RISBOROUGH HUNDRED 



date, with white marble shafted jambs and moulded 

 two-centred head of poor imitation Gothic detail. 

 Below the window there is the same string-course as 

 on the north, with an inserted pinnacle opposite to 

 that in the north wall. Their intention is not clear, 

 as they are so near to the west of the chancel. 



The chancel arch is of mid- 13th-century date, of 

 rather blunt two-centred form and two square orders, 

 with a plain roll label on the west side. Just above 

 the haunches of the arch are two early 15th-century 

 head corbels as supports to a rood beam which ran 

 across the top of the arch, the label being cut away to 

 allow for this. At the spring the label is also cut away 

 to allow for the rood loft, here supported upon plainer 

 corbels. The jambs of the arch are plain, with a 

 stopped chamfer, and the inner order is supported on 

 moulded half-octagonal capitals with corbels under, 

 carved into a face. 



The nave is of four bays, and though the south 

 arcade is a trifle later than the north, the detail 

 throughout is the same. The arches are two-centred, 

 of two square orders, with a plain roll label towards 

 the nave. The columns are round, with circular 

 moulded bases on square plinths, and bell-shaped 

 capitals enriched with beautiful cinquefoiled and 

 trefoiled leaves in relief, and with octagonal abaci 

 square edged above. The capitals are all of the same 

 general style, but in some the leaves lie close to the 

 bell and in others are undercut. There are no re- 

 sponds, but the arches at the ends of the arcades 

 spring from corbels with semi-octagonal capitals. The 

 corbels on the north arc plain, but on the south are 

 foliated in the same way as the capitals. 



The clearstory windows are modern, of three tre- 

 foiled lights under a flat lintel, but the openings are old. 

 They are six in number, three on either side of the nave. 



In the external angle between the north aisle and 

 chancel is the south respond of a I zth-century open- 

 ing to a chapel east of the transept of the earlier 

 church, with a chamfered and beaded abacus. The 

 arch has completely disappeared, but a straight joint 

 in the east wall of the aisle on the outside suggests 

 the line of the north wall of this chapel, while a 

 partly built-up recess on the inside is evidently the 

 opening from the transept to the chapel. In this 

 recess has been inserted a late 14th-century window 

 of two trefoiled lights, with a square head and tre- 

 foiled spandrels. To the north of this window is a 

 rich but mutilated canopied niche of eirly 15th-cen- 

 tury date. In the north wall are three two-light 

 windows. The first and last are of similar design and 

 date to the south-east window in the chancel. Be- 

 tween them is a mid- 1 4th-century window of two 

 trefoiled lights with flowing tracery and a quatrefoil 

 over. A little west of this is a small north doorway 

 of early 13th-century date, with a semicircular head 

 of one square order and rather roughly-moulded 

 abaci. At the west end of the aisle is a half-arch 

 buttressing the east tower arch, so much restored ai 

 to appear modern. 



The south aisle has a blocked east window, which 

 was apparently a late insertion ; externally the wall 

 has been rcfaced. At the cast end of the south wall 

 is a piscina with a plain two-centred chamfered head, 

 and in the same wall are three windows. The first 

 from the east is a very fine example of early- 1 4th- 



BLEDLOW 



century date. It is of four lancet lights, with trefoiled 

 subheads and oval quatrefoils in the lancets, the jambs, 

 head, mullions, and tracery being moulded internally 

 and externally, and there is an external label. Partly 

 under it is a mid- 14th-century tomb recess with 

 jambs and a low pointed arch of two wave-moulded 

 orders. The second window is of the same design 

 and date as the window opposite to it in the north 

 aisle. The south door, immediately west of this 

 window, is of the same date as the arcade, with a 

 two-centred head of three moulded orders, the inner 

 being continuous and the outer pair resting upon 

 detached circular shafts with moulded capitals and 

 bases. The third window is of two uncusped lights, 

 much restored, and is a 1 3th-century opening. At 

 the west end of the original aisle is a half-arch similar 

 to that on the north, but all of late- 1 ; th-century date. 

 It is of two chamfered orders, and springs from a 

 carved corbel capital. 



The tower is of three stages, with a plain coped 

 parapet resting on a fine corbel table with grotesque 

 and mask corbels. The belfry openings, four in num- 

 ber, are of two uncusped lancet lights with a quatre- 

 foil over, set in a moulded reveal with a two-centred 

 head and a scroll label. In the second stage are 

 three small lancets of two chamfered orders, and on 

 the east face appears the steep weathering of the 1 3th- 

 century roof, the ridge of which reaches to the sill of 

 the belfry openings. In the north, south, and east 

 walls of the ground stage of the tower are arches 

 opening respectively into prolongations of the aisles 

 and to the nave. These arches are of two chamfered 

 orders, the outer continuous and the inner resting 

 upon half-octagonal pilasters with moulded capitals 

 and bases. The west window in this stage is of two 

 cinquefoiled lights, with cusped tracery over ; the 

 cusping has been mutilated, but the window is appar- 

 ently of 14th-century date. The west door, of some- 

 what later date, has continuous wave-mouldings of 

 two orders, with an external label. 



The part of the north aisle flanking the tower is lit 

 by a small 14th-century trefoiled light in the west 

 wall. The corresponding space on the south of the 

 tower is used as a baptistery, and is lit on the south 

 by a modern window of two trefoiled lights, and on 

 the west by a small, much-restored round-headed 

 window of doubtful date. 



The south porch has a wide outer arch of two 

 moulded orders, of good 14th-century detail, and the 

 porch has stone benches on the east and west, and at 

 the north-east a small square holy water stone. 



The font is of late 12th-century date, of local type, 

 with a circular scalloped bowl on a square base formed 

 like an inverted cushion capital and ornamented with 

 foliage in lunette panels, and the short stem is circular, 

 with cable mouldings. The roofs throughout are 

 very plain, of low pitch, covered with lead, and may 

 possibly be of I 5th-century date. There are no pews, 

 the nave and aisles being filled with chairs, and the 

 chancel stalls, rood screen, and pulpit are modern. At 

 the east end of the south aisle is a 17th-century altar 

 table and a late carved wood eagle lectern. In the 

 same place is preserved a curious 18th-century carved 

 wooden candle and candlestick. The candle is 

 painted, and the candlestick with its clawed foot and 

 the candle-flame are gilt.'" 



u * Thi appear* to be one of the 

 'three ihim tapen in candleitickt carved 



and gilt' which Mood in 1785 on the 

 pediment over the attar-piece. It it now 



251 



laid to have been for UK at funcrali 

 See Y.C.U. Bucki. \, 34.1. 



