AYLESBURY HUNDRED 



the 1 3th century. Towards the end of that century 

 the south aisle, and about the middle of the 1 4th 

 the north aisle, were added. It is impossible to say 

 when the original tower was built, for this part of 

 the church was completely rebuilt about 1800. The 

 chancel was also rebuilt in the 1 4th century, and at 

 the same time and in the century following windows 

 were inserted at various points. The original clear- 

 story probably belonged to the latter date. 



The east window of the chancel is modern and of 

 three trefoiled lights with tracery of 14th-century 

 detail and elaborately shafted jambs and moulded rear 

 arch. On either side of it are modern niches with 

 trefoiled heads and finialed canopies. In the north 

 wall it a much- restored niche of late 14th-century 

 work with a trefoiled head and an elaborate finialed 

 andcrocketed canopy on modern corbels Carved into 

 heads in mail hoods. This niche, possibly an Easter 

 sepulchre, it engraved in the Gentleman 'i Magazine for 

 1796, p. 841 that is previous to its restoration, and 

 is shown without the carved corbels but with small 

 side buttresses surmounted by figures. At the back 

 of this, externally, is a small square recess, now glazed. 

 West of this is a blocked 14th-century door continu- 

 ously moulded on its internal jambs, but not showing 

 on the outer face of the wall ; it once led into a 

 vestry, which is now destroyed, and of which the 

 recess was one of the fittings. Between this door 

 and the west wall are two mid- 14th-century windows 

 with geometrical tracery of two trefoiled lights 

 with two trefoils and a quatrefoil over, a moulded 

 rear arch and internal and external labels. At the 

 south-east of the chancel are three beautiful mid- 

 l^th-century sedilia and a piscina, divided from 

 each other by small buttresses with richly crocketed 

 pinnacles. The heads are cinquefoiled, in the case of 

 the sedilia sub-cusped, and of ogee form with richly 

 moulded crocketed and finialed labels, while the backs 

 of the sedilia are concave, and there is a shelf to the 

 piscina. The seats are at one level throughout. 

 Above is a blocked 14th-century window, and 

 west of it a small priest's door of 14th-century 

 date, and two 14th-century windows similar in 

 every respect to those on the north except that the 

 western one has its western light continued down- 

 wards to form a low side window, the sill of 

 the window above forming a square transom head. 

 The chancel arch, belonging to the first half of 

 the 1 4th century, is of two wave-moulded orders, 

 the jambs having half-round shafts with moulded 

 capitals. 



The nave is of four bays. The north arcade has 

 two-centred arches of two wave-moulded orders and 

 an ogee label with carved drips. The east responds, 

 the first and the third columns are octagonal, the 

 second column and the west respond are round, while 

 all have moulded capitals and bases. The south 

 arcade, c. 1280, ha* two-centred arches of two 

 hollow-chamfered orders, broach stopped, and an 

 undercut label mitred over the piers, with buckle drip* 

 over the responds. The columns and responds are 

 round and octagonal, arranged in the same way as in 

 the north arcade, and have moulded capitals of rather 

 plain section and plain chamfered bases. At the east end 

 are doors on either side to the rood loft. There are 

 three much-restored clearstory lights on either hand; 

 the first and third are quatrefoils, the second a circle 

 with eight cusps. The tower arch is modern and of 



ASTON CLINTON 



the same detail as the north arcade, but there are a 

 few old stones in the jambs, which suggest a 14th- 

 century date for the original tower. 



The north aisle has an east window of 15th-century 

 date with three cinquefoiled lights and cusped span- 

 drels under a square head, and with a moulded rear 

 arch and external jambs of two moulded orders. In 

 the south wall are three two-light windows of the 

 same date and of similar general design. All of these 

 have external labels and have been much restored. 

 To the west are two modern trefoiled lights in an old 

 opening. The north door, between the western pair 

 of windows, is of 15th-century date with a blunt 

 two-centred head and spandrel sinkings. The porch 

 is moJern. 



The east window of the south aisle is of three 

 cinquefoiled lights with tracery and of early 1 5th- 

 century date, but is an insertion in an older opening, 

 which it does not fit. At the east end of the south 

 wall is a late 1 3th-century piscina with a moulded 

 two-centred head and a curiously crude label, which 

 is carried completely round the piscina, forming a sort 

 of frame. There are three two-light windows to the 

 south. All are very much restored, the westernmost 

 is almost entirely modern but the openings are old. 

 The lights are cinquefoiled, with cusped spandrel- 

 lights over under a square head, and are of 15th- 

 century style. Sufficient old stone remains, par- 

 ticularly in the easternmost, to make it appear pro- 

 bable that their tracery is a faithful copy of former 

 work. The sill of the first window is carried down to 

 form sedilia, and both this and the one next it have 

 shafted jambs, and all have moulded rear arches 

 and external jambs with square labels. The west 

 window of the aisle is also of 14th-century date, 

 with two trefoiled lights and two quatrefoils over 

 in a square head. The south door, between the 

 westernmost pair of windows, of late 14th-century 

 date though much restored, is of two double ogee 

 orders separated by a deep hollow, and has an ex- 

 ternal label. 



The south porch of 15th-century date is of two 

 stages, but the upper part has been completely rebuilt 

 in recent years with the use of a great deal of new 

 material. In the north-west corner is the door to 

 the staircase, and the upper story is lighted by a 

 modern square-headed south window. The porch 

 entrance is of two orders and much restored. 



The tower, which was completely rebuilt in 1 800 

 and restored since then, is of three stages, the lower 

 two of which are rough cast, the upper and the em- 

 battled parapet being faced with flint rubble. The 

 belfry openings are modern and of two cinquefoiled 

 lights with a square label. The west window is 

 modern, of 14th-century detail with two trefoiled 

 lights with tracery over. 



The octagonal font is modern and of early 1 5th- 

 century detail, but in the south aisle is preserved 

 the basin of a 12th-century font of crude work- 

 manship ornamented with alternate raised and sunk 

 rosettes. The chancel roof is modern and of steep 

 pitch. The roofs of nave and aisles are of low pitch 

 and modern. 



There is little woodwork of any interest, but a 17th- 

 century table remains, and a couple of chairs of the 

 same date stand within the sanctuary rails. 



The tower contains six bells cast by Thomas Mean 

 & Sons 1806, and a sanctus dated 1778. 



3'7 



