ORLINGBURY HUNDRED 



ISHAM 



from c. 1 1 80 and probably represent the full extent of 

 the nave of a small 12th-century church with narrow 

 aisles and a square-ended chancel. In the first half of 

 the 1 3th century the church was practically rebuilt, the 

 nave being extended a bay eastward and a new chancel 

 erected, while later in the same century the aisles were 

 widened and carried eastward to their present extent. 

 A west tower also appears to have been built, or 

 intended, at this time, as the tower arch is of the same 

 period as the chancel, but the existing tower is of 

 14th-century date, as are also the clerestory and north 

 doorway. In 1870 the building was extensively 

 restored, the south porch being rebuilt on the old 

 foundation, a north porch added, the chancel re- 

 roofed," a west gallery taken 

 down, and the tower arch opened 

 out. Several of the aisle windows 

 were renewed at this time: they 

 are said not to reproduce those 

 they replaced, but one in the 

 north aisle and two in the south 

 are of 14th-century date, and the 

 east window of the south aisle is 

 a 1 5th-century insertion. 



The chancel is without but- 

 tresses and has an east window of 

 two lights with forked mullion: 

 the window is comparatively 

 modern, apparently replacing a 

 group of three lancets, two or 

 three of the upper jambstones of 

 which are still in position. In 

 the north wall is a 13th-century 

 lancet, and in the south wall 

 a tall two-light window with 

 forked mullion, the lower part 

 of which is cut off by a transom 

 so as to form two small oblong 

 openings, that to the west being 

 used as a low-side window.^ 

 This window is of late-i 3th-century date, its sill forms 

 a seat, but no piscina remains. In the north wall is a 

 rectangular recess with splayed jambs and head. The 

 western part of the chancel is open on each side to 

 the aisles by a pointed arch of a single chamfered order, 

 and the 1 3th-century chancel arch is of two chamfered 

 orders, the inner springing from half-octagonal responds 

 with moulded capitals. The doorway to the rood-loft 

 remains on the north side west of the chancel arch, its 

 sill being only 7 ft. 4 in. above the nave floor, but 

 it is blocked towards the aisle, and the steps have dis- 

 appeared. 



The nave arcades differ in detail, though the two 

 12th-century western arches on each side are semi- 

 circular and the easternmost arch pointed. On the 

 north the round arches are of a single square order and 

 spring from a square respond with quirked and chamfered 

 impost and a cylindrical pier with moulded base and 

 scalloped capital, the square abacus of which corre- 

 sponds with the impost moulding. The arcade on the 

 south side is slightly later, the capitals of both respond 

 and pier being carved and the arches of two square 

 orders with hood-mould on each side. The respond is a 

 half round with moulded base and early leaf-ornament 



below the quirked abacus, and the capital of the cir- 

 cular pier has a head at each angle with foliage issuing 

 from the mouth. The second pier from the west on 

 each side belongs to the 13th-century extension and 

 carries both a round and a pointed arch; the pointed 

 arches are of two chamfered orders without hood- 

 moulds and the piers are octagonal with moulded 

 capitals and chamfered bases. The clerestory has two 

 pointed windows on each side, and the nave roof is a 

 modern one of four bays. 



A scroll moulding runs the entire length of both 

 aisles at sill level, and is continued round the but- 

 tresses, but above this the walls may have been rebuilt. 

 In the north wall of the north aisle, between the first 



12IL' Cent H I4ffl Cent. 



ism Cent isihalf ■ I5IU Cent 

 1 3IB C ENT late WB N Iodern 



Plan of Isham Church 



and second windows from the east, is a wide 14th- 

 century ogee-headed recess with moulded arch and 

 crocketed hood-mould with finial and side pinnacles. 

 The hollow moulding of the label is ornamented with 

 the ball-flower, and at the back of the recess, returned 

 on either side, is a band of quatrefoils. The sill is 

 3 ft. 7 in. above the floor, but the recess contains no 

 monument of any sort. The cast end of the south aisle, 

 formerly a chapel, is partitioned off by a modern screen 

 to form a vestry: in the usual position in the south wall 

 is a trefoil-headed piscina with fluted bowl and stone 

 shelf, and at the east end of the north wall a squint to 

 the chancel which is rebated top and bottom for a 

 shutter. The i jth-century east window is four-centred 

 and of three cinquefoilcd lights:' in the wall to the 

 south of it is a plain image-bracket and to the north 

 an inserted fragment of a grave-slab with incised cross. 

 There is a late-l3th-century doorway in the south wall 

 with chamfered cinquefoilcd arch and cast of it a 

 square-headed window of three trefoiled lights. 



The 14th-century north doorway of the nave has a 

 continuous moulded pointed arch, with label terminating 

 in heads: the south doorway is modern. 



The tower is of three stages with diagonal angle 



' The rcgittcrs record that the roof of 

 the chinccl wj» new buildcd in 1633 by 

 Richard Rainsford, rector. The chancel 

 roof is considerably lower than that of 



the nave. 



' AiKX. Arch. Soc. Reporfs, xx'\x, 425. 

 The height of the sill above the ground 

 outside is 4 ft. 6 in. The western opening 



ia rebated inside for a shutter. 



' A similar window at the east end of 

 the north aisle is modem. 



193 



CC 



