AYLESBURY HUNDRED 



BIERTON 



followed the descent of the manor of Weston Tur- 

 ville."* Part of the land belonging to the manor of 

 Weston Butlers, afterwards united to the manor of 

 Weston Turville," 7 lay in Broughton, and part of 

 Broughton, like Weston Turville, belonged to the 

 duchy of Lancaster."* 



The church of ST. JJMES is a cruci- 

 CHURCH form structure, the internal measure- 

 ments of which are as follows : Chancel, 

 1 4 ft. 6 in. by 21 ft. 9 in. ; central tower about 1 3 ft. 

 9 in. square ; north transept, 17 ft. by 1 6 ft. 3 in. ; 

 south transept, 1 6 ft. Sin. square ; nave, 1 7 ft. 6 in. 

 by 5 2 ft. ; in. ; and north and south aisles, 7 ft. 3 in. 

 wide, with a north porch. 



The church appears to have been built complete 

 about the middle of the 141)1 century, since which 

 time practically nothing has been done to alter the 

 plan. At a late date, perhaps in 1636, the 

 original high-pitched roof over the nave and aisles 

 was removed and a low-pitched roof put in its 

 place, the aisle walls being heightened and an upper 



part of an Easter sepulchre, and of the same date as 

 the chancel. The only window in this wall is also 

 original. It is of two trefoilcd lights with tracery in 

 the form of trefoils with a quatrefoil over. The rear 

 arch and the jambs of the internal splay are moulded 

 with a broad wave mould, and there are internal and 

 external labels with drips in the form of heads. At 

 the east end of the south wall is a piscina with shafted 

 jambs and moulded two-centred head, all considerably 

 restored ; and in this wall is also a duplicate of the 

 north window already described. The roof of the 

 chancel is a modern one of steep pitch. 



The central tower is carried on four large clustered 

 piers and arches of three simply moulded orders, the 

 western arch having a label towards the nave. 



The tower stair is in the north-east angle of the 

 south transept, entered from the transept, and the 

 belfry windows are plain pointed openings filled with 

 luffer boards. The tower finishes with a low roof and 

 a plain parapet which projects on corbels carved with 

 ball-flowers. The steeple it said to have fallen in a 



Scale . of . feet 



PLAN or BIERTON CHURCH 



tier of windows inserted in them probably to light 

 galleries. It is probable that the roofs of the 

 transepts were also treated in this way at the same 

 time, but the whole church was reroofed about the 

 middle of the 1 9th century. The windows have also 

 been altered at various dates from the 1 5th century 

 to the present day. But despite these various altera- 

 tions and additions the church remains a notable 

 example of c. 1330-40, the nave arcades and the 

 arches of the tower being particularly handsome in 

 proportion and well thought-out in detail, while the 

 tracery of inch of the original windows as remain is of 

 the best character. 



The east window is of three cinquefoiled lights with 

 ijth-century tracery, and is a modern insertion, the 

 head and defaced moulded jambs and rear arch of the 

 original and wider 14th-century window still being 

 visible. On either side of this are image niches also 

 of 14th-century date with cinquefoiled heads. In the 

 north wall of the chancel is a fairly large niche with 

 moulded jambs and a moulded trefoiled head, possibly 



report of the church made in 1636, and its present 

 upper stage is probably a rebuilding of that date. 



The north transept contains one much-restored 

 ijth-ccntury north window of three cinquefoiled 

 lights, under a four-centred head. There are no east 

 or west windows ; the arch to the north aisle is of 

 two plain chamfered orders the outer of which is con- 

 tinuous, the inner having half-octagonal moulded 

 capitals like those of the nave arcades. 



The south transept has a south window like that in 

 the north transept, with traces in its jambs and head 

 of the original 14th-century light. In this transept 

 are two doors, one to the tower stair and the other 

 external. The former has a trefoiled head and a 

 crocketed label of late 14th-century date, and seems 

 to have been added after the church was completed, 

 the label cutting into the respond of the tower arch. 

 The external door is in the south wall and has a plain 

 four-centred head. It has been cut through the back 

 of a single sedile, evidently part of the original fittings, 

 with an ogee cinquefoiled head, a crocketed and 



Ct WC.IOQ Tnmlle. 



^ fW. AUt, i, 86. 

 325 



" D. of Line. Miic-bdle. 6, no. 15. 



