A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



of three lights ; the others are of two lights. The 

 aisle is under a Ican-to leaded roof behind a straight 

 parapet. The porch has a slated roof with overhang- 

 ing caves, and built into its walls are several fragments 

 of mediaeval grave slabs and a piscina, the bowl of 

 which has been cut aw.iy. The windows of the 

 north aisle are all modern, but the walling is old. 

 The aisle is divided externally into four bays by 

 buttresses, those at the angles being diagonal. The 

 north doorway, which is now blocked, has a plain 

 pointed arch of a single chamfered order without 

 impost or hood mould, and at the east end is a 

 pointed recess high up in the wall with corbelled 

 sill. 



The tower, which is about 70 ft. in height, is the 

 most interesting feature of the building. Externally 

 it is marked horizontally by two strings immediately 

 below and above the belfry stage, the lower part, which 

 internally consists of three stages, being quite plain. 

 The bottom story opens to the nave by a tall 

 narrow round-headed doorway with a plain arch in 

 two stones resting on chamfered imposts. The opening 

 is 2 ft. 9 in. wide at the bottom, slightly narrowing to 

 the top, and is 8 ft. 3 in. in height to the crown. 

 The chamber is roofed with a groined vault with 

 chamfered ribs, introduced probably in the 13th 

 century. The ribs spring at each angle from plain 

 corbels 4 ft. 5 in. above the floor, and the vault has 

 been cut through at a later period to give access to 

 the upper floors. A modern single-light window 

 has been inserted in the south wall. The second 

 internal stage has a narrow loop on the west side and 

 had formerly an opening to the nave, but the north 

 and south walls are blank. The third stage has a 

 large round-headed window on the south side which 

 is treated with a band of stripwork to the jambs 

 and round the extrados of the arch connected with 

 the opening by projecting impost stones. Above 

 this window is the first string-course, which is a 

 plain square projecting band of stone. In the stage 

 above are four round-headed belfry windows, one on 

 each face. The belfry is loftier than the other 

 internal stages, and the windows consist each of two 

 round-headed openings separated by a mid-wall 

 shaft in one stone, within an inclosing arch. The 

 windows are treated with stripwork to the jambs 

 and arches, and in the spandrel formed by the strips 

 to the outer and inner arches is a pierced hole, those 

 on the east and west sides being circular and the 

 others in the form of an eight-rayed star or octofoil 

 with pointed ends. The string-course above the 

 belfry windows is quite plain, like the one below, 

 but is probably, together with the short bit of walling 

 above it and the embattled parapet, of i ;th-century 

 date. The whole of the walling is of rubble, and 

 there is a clock dial on the east side towards the 

 village. The lower stage is used as a clergy 

 vestry. 



The font, which stands at the west end of the 

 nave, is contemporary with the south arcade, and 

 consists of a circular stcne bowl on a moulded circular 

 shaft and base and octagonal plinth with corner 

 ornaments. The lower part of the bowl immediately 

 above the shaft and the upper part of the base are 



carved with conventional flat leaf-ornament, and 

 there is a 17th-century carved oak pyramidal cover. 



Tlie oak chancel screen is of late 17th-century 

 date, and has a central doorway with gates and two 

 openings on each side divided by thick turned 

 balusters. The detail is simple and substantial, but 

 has been a good deal patched and restored. Near 

 the south doorway is an oak poor-box on a turned 

 baluiter shaft inscribed ' Remember ye poore afio 

 DoiS 1673.' The pulpit and all the other fittings 

 are modern. At the west end of the nave, high up 

 on the wall above the tower doorway, is a clock dial. 



The church contains three brasses. The first 

 bears the figure of a priest vested in surplice with full 

 long sleeves, through which appear the sleeves of the 

 cassock, almuce, and a tippet of squirrel fur with a 

 fringe of pendant tails. The head is missing. The 

 inscription, which is a good deal worn, reads : ' Hie 

 iacet dfis Robert Brerley nup prcbcndarius siue 

 porconarius i ecciia | pochiali de Norton ac vicari 

 ecctie pochialis de Bcllnghm Dunelm' dioc qui | obiit 

 .... die . . . a° dni m'cccc" Ixxx .... cui aie 

 ppicietur deus amen.' The second brass is inscribed : 

 ' Orate pro aia Dfii Johis Necehm captii ac vicarij 

 qnSm istius ecctie qui obijt in flx:sto Sci Nicholai 

 Epi Anno dui miHmo cccc° vj'° cuius anime ppicietur 

 deus Amen.' The inscription on the third, which 

 is very much worn, reads : ' Hie jacet WiHm' Dyson 

 de Bellasys yoma q' obiit . . . die mens Maij Anno 

 Dni MCCCC . . . cui' aie . . . Ss Ame.' 



There is a ring of three bells, two cast by Lester 

 & Pack of London in 1759 and the third by John 

 Warner & Sons in 1857.*^ 



The plate consists of a chalice of 1 637 with the 

 mark of James Plummer of York ; a paten of 1 70 1 

 made by Seth Lofthouse of London and inscribed on 

 the back with the initials of Thomas and Margery 

 Davison, who presented it in 1 71 2; a flagon of 

 1757 made by John Langlands of Newcastle, in- 

 scribed on the bottom ' Donum Ricardi Dongworth 

 Vicarii de Dillingham 1761 ' ; and another flagon of 

 1757 with the mark of Thomas Whipham and 

 Charles Wright of London, inscribed, ' Given to ye 

 Parish of Billingham A.D. 1758 By Tho' Chapman, 

 D.D. Prebendary of Durham.' " 



The registers begin in I 570. 



The churchyard is entered at the south-east end 

 from the village through a mo.lern lych-gate. 



The church of ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, 

 HAVERTON HILL, built in 1865, is of brick with 

 stone dressings, in the 1 3th-century style, and consists 

 of a chancel, nave, and western bell-turret. The living 

 is a vicarage in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of 

 Durham. 



The church of ST. PETER, (f'OLVlSTON, was 

 built in 1876, replacing an earlier building. It con- 

 sists of a chancel, nave, north porch, and bell-turret. 

 The registers date from 1759. 



The church of Billingham seems 

 ADFOIVSON to be first mentioned in the con- 

 firmatory charter of Henry II, by 

 which it was granted to the prior and convent.** 

 In the late I 2th century it was the subject of dispute 

 between the prior and the bishop. A witness in the 



"In 1552-3 there were ' thre grct 

 belli in the stepell.' 



" Proc. Soc. Attliq. Newcastle, ill, 



188. In 1687 there were four pewter 

 flagons, two pewter plates, and two 

 silver chalices. All these, with the 



202 



exception of one chalice, have disappeared. 

 « FeoJ. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 

 p. Ixxxiii. 



