CITY OF DURHAM 



modernised and the windows altered from the 

 original form.' ^^ The chancel arch is 9 ft. wide 

 and is of two orders to the nave and square to 

 the chancel. It was originally quite plain, but 

 the inner order was carved at the rebuilding 

 wdth the cheveron ornament and the outer with 

 an indented moulding. Some panelling at the 

 east end of the chancel may be of late 16th- 

 century date, but the rest of the fittings, inclu- 

 ding the chancel screen, are modern. The font 

 also is modern. A mediaeval grave slab with 

 cross and sword is built into the south wall of 

 the chancel and over the vestry doorway in the 

 north wall is a large stone, formerly at St. 

 Giles's,-! Qu which, enclosed in a vesica, is 

 carved in low relief a representation of Our 

 Lord in judgment. The corners are occupied 

 by the evangehstic symbols. ' In 1743 there 

 remained in the large south window a coat in 

 stained glass, argent on a chief azure three 

 escallops or.'-- There are some 12th-century 

 stones with cheveron and star ornament in the 

 churchyard on the north side of the building. 



The plate^' consists of a chalice and paten of 

 1702 made by Eli Bilton, of Newcastle, both 

 inscribed ' Ecclesia Sanctae Mariaj BaUivi 

 Austral Dunelm. Ex dono Cuthberti-* Bowes 

 Sen. 1702 ' ; a flagon of 171 1 made by Jonathan 

 French, of Newcastle, with the same inscrip- 

 tion f^ a paten on three feet v\'ithout marks, 

 inscribed ' Eccles. B. Mar. in Ball. Austral 

 Dunelm A.D. M-DCCC-XXIX,' and scratched 

 on the back ' Pro eleemos coUigend : used the 

 first time on Whitsunday 7 June 1829'; and 

 a 17th-century almsdish, probably originally in 

 use for secular purposes, given by the Rev. E. 

 Shipperdson, M.A., in 1848 and bearing his 

 arms.-^ There is also a set of two chalices, two 

 patens, a flagon and almsdish given in 1889 under 

 the will of Robert Henry Allan of Blackwell 

 Hall, Darhngton. 



The registers begin in 1559. 



The church of ST. NICHO- 



ADVOWSONS LAS, a rectory originally in 



the gift-' of the Bishop of 



Durham, was annexed in 1443 by Bishop Robert 



2* Ptoc. Soc. Antiq. Newcastle (3rd ser.), iii, 324. The 

 old window in the west wall was then the only one 

 remaining unaltered. Glynne further states that 

 ' the church wears a very neat appearance, especially 

 the chancel which is fitted up with some elegance.' 



^ It was brought to St. Mary's in 1829 when St. 

 Giles's was undergoing restoration. 



2- Surtees, Hist. Dur. iv, 44. The monumental 

 inscriptions are given, pp. 44-5. 



23 Proc. Soc. Antiq. Netvcasth (new ser.), iii, 256. 



2* On the paten the name is spelt ' Cuberti.' 



-* The speUing of some of the words is different. 



2* The date letter is illegible : the maker's mark is 



I.e. 



2' The Crown occasionally presented W# faran*?; 

 cf. Pat. 22 Hen. Ill, m. 2; Cal. Pat. 1 340-1343, p. 377. 



Neville^^ to the Hospital of Kepier, and served 

 from that time to the Dissolution by a stipen- 

 diary chaplain since there was no endowed 

 vicarage.-* The impropriate rectory of St. 

 Nicholas, with other property of Kepier Hos- 

 pital, was sold^" by the Crown in 1553 to John 

 Cockburn, lord of Ormeston, who conveyed to 

 John Heath, Esq. Elizabeth, daughter and heir 

 of John Heath, married in 1642 John, son of 

 Sir Thomas Tempest, of the Isle. After this 

 date the advowson followed the descent of Old 

 Durham (q.v.), and thus descended to the 

 Marquess of Londonderry. The church was 

 served by a titular ' Curate-in-Charge ' with a 

 very small stipend. His inefficient services were 

 supplemented by the endowment of a ' Lecture- 

 ship ' by the Corporation in about 1700, which 

 was of substantial value, and was held by various 

 learned persons. In 1854 when Corporations 

 became disqualified by law from holding such 

 patronage, the Corporation sold their rights to 

 the Rev. Edward Davison, the then vicar, and 

 he in turn to the Rev. G. T. Fox, who at that 

 time held both curacy and lectureship. The 

 Rev. G. T. Fox presented it to the living. Sub- 

 sequently in 1893 Lord Londonderry sold the 

 patronage of the augmented living to the Rev. 

 H. E. Fox, nephew of the Rev. G. T. Fox, who 

 vested the living in five trustees. They in turn 

 passed it to the Church Pastoral-Aid Society.*^ 

 The original endowments of the rectory of St. 

 Nicholas were considerable, the glebe lying in 

 Old Durham. In 1268 Geoffrey de Helme, rec- 

 tor of St. Nicholas, received licence*- from the 

 Prior of Durham for an oratory within his court 

 of Old Durham, and before the appropriation 

 to Kepier Hospital a manor court^ was held by 

 the rector for his tenants. In 1522 a messuage*' 

 and land in SmaUies, in Wolsingham parish, was 

 vested in trustees to the use of the ' chirchwarke 

 and ornamentes ' of the parish of St. Nicholas. 



The Chantry of Our Lady was founded*^ by 

 Reginald the merchant before 1250 for one 

 chaplain and one light at the Altar of the 

 B.V. Mary, and was further augmented in 1299 

 by Hugh de Queringdon, who provided for a 

 second chaplain. The gild hall^ in the market 

 place belonged to this chantry, and in the 

 15th century at least was rented to the gild of 



23 Roll no. 2, Neville, m. 6. 



29 Injunct. and Eccl. Proc. Bp. Barnes (Surtees 

 Soc), App. xii. 



30 Pat. 6 Edw. VI, pt. 7, no. 24. 



31 Inf. from Rev. Canon W. Bothamly. 



32 Surtees, Hist. Dur. iv, 91. 



33 B.M., Lans. MS. 902, fol. 184. 



31 Surtees, op. cit. iv, 49 ; Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 72, 

 m. 9 d. 



35 Surtees, op. cit. iv, 48. 



3« This doubtless is the ' Gild Hall ' mentioned 

 in 1 3 16. 



139 



