A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



on the north and the other on the south side of 

 the chancel towards the east end, both restored, 

 but preserving a good deal of their original 

 detail." The arches are of two orders, the 

 outer moulded on the edge and carried both 

 internally and externally on angle shafts with 

 moulded capitals and bases. The indented 

 hood mould is continued as a string along the 

 wall inside at the height of the springing and 

 may have been so originally on the exterior, a 

 portion remaining on either side of the south 

 window and on the south-east buttress. There 

 were originally two windows on the south side, 

 but one was maltreated in 1828 and disappeared 

 when the western part of the wall was pulled 

 down. In the north wall, 5 ft. from the east 

 end, is a square-headed aumbry, but no other 

 ancient ritual arrangements are visible. The 

 east and south walls, however, are plastered, 

 the ashlar being exposed only on the north side. 

 On the south the chancel is open to the organ 

 chamber by a modern pointed arch, the opening 

 of which is filled with an oak screen. On the 

 north side the springing of the Transitional 

 chancel arch is still in situ high up in the wall. 

 The arch consisted of two chamfered orders 

 springing from coupled shafts set against the 

 walls, the capitals of which remain. The inner 

 order has entirely gone, but five voussoirs of the 

 outer order remain in position. The modern 

 chancel arch is of two moulded orders springing 

 from shafts with moulded capitals and bases. 

 The roof is of five bays. The floor is raised 

 above that of the nave by two steps below the 

 arch and two others further eastward. 



The old north wall of the nave is of bare 

 rubble internally, having been stripped of its 

 plaster during the restoration. Externally the 

 later upper portion sets back about 3 ft. above 

 the windows. The easternmost of the three 

 windows is entirely new, with a cinquefoiled 

 head, and is in that portion of the wall belonging 

 to the original chancel. The two ancient 

 openings had been long blocked up, but were 

 opened out and restored in 1873-5. Externally 

 the heads are in one stone and the glass is about 

 2 in. from the face of the wall. The sills are 

 new and slope internally. At the north-east 

 end of the nave is a built-up square-headed low 

 side window, the sill of which is 3 ft. above the 

 ground outside, an insertion probably after the 

 chancel had been pushed eastward. 



The old north doorway was slightly to the 

 east of the present one, which has a lintel and 

 plain tympanum with inclosing semicircular 

 arch springing from angle shafts with cushion 

 capitals and chamfered imposts. The lintel 



'* The window on the south side was originally 

 further to the west in that portion of the wall 

 destroyed in 1873. 



and tympanum are new. On the south side 

 the nave is open to the aisle by an arcade of 

 five pointed arches. 



The tower is of four unequal stages and ter- 

 minates in an embattled parapet with angle 

 pinnacles. The outer angles have flat double 

 buttresses of three stages. The pointed west 

 window is of three cinquefoiled lights with 

 perpendicular tracery and hood mould, much 

 restored. The tower arch is of 13th-century 

 date and of two orders, the outer square and 

 the inner chamfered springing from moulded 

 corbels with large dog-tooth ornament in the 

 hollows. In one of the members of the north 

 corbel a small nail-headed ornament also occurs. 

 The two lower stages of the tower are now 

 blank on the north and south sides, but on the 

 south side there was formerly a window now 

 blocked. The low third stage has a small 

 square-headed window, and the belfry windows 

 are pointed openings of two cinquefoiled lights 

 except on the east side, where the heads of the 

 lights are plain. There is no vice, access to the 

 upper stages being gained by a ladder. 



The baptistery is in the tower, the font con- 

 sisting of a rough circular sandstone bowl, 

 2 ft. 9 in. in diameter, of 13th-century date, on 

 a circular shaft and square base. 



In the south-east corner of the chancel is a 

 wooden effigy, on a modern wood tomb, repre- 

 senting John Heath of Kcpier, who died in 1591 

 and was buried in the chancel. The figure, 

 which suffered much in 1843, is in armour, with 

 the head uncovered but resting on a tilting 

 helmet, with the crest (a cock's head) attached 

 by a wreath. The hands are in prayer and the 

 feet rest on a scroll enfolding two skulls and 

 inscribed ' Hodie michi. Cras tibi.''- 



Below the tower is a fragment of a coped 

 gravestone with tegulated ornament, but another 

 more interesting slab with floriated calvary cross 

 and the symbol of a large pair of shears across 

 the stem has disappeared.'^ 



There is a ring of three bells. The oldest is 

 probably of 14th-century date and is inscribed 

 in Lombardic letters ' Campana Sancti Egidii.' 

 The second dates perhaps from the i6th century 

 and bears the inscription in Gothic characters, 



'^ The figure is illustrated and described in detail 

 in Fryer, Wooden Monumental Effigies, 32 and 42 ; 

 also Jrchaologia, Lxi, 518, 528. 'This effigy is truly 

 wooden in every sense of the word. . . . We are at once 

 reminded of Don Quixote when we behold it.' 



'^ It is figured in Trans. Dur. and North. Arch. Soc. 

 i, 132. In the same place it is recorded that ' a very 

 interesting vesica, representing in low relief the 

 Saviour sitting in judgment, was in the church but 

 ... in 1829 the rector of St. Mary-the-Less carried it 

 off and stuck it over the vestry door of that church. 

 . . . The stone was found face downwards doing duty 

 as the lowest step of the pulpit of St. Giles.' 



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