STOCKTON WARD 



LOW DINSDALE 



from a central octagonal pier with moulded capital 

 and base, and at the ends from half-octagonal corbels. 

 There are no hood-moulds to the arches, and the 

 masonry is all of red sandstone. The aisle has a large 

 three-light window at the east end, with the mullions 

 crossing in the head, probably a copy of an older 

 one ' ; the other windows, both in the chapel and 

 nave, are modern. 



The tower is of four stages, with diagonal buttresses, 

 embattled parapet and angle pinnacles. There is a 

 projecting vice at the north-east corner, and the belfry 

 windows are of two lights, with a quatrefoil in the 

 head. On the north, west, and south sides are clock 

 faces. The tower arch is of two chamfered orders, 

 without hood mould, and the pointed west window 

 is of three trefoiled lights with tracery. 



The porch was rebuilt in 1875, but that which it 

 replaced is described as having been ' quite modern.' ^ 

 The outer opening, however, consists of an old pointed 

 arch of two chamfered orders and moulded label 

 terminating in heads. In the west wall is built an 

 incised gr.ive slab, with a cross and sword, bearing 

 the inscription, ' Goselynuj Surteys,' who died in 

 1367, and two other fragments of mediaev.il grave 

 covers. In the east wall are five pre-Conquest frag- 

 ments with interlaced work, part of an incised slab 

 and the head of a two-light square-headed window. 

 There are two steps down from the porch to the floor 

 of the church. 



On the wall above the pier of the arcade, facing 

 towards the aisle, is a br.iss plate to Mary Wyvill 

 (d. 1668), bearing a shield of eight quarters, with crest 

 and mantling. She is buried in Spennithorne Church.' 



The font and pulpit are of stone, and date from 

 1876. The old font, a plain shallow circular bowl 

 roughly wrought to octagonal shape, stands on a 

 plain circular pyramidal stem at the east end of the 

 aisle. It appears to be of i 2th-century date.* The 

 octagonal step is apparently of later date. 



The tower contains one bell, cast by John Warner 

 & Sons of London in 1876. 



The plate consists of a chalice and cover paten of 

 I 57 1, with the maker's initials I F, probably for John 

 Foxe, and inscribed on the base of the cover 'Ano. 

 Dni 1571'; a paten of 1726, given to Dinsdale 

 Church in 1806, having the maker's initials WA; 

 a flagon of 1 757, made by Benjamin Cartwright of 

 London ; and an almsdish of 1 868, by Barnard & Sons, 

 given by the Rev. J. W. Smith in 1876.' 



The registers begin in 1556. 



The churchyard is entered from the road at the 

 south-west through a lych-gate, erected in memory of 

 Robert Thompson (d. January 1908) by his widow. 

 On the north-west side of the church lies a large stone 

 cofiin, the lid of which, with a raised cross, still remains. 



Norman de Dinsdale, parson of 

 j^DfOff'SON the church, is mentioned among 

 the contributors to the aids from 

 churches in 1194-5; he paid 4^.1' According to 

 depositions made in 1228 Norman petitioned the 

 monks of Durham to confer the church on his son, 

 William le Breton, and they did so, William paying 

 them 40/. a year.^' This statement agrees with 

 the charter of Bishop Philip, who died in 1208, 

 granting the church of Dinsdale and the chapel of 

 Ponteyse to William; the three marks were for the main- 

 tenance of the lights around the body of St. Cuthbert.*^ 

 This was the service mentioned in the somewhat later 

 charter by Ralph Surtees recorded above in the account 

 of the manor. There must therefore have been some 

 earlier grant of the church to the monastery which 

 has not been recorded. Before 1228 William le Breton 

 asked the monks to give the church to his clerk 

 Nicholas, who was to pay the same pension, and they 

 consented.'^ The later charters of Ralph Surtees show 

 that Nicholas le Breton ceded the church in or before 

 1240 and that Hugh of Barnard Castle died in 

 possession about 1253." The later rectors were 

 presented by the Prior and convent of Durham 

 and on the Dissolution the advowson was in 1541 

 transferred to the dean and chapter.^-' Their 

 successors, the present dean and chapter, are now 

 patrons. 



The church was never appropriated to the monastery, 

 but the rector paid a yearly pension to it. In 1291 

 this was still £2.^^ The value of the rectory was then 

 returned as ^^4 13;. 4^/. a year,*' but by 13 18 it had 

 been reduced to £i, owing probably to the incursions 

 of the Scots.i* At an inquiry made in 1466 the value 

 was found to be ^^8 4J. ; this included 10/. the rent 

 of 2 oxgangs of land in Over Middleton (q.v.), 1/. 6J. 

 tithes of the same, and 3/. tithes of Studhoe field. It 

 was at that time stated that the church had formerly 

 paid ;^5 to Durham, but this had been reduced to 10/., 

 which it was considered could well be borne. ^' Never- 

 theless a further reduction of rent was afterwards 

 made, 6s. SJ. being paid in 1535, at which time the 

 rectory was valued at 100/. yecirly.'^** 



St. Mary's Chantry in Dinsdale Church was founded 

 early in the 1 3th century. William le Breton, perhaps 

 the rector mentioned above, gave his vill of Burdon 

 to the monks of Durham, and they in the time of 

 Prior Ralph (1214-33) founded chantries at Darling- 

 ton and Dinsdale for the souls of their benefactor and 

 Alice his wife. The chaplain was to receive four marks 

 a year from the monks.-* In 1535 and 1547 accord- 

 ingly the chantry priest received 53;. 4</. from the 

 Prior of Durham." In 1 379-80 Alexander Surtees 

 had the bishop's licence to give Thomas de Moulton 

 and Richard de Norton i o marks rent in augmentation 



' 'There has been a handsome pointed 

 window at the east end of the south aisle, 

 but its interior work and tracery are 

 destroyed. The other lights are irregular ' 

 (Surtees, op. cit. [1825], iii, 240). 



•* Proc, Soc* Anii-^. NeiucjiiUf ix, 62. 



' She was the wife of Thomas Wyvill of 

 Spennithorne and daughter of Christopher 

 Place of Dinsdale. She provided j^6 

 yearly for ever for the poor of Dinsdale. 

 The monumental inscriptions in the 

 church are given in Surtees, op. cit. 

 iii, 240. 



* It it illustrated in Proc, Soc. Anfi^, 



Neivcaiitt (Ser. 3), iv, 242. See alio 

 Tram. Arch. Sac. Dur. anj Northumh. vi, 

 24$. 



' Proc. Soc. Ami J. Niiucaitle (Ser. 3), 

 iii, 285. The 1571 chalice is figured 

 p. 286. 



'» P/^f R. of Dur. (Soc. Antiq. New- 

 castle, 1847), 201 ; Feoii. Prior, Dunelm. 

 (Surt. Soc), 249. 



" Feod, Prior. Dutelm. (Surt. Soc), 249. 



" Surtees, op. cit. iii, 394. 



" FioJ, Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), loc. 

 cit. 



" Surtees, loc. cit. 



221 



" L. ar.JP.Hen. /V//, xti, g. S78 (53). 



'« Pope Ntch. Tax. (Rec Com.), 316. 



" Ibid. 315. 



" Ibid. 330 ; Reg. Palal. Dunetm. (RoUi 

 Ser.), iii, loi. 



" Surtees, op. cit. 239. 



"^ I'alor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 317. 

 See also Dur. Halmoie R. (Surt. Soc), i, 

 212. 



" FeoJ. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 

 149 d. 



» yalor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 325 ; 

 Rentals and Surv. Gen. Ser. ptfl. 7, 

 no. 29. 



