A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



head with curiously slight cusping and a cinquefoiled 

 ogee sub-head. The sill of the window before- 

 mentioned is carried down to form sedilia, the backs 

 of which had slightly sunk panels with sub-cusped 

 cinquefoiled heads, now much defaced. In the western 

 jamb is a small filled-in niche. West of the sedilia 

 is a small priest's door also of 14th-century date, richly 

 moulded on both faces and now blocked. There are 

 two further 14th-century windows with tracery, some- 

 what restored, in two trefoiled lights with trefoils and 

 a quatrefoil over. The jambs and rear arches are 

 continuously moulded and there are both internal and 

 external labels. Below the westernmost of these 

 windows is a low window of the same date with a 

 moulded rear arch and two trefoiled lights, the heads 

 of which are modern or of very late insertion, and 

 through its west jamb is pierced a squint from the 

 south transept. The chancel arch is of similar detail 

 to the nave arcades, the capitals ranging, but the arch 

 itself is higher and of steeper pitch and has perhaps 

 been rebuilt and widened in the 1 5th century, when 

 the rood-stair was inserted. It is of two plain 

 chamfered orders, and the responds have engaged 

 quarter and half-round shafts with square fillets 

 between and moulded circular capitals and bases. In 

 its original state the chancel must have been a 

 splendid example of the style of its time, and even in 

 its defaced and ' restored ' condition is extremely 

 interesting. 



The nave arcades, as already stated, are similar in 

 design to the chancel arch, but have labels with 

 grotesque dripstones, and the chamfer on the outer 

 order of the arches is carefully stopped, while the details 

 of the capitals and bases are slightly different. In the 

 two eastern responds are the rood-loft doors, and there 

 is a clearstory with five windows on each side, each 

 of two trefoiled lights with trefoils in the spandrels. 

 They are of early 15th-century date and have 

 moulded internal jambs and rear arches with a square 

 main head. The roof is of the same date, of flat 

 pitch with six deep moulded principals and a 

 moulded ridge, purlins, and wall plates. Beneath the 

 principals are brackets, with cusped tracery in the 

 spandrels, resting upon corbels in the form of angels 

 holding shields. The tower arch is rather low and 

 of three chamfered orders, the two innermost dying 

 into the jambs and the outer being continuous. 



The north transept has a three-light north win- 

 dow of early 15th-century date of three trefoiled 

 lights, the middle one slightly higher than the side 

 lights and sub-cusped, while the main head is square 

 with trefoils in the spandrels. In the middle of the 

 east wall is a 14th-century window of cinquefoiled 

 lights with flamboyant tracery over and double 

 wave-moulded jambs and rear arch now opening to 

 the organ chamber. North of this is a wide niche 

 or recess with a slightly ogee-shaped head. The 

 back has been elaborately painted to represent 

 hangings of crimson brocade worked in a flowing 

 floral design. In this niche is a fragment carved 

 with a shield bearing three bulls passant, two and one. 

 There is a smaller niche to the south of the window, 

 and below it a plain pointed piscina with a modern 

 drain. At the south end of the wall is a low door, 

 largely if not entirely modern, opening into the organ 

 chamber ; it replaces the lower door of the rood- 

 stairs, the upper door of which, with a portion of the 

 curved wall of the turret, is still visible. 



On the west are two bays of arcading opening to 

 the widened south aisle, one arch of which, with one 

 respond and the pier, are modern and of 14th-century 

 detail. The roof is modern. 



The north wall of the north aisle is quite modern 

 and has two reset three-light 15th-century windows. 

 Between these is the reset 14th-century north door 

 with wave-moulded jambs and two-centred head. 

 Internally and a little to the east of it a plain holy- 

 water stone has been inserted in the wall. The 

 porch is quite modern and of 14th-century detail 

 with a small two-light window on either side. 



The south transept has a three-light window of 

 early 15th-century date at the north end of its 

 east wall with a four-centred main head and a double 

 wave-moulded rear arch, the same mouldings occur- 

 ring in two uncusped image niches, on either side 

 of this window. South of these is a two-light 14th- 

 century window similar in detail to but much smaller 

 than the two windows at the west end of the south 

 wall of the chancel. In the south wall is a small 

 door either modern or completely restored and in 

 the centre of the wall an early 15th-century window 

 of three cinquefoiled lights. On the west is a single 

 light of late 14th-century date, and a plain arch of 

 two chamfered orders without responds opens to 

 the south aisle. 



The windows of the south aisle are identical with 

 those on the north and the south door is opposite the 

 north door and is similar in detail. At the west end 

 of the aisle is the door to the added tower stair and 

 just west of the south door is a small niche with a 

 cinquefoiled head. The south porch, a late addition, 

 appears originally to have been of two stories. The 

 floor, however, has been removed, though a dormer 

 window remains. 



The tower is of three stages with an embattled 

 parapet. The west door of 14th-century date is 

 continuously moulded with double sunk chamfers and 

 hollow moulds, but has been much restored. Above 

 this the head and parts of the jambs of a late 15th- 

 century window have been inserted, probably at a 

 late date. The north, south, and east belfry openings 

 are of two lights under a square label, but the west 

 opening is filled with part of a fine early 14th-cen- 

 tury window of three cinquefoiled lights, and enough 

 remains to suggest elaborate tracery, though it has 

 been cut off square a little above the lower heads. 

 Internally the jambs are shafted, with rich floral 

 capitals and circular bases, and there is an internal 

 label. 



The font is of the type so common in this 

 neighbourhood, the finest example of which is perhaps 

 that at Aylesbuiy. It is of late 12th-century date 

 and has an octagonal bowl on a short circular moulded 

 stem worked into a square base shaped like an inverted 

 cushion capital. The seats, &c. are modern, but 

 some old carved tracery has been worked in. In the 

 south transept are the remains of several brasses, the 

 only figure remaining being that of a woman of 

 c. 1510 There is also a beautifully designed helm 

 and mantling, part of a 15th-century achievement of 

 arms, with the crest of a maidenhead. Below is an 

 inscription in Roman lettering to Zacheus Metcalfe 

 1595, and Margaret Metcalfe 1596. There is also 

 the inscription of a brass to John Iwardby and his 

 wife Katherine the daughter of Bernard de MU- 

 senden ; she died 1436, but the date of his death is 



352 



