CITY OF DURHAM 



the north gallery taken down, the wainscot 

 removed from behind the altar and the pews 

 and paving renewed." An old stone pulpit 

 resting on a small stone pillar was removed 

 about the same time. Another gallery extending 

 nearly the whole length of the north aisle was 

 erected in 1826. An organ loft, which had 

 succeeded the rood loft, had been taken down 

 in 1684 and replaced by the Ten Commandments 

 and the Royal Arms which remained till 

 1806.' 



There is a ring of six bells, five of which from 

 the old church are dated 1687 and bear the 

 stamp of James Bartlett, of Whitechapel. They 

 all bear an inscription which, with slight varia- 

 tions, chiefly in the division of the lines, reads 



FVNDATVR DEI GLORIjE REGNO AVGVSTISSIMI 

 lACOBI SECVNDI NATHANIELE : : EPISE ROBERT 

 DELAVAL ARM : PRjETORE RALPH TROTTER ROB : 



ROBSON cn WARDENS 1687. The treble was cast 

 by John Warner & Sons, of London, in 1889, 

 when the other bells were rehung.^ 



The plate consists of a chalice and cover 

 paten of 1665 with the maker's initials IR, 

 inscribed ' Calix Benedictionis S'=' Nicholai 

 Dunelm 1665'*; a chalice and cover of 1685 

 with the maker's initials lY, and the arms of 

 Fenwick impaling Hall, the chalice inscribed 

 • The gift of Mary Fenwick Widd. of Mr. Wm. 

 Fenwick of Newton Ganes desceased and the 

 only daughter and Heir of Alderman John Hall 

 Vintner ; for the Communion Service of St. 

 Nicholas Durham '; '" two flagons of 1685 with 

 the arms of Clark impaling Hall, inscribed ' Given 

 to y'= Parish of St. Nicholas in the Cittie of 

 Durham by Mrs. Ann Clark Widdow, Sister to 

 John Hall Esq. one of y* Aldermen of y^ said 

 Cittie 1686 ' ; a paten of 1708, with the maker's 

 mark CH ; and two almsdishes of 1771 Edin- 

 burgh make, inscribed ' The gift of Thomas 

 Wilkinson Esq. (of Old Elvet) for the Com- 

 munion Service of the Parish Church of St. 

 Nicholas in the City of Durham. Oct. nth, 

 1841.' There are also two plated cups 'Pre- 

 sented to St. Nicholas Church Durham by G.W. 

 1858.' 



* Ibid. 48. The wainscot bore the date 1627 

 and the initials of William Pattison. 



' Ibid. 48. Seats for the Mercers' Company were 

 erected in 1678 (renewed 1 762), and for the Mayor 

 and Aldermen in 1705. 



8 Froc. Soc. Aiitiq. Newcastle, iv, 128. The treble is 

 inscribed ' This bell is the gift of Thomas and Eleanor 

 Winter. The other five bells were rehung at the same 

 time. Rev. H. E. Fox, vicar, George Chapman, 

 John Robinson, churchwardens, Wilham Boyd, mayor.' 



' Ibid, iv, 126-8. In 7 Edw. VI there was ' one 

 chalice, with a paten double gilt, weighing xvi ounces, 

 one other chalice with a paten parcel gilt weighing 

 viii ounces.' Invent, of Ch. Gds. (Surt. Soc), 142. 

 10 The cover is inscribed ' St. Nicholas Durham.' 



137 



The register of baptisms and burials begins 

 in 1540 and that of marriages in 1561. The 

 first volume, which ends in 1602, is a transcript 

 made in 1635. '' 



The church of ST. MART-LE-BOfV stands 

 on the east side of the North Bailey, on a very 

 ancient site, but dates only from the 17th cen- 

 tury. It consists of chancel with organ chamber 

 on the north side, aisleless nave and engaged 

 west tower forming a porch and slightly pro- 

 jecting in front of the face of the main wall. 

 It derives its name from the ' bow ' or arch of 

 the old tower which was thrown across the 

 street, resting on a pier on the opposite side." 

 This tower fell down on 29 August 1637, in 

 its fall destroying a great portion of the west 

 end of the church. In the following December 

 the parishioners resolved to take down and re- 

 build the whole structure,'^ but nothing seems 

 to have been done immediately, and during the 

 entire period of the Civil War the church was 

 abandoned and the churchyard used as a common 

 way. The building lay in ruins till 1685, when, 

 after ineffectual attempts by the parishioners to 

 raise sufficient money for the restoration, the 

 aid of the bishop (Lord Crewe) and the Dean 

 and Chapter was sought and the church entirely 

 rebuilt. The tower was added in 1702, and 

 the fittings of the chancel date from a few years 

 later, the altar rails 1705, the screen 1707, and 

 the wainscoting 1731. The west gallery and 

 vestry were erected in 1741. The tower was 

 repaired in 1827, and in 1875 the whole building 

 was restored and the organ chamber built, oak 

 benches at the same time taking the place of 

 the old pews.i'* 



The walls are of rubble masonry and the roofs 

 are leaded and of flat pitch behind embattled 

 parapets. All the windows are modern, gener- 

 ally of two or three lights with transoms and 

 perpendicular tracery. The parapets are all 

 modern restorations. 



The chancel measures internally 34 ft. by 

 21 ft., and has a five-fight east window with 

 perpendicular tracery and two similar w-indows 

 each of two lights on the south side and one on 

 the north. The west end of the north wall is 

 open to the organ chamber by a modern arch. 

 The roof is a boarded one of four bays and the 

 floor is level with that of the nave. The chancel 



11 Surtecs, op. cit. iv, 51. Extracts are given. The 

 second volume begins in 1603 and ends in 1730. 

 Extracts from the churchwardens' accounts are given, 

 p. 52. 



12 Ibid, iv, 38, quoting Micklcton MS. " Ibid. 

 1^ Sir Stephen Glynne visited the church in 1825. 



He describes it as a ' structure of no great extent or 

 beauty. The west front ... in a motley style of 

 architecture partaking both of the Gothic and Itahan 

 style.' The windows were ' mostly of Perpendicular 

 character.' Proc. Soc. Antiq. Newcastle, 3rd ser. iii, 324. 



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