ogee-headed window with hood-mould and intersecting 

 tracery and above it a small trefoil-headed opening, 

 while high up on the south side is a tall trefoiled lancet. 

 The arch to the nave is of three chamfered orders, the 



inner on half-octagonal responds with moulded capi- 

 tals and bases. There is no vice. The pointed bell- 

 chamber windows are of two trefoiled lights with 

 quatrefoil in the head, moulded jambs, and slightly 

 ogee label. The spire rises from a corbel table of heads 

 and has plain angles and two tiers of openings on the 

 cardinal faces, the lower of two cinquefoiled lights with 

 quatrefoil in the head. The broaches are very small. 



The late-i4th-centurj' font has an elaborately carved 

 octagonal bowl, and pedestal with traceried panels and 

 angle shafts. The pulpit is of Caen stone, erected in 

 1867. 



On the north wall of the chancel is the monument 

 of Robert Bolton (d. 163 1), described as 'Primus et 

 optimus huius ecclesiae praeco doctissime plus', with 

 half-length bust under a semicircular canopy; and on 

 the south wall the bust and monument of Harrold 

 Kynnesman (d. 163 1), 'sometime vice-treasurer at 

 armes in the Irish warrcs in the reign of Queen Eliza- 

 beth and for his singular fidelity recalled to the same 

 office in the reign of King James'. There is also a wall 

 tablet to Zachary Rose, rector (d. 1790), and one in the 

 nave to Mrs. Elizabeth Henchman (d. 1772), whose 

 charity is recorded, with others, below the tower. 



There is some old glass in the east window of the 

 south aisle, comprising two shields of arms' and three 

 small heads in yellow and white. 



There are five bells, the first, second, third, and tenor 

 by Henry Penn of Peterborough, 1709, and the fourth 

 by Robert Taylor of St. Neots, 1803.* 



The plate consists of a silver paten of 1682, a cup 

 of 1683, a paten of 1721 by Joseph Clare, and a flagon 

 of 1770 by Charles Wright, the gift of Mrs. Ann 

 Mappletoft in 1771.^ 



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

 1560-1631, marriages 1570-1627, burials 1559- 

 1627; (ii) baptisms, marriages, and burials 1632-43, 

 1653-1746; (iii) baptisms and burials 1746— 1812, 

 marriages 1746-55; (iv) marriages 1754-1812. The 

 first volume is much mutilated: the second volume 

 contains a terrier of glebe lands 10 May 1672. There 

 are churchwardens' accounts 1670-1793. 



The church w-as granted by Roger 

 ADFOIVSON de Clare, Earl of Hertford, to the 

 convent of Delaprc, this grant being 

 confirmed by Robert, Bishop of Lincoln, and by 

 Edward III again on 18 May 1328.' It was valued in 

 1 29 1 at £-j 6s. iJ.'> The profits of the rectory, then 

 leased to Alfred Baxter, were returned as ^^22 yearly in 



The advowson was held by the convent of Dclapre 

 from at least 1227" until the Dissolution. It has fre- 

 quently been leased for one turn'- both before and after 

 the Dissolution. '^ .After being granted with the Nun- 

 lands (q.v.) to Sir Thomas Tresham, it was acquired 

 by the lord of the manor, and was included in the sale 

 of the manor to John and Henry Cotton by Sir .Augus- 

 tine Nicholls in 161 3. It was held with the manor 

 until 1920, when it was transferred by the Duke of 

 Buccleuch to the Bishop of Peterborough. 



' It was probably placed in this position 

 at the rebuilding. 



^ ^iioc. Arck. S(x. Rtfxirti, xi\x, 393. 

 The opening is 2 ft. 10 in. high and 2 ft 

 6 in. above the floor inside. The window 

 does not show any sign of having been 

 disturbed. It is now glazed and has an oak 

 shutter inside. 



> The seats are modem, but may repro- 



duce the original arrangement. 



* The bases arc covered by the stone 

 benches of the later porch. 



» Recorded by Bridges, Hist, of Nortk- 

 anii. ii, 86: (i) azure a saltire engrailed 

 between four cross crosslets argent, 

 (ii) chequy, gules and or, a canton ermine. 



' North, Ck. Belli of Sorikantt. 210, 

 where the inscriptions arc given. 



161 



' Markham, Ck. Tlateof Sorthanis. 54. 

 ' Chart. R. 2 Edw. Ill, m. 15, no. 47. 

 « Tax. Eccl. (Rec. Com.), 39. 

 '0 A'j/or Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv, 304. 

 " List of presentations: Bridges, Hist, 

 of Nortkants.\\,ib. " Sec ibid. 



" Cott. Ch. «v, 39, 40; Feet of F. 

 Northants. East. 17 Eliz., Hil. 15 k 16 

 Chas. II, &-C. 



