A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



In the first half of the 15th century' the tower and 

 clerestory were added, the chancel walls heightened, 

 and new windows inserted. The greater width of the 

 south aisle suggests that it may have been rebuilt at the 

 same time, but if so the old masonry, doorway, and 

 the windows on either side were re-used and the porch 

 re-erected.^ The building was restored in 1870 and 

 refloored with wood blocks on concrete in 1908. 



With the exception of the tower the building is of 

 rubble, plastered internally, and has plain parapets to 

 chancel, clerestory, and aisles, with low-pitched leaded 

 roofs. 3 The tower is faced with ashlar: the porch has 

 a slated eaved roof. 



The chancel has a pointed east window of four 

 trefoiled lights with modern reticulated tracery and is 

 divided into two bays, in each of which, north and 

 south, is a 1 5th-century four-centred window of three 

 cinquefoiled lights. In the north wall is a 1 3th-century 

 continuous-moulded priest's doorway,'* and on the south 

 side, below the easternmost window, a rectangular 

 aumbry, restored piscina with fluted bowl, and triple 

 sedilia: the seats are on the same level below pointed 

 arches on moulded shafts with capitals and bases. At 

 the west end of each wall is a blocked low-side window, 

 that on the north side having a segmental rear arch, the 

 other a flat lintel. ^ Below the easternmost window in 

 the north wall is a low moulded tomb recess, which 

 probably was used also as the Easter Sepulchre:* the 

 wall here seems to have suffered some disturbance as 

 though the tomb had blocked an earlier doorway, and 

 the scroll string-course which runs round the chancel at 

 siU level is here omitted. This string is continued on the 

 east wall of the north aisle, round the diagonal angle 

 buttress and along the north wall of the aisle as far as 

 the north doorway. The well-proportioned chancel 

 arch is of two chamfered orders, with hood-mould on 

 each side, springing from triple attached shafts with 

 moulded capitals and bases. 



The nave arcades are of four bays with pointed arches 

 of two chamfered orders and hood-moulds with head- 

 stops, springing from octagonal piers with moulded 

 capitals and bases and from responds of like character. 

 On the north side the capitals have a species of early 

 ball-flower ornament in the hollow, and both arcades 

 have been a good deal restored. The almost continuous 

 clerestory of six two-light cinquefoiled windows on 

 each side and the absence of coloured glass make the 

 interior of the building exceedingly light, and its pleas- 

 ing regularity and excellent proportions give it emin- 

 ence amongst the smaller churches of its type. 



The late-i 3th-century window of the south aisle is 

 of three trefoiled lights with a trefoiled circle in the 

 head and a pointed trefoil over each of the side lights, 

 and on each side of the south doorway is a contemporary 

 two-light window with forked muUion. All the other 

 windows of the aisles are i jth-century insertions similar 



to those in the chancel, except that at the west end of 

 the north aisle which is of two lights. In the usual posi- 

 tion at the east end of the south aisle is a plain 1 3th- 

 century piscina with fluted bowl, and farther west a 

 low tomb recess with roU-edge moulding. The south 

 doorway is of two continuous orders, the outer wave- 

 moulded, and the hood-mould has notch ends. The 

 outer doorway of the porch is of two hollow-chamfered 

 orders on the outer face, the inner on half-octagonal 

 responds with moulded capitals and bases. The porch 

 has a coped gable with cusped apex-stone and modern 

 cross, and circular quatrefoiled openings in the side 

 walls. Built into the walls are a 1 3th-century coffin-lid, 

 a bit of 14th-century canopy work, and two other 

 fragments. 



The north doorway was blocked when the porch 

 was removed, and externally all traces of it have been 

 effaced. The north-east diagonal buttress of the aisle 

 has a traceried gabled head, above which it weathers 

 back in a short second stage.' 



The nave has a good 1 5th-century oak roof of six 

 bays, with moulded principals and wall-pieces, em- 

 battled wall-plates, and angel corbels. The aisle roofs 

 are of the same type with angel corbels against the outer 

 walls only, but with carved bosses in addition.* A 

 spout-head on the north clerestory is dated 1702, and 

 one on the south side 'W. O., 1713'- 



The tower is of four stages with clasping angle 

 buttresses carried up as pinnacles, moulded plinth, and 

 battlemented parapets. Its axis has a slight deviation to 

 the south, and the lofty arch to the nave is of three 

 continuous chamfered orders, stopped about 4 ft. above 

 the floor. There is a vice in the south-west angle, and 

 recesses in the north and south walls inside. The 

 buttresses have an additional string below the pinnacles 

 and on the north and south sides there is a band of 

 quatrefoils beneath the parapet. The west doorway has 

 a rectangular hood-mould and spandrels and over it in 

 the second stage is a pointed window of three cmque- 

 foiled lights and vertical tracery. On the north and 

 south the walls are blank in the lower stages. The 

 double bell-chamber windows are of two transomed 

 lights with quatrefoil in the head, and the spire has 

 plain angles and two tiers of lights in the cardinal faces. 

 The top of the spire was rebuilt in 1927.' 



The font in use dates from 1887, but there is an 

 I 8th-century baluster font'° with spiral flutings and 

 stone cover in the south aisle. The pulpit and seating 

 are modern. 



At the east end of the south aisle, against the wall, is 

 a blue stone slab with brasses of Edward Dalyson 

 (d. 151 5) and Elizabeth his wife, with inscription and 

 shields of arms in three of the corners: the fourth shield 

 and the figure of a child are missing. Above this on the 

 wall is a small marble monument with kneeling brass 

 figures of Edward DaUison (d. 1589) and Ann Snagge, 



^ There was a bequest of 6j. 8(/. in 1537 

 to the steeple of Cransley Church 'when 

 the time shall come that it shall be new 

 made': Arch, your. Iviii, 115. But the 

 tower is apparently a century earlier. 



^ It is, however, possible that the early 

 building had a south transeptal chapel, which 

 being extended westward at the rebuilding 

 gave a greater width to the south aisle. 



^ The chancel roof is covered with 

 copper. 



* The position of the church south-west 

 of the manor-house and village accounts 

 for the doorway being on this side. 



5 Assoc. Arch. Soc. Reports, xxix, 399. 

 The position of the south window is shown 

 externally by the raising of the string- 

 course: on the north the opening was 

 below the string. The windows differ in 

 size, that on the north measuring intern- 

 ally 4. ft. 5 in. by 3 ft. 6 in., the other 

 3 ft. 10 in. by 3 ft. 



' In 15 16 Thomas Hurst bequeathed 

 '10 ewe sheep to the preparing & furnishing 

 of the sepulchre': Arch. Jour. Ixx, 229. 



' The north-west buttress is of two 

 similar unequal stages, but has no gablet. 



* The roofs seem to have been left the 



166 



natural tint of the oak with a little painting 

 in white, red, and black in the mouldings, 

 bosses, and spandrels : Assoc. Arch. Soc* 

 Reports, X, 89. 



9 The top nine courses only were re- 

 built : the old weathercock by T. Eayrc of 

 Kettering 1759, is now in the churchj on 

 the tail of the cock is stamped 'W. Henson 

 reput me on Sc repaired this steeple June 

 29, 1839', and later 'C. Henson repaired 

 this steeple 1869*. 



*o It was cast out in 1887, but was 

 recently restored to the church from the 

 vicarage garden. 



