ORLINGBURY HUNDRED 



The church of ST. MJRr stands on the north side 

 of the main street and consists of chancel, 23 ft. by 18 

 ft.; clerestoried nave, 45 ft. by 18 ft.; 

 CHURCH north and south aisles, and west tower, 

 10 ft. 6 in. square, all these measure- 

 ments being internal. The north aisle is 10 ft. wide 

 and the south aisle 9 ft. 6 in., the width across nave and 

 aisles being 41 ft. 8 in. The south aisle is continued 

 eastward for about two-thirds the length of the chancel, 

 its east end, formerly a chapel, being now used as a 

 vestry and organ-chamber. The north aisle dates only 

 from 1850, but takes the place of one demolished at 

 some unknown date. The tower was originally sur- 

 mounted by a spire, which fell in a storm in 1703, and 

 has not been rebuilt. 



The chancel and nave are under a single low-pitched 

 roof with continuous plain parapets, and the chancel is 

 faced with local ironstone. The south aisle is almost 

 entirely covered with ivy, which completely hides a 

 blocked doorway formerly opening to the chapel. 



The oldest part of the building is the main south 

 doorway, which dates from c. 1195, but is not in its 

 original position. It was the south doorway of an aisle- 

 less 12th-century church, the nave of which covered 

 the area of the existing tivo western bays and whose 

 south-east angle is represented by the masonry pier of 

 the south arcade. The doorway has a semicircular arch 

 of four moulded orders, one of which is ornamented 

 with chevrons, and has three jamb-shafts on each side 

 with carved capitals and moulded bases. As rebuilt the 

 doorway stands in front of the face of the wall, forming 

 a kind of shallow porch." 



To this early building a south aisle was first added, and 

 early in the 14th century the nave appears to have been 

 extended eastward, a new chancel built, a north aisle 

 added, and the tower and clerestory erected. The south 

 aisle and arcade seem also to have been remodelled about 

 this time, the aisle being shortly after extended eastward, 

 the church then assuming substantially its prcsentaspect. 



The chancel has diagonal angle buttresses and a 

 pointed east windowof four lights with uncusped inter- 

 secting tracery and a sexfoiled circle in the head. At the 

 west end of the north wall is a window of two trefoiled 

 lights with quatrefoil in the head, and in the south wall 

 near its east end an inserted i jth-century four-centred 

 window of three cinquefoiled lights. The piscina is 

 contemporary with the east window and has a trefoiled 

 head and fluted bowl. At the west end of the south w-all 

 the chancel is open to the aisle by a 14th-century arch 

 of two orders, the inner hollow-chamfered on half- 

 octagonal responds with moulded capitals and bases. 

 The restored chancel arch is of two chamfered orders 

 springing from half-round responds. 



The 14th-century north nave arcade was left stand- 

 ing when the aisle was pulled down and was opened 

 out when the present aisle was built. It consists of 

 three pointed arches of two chamfered orders, springing 

 from octagonal piers and corresponding responds with 

 chamfered bases and moulded capitals similar to those 

 of the chancel arch. On the south side the two western 

 arches and the pier are of the same type but spring from 

 a moulded corbel at the west end and from a half- 

 round respond at the east attached to the masonry pier. 

 The eastern arch is of two chamfered orders on half- 

 octagonal responds with moulded capitals. 



LITTLE 

 HARROWDEN 



At the east end of the south aisle, now within the 

 vestry, is a trefoU-headed piscina similar to that in the 

 chancel. The parapet of the aisle has a band of quatre- 

 foils its full length and up the rake of its east wall; the 

 windows are of two lights with forked mullion, but 

 both end walls are blank. 



The tower is of three stages, with clasping buttresses 

 and battlemented parapet with gargoyles at the angles. 

 The west doorway is a later insertion, or may take the 

 place of a former opening; above it is a two-light 14th- 

 century window. The two lower stages on the north 

 and south, and the short middle stage on the west, are 

 blank. The bell-chamber windows are of two trefoiled 

 lights with quatrefoil in the head, and above the hood- 

 moulds is a blank shield. Below the parapet is a band 

 of quatrefoils enclosing sculptured faces and foliage. 

 The lower part of the tower arch is filled with an oak 

 screen erected as a War Memorial (1914-18). There 

 is no vice. 



The late-i jth-century chancel screen has been much 

 restored. The altar rails are of the i8th century, and 

 the font is late in the same period. The pulpit is 

 modern. 



There are four bells, the first, third, and tenor cast 

 by Hugh Watts of Leicester in 1624, and the second 

 dated 1732.^ 



The plate consists of a silver cup and cover paten of 

 I 569, and a paten and flagon of 1883.^ 



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

 1654-61 (May), baptisms 1661 (Novembcr)-i722, 

 marriages 1654-7, 1662-3, 1681-1720, burials 1653- 

 1727; (ii) baptisms and burials 1727-94; (iii) mar- 

 riages 1754-1812; (iv) baptisms and burials 1795- 

 18 1 2. There are churchwardens' accounts beginning 

 in 1783. 



The church, as a chapel originally 



ADFOWSON annexed to Great Harrowden, and 



now forming one vicarage with it, has 



no separate history for its advowson, having always been 



held with that manor. 



On the inclosure of Little Harrow- 

 CHARITIES den in 1781 an allotment of about 2 

 acres was awarded, out of lands belong- 

 ing to the Marquess "of Rockingham, to the church- 

 wardens and overseers in lieu of an annuity of 20/. 

 payable to the poor by the marquis. The allotment is 

 let for 18/. yearly, which is distributed in cash to the 

 poor by the Parish Council. 



.^n allotment of 44 a. i r. 33 p., now let for [^\<:) 2/. 

 annually, was set out on the inclosure to the church- 

 wardens in lieu of their rights in the common fields in 

 the parish. The rent is applied to church expenses. 



William Ayl worth's Endowed School for Great and 

 Little Harrowden and Orlingbury was founded in 

 1661, to commemorate the restoration of King Charles, 

 under the will of William Aylworth, which directed 

 that /^20 a year should be paid towards the maintenance 

 of this free school from the testator's estate at CJumley 

 in Leicestershire, and his house and land in Little Har- 

 rowden conveyed for a habitation for the schoolmaster, 

 who was to be a graduate in one of the two universities, 

 a member of the Church of England, and of a sober, 

 peaceable, and discreet behaviour and conversation.* It 

 is attended by the children of Great and Little Har- 

 rowden. 



* In the Utcr masonry above the arch 

 i> a stone inicribed ano dm 1601 cr IB. 

 ' North, Ch. Belli of Norlhanli. 299, 



where the inscriptions arc given. 



' iA»titiiim,Ch.PlaltoftJorthanli.\$o. 



The date '1570' is inscribed on the paten. 

 « Coll. Top. tt Gn. iil, 330. 



187 



