A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



early i jth-century date. The chancel may have been 

 rebuilt in the 14th century, but most of the stone- 

 work is modern. The west tower was built in the 

 latter part of the 14th century. The south porch was 

 added about 1 400, or perhaps a little earlier, and the 

 north transept was probably erected in the early part 

 of the 1 7th century. In the 1 9th century the north 

 vestry was added and the whole chancel restored. 



The three-light traceried window in the east wall 

 of the chancel is modern. In the north wall is a 

 single-light trefoiled window of modem stonework, 

 and also a modern doorway to the vestry. West of 

 this is a small square-headed window of two splayed 

 orders, which may be of 1 4th-century date ; it bears 

 a likeness to the low-side window at Buckland Church. 

 In the south wall is a single-light window of 14th- 

 century character, mostly of modem stonework. The 

 south doorway is of modern stonework. The second 

 window is of the 15th century, of two cinquefoiled 

 lights under a square head ; a few old stones remain. 



■ I2^CEisrruRY 

 ^l4^ Century 

 IIPCentury 

 H 16- Century 

 EH Modern 



Scale of 



Plan of LiTfLE Hadham Church 



Near the eastern end of the W.1II is a late 14th- 

 century piscina with splayed and stopped jambs and 

 cusped arch. The drain is quatrefoiled. There is 

 no chancel arch. On the north side of the nave is 

 the four-centred arch opening into the north tran- 

 sept ; it is of three chamfered orders, the middle one 

 hollow ; the responds are semi-octagonal and the 

 capitals are moulded. It is all executed in plaster, and 

 is probably of early 17th-century date. The outer 

 arch of the north doorway has been destroyed and 

 the opening blocked with an early 17th-century 

 window of two pointed lights of moulded brickwork 

 covered with cement. In the south wall are two i 5th- 

 centur)- windows, each of two cinquefoiled lights with 

 traceried heads. The south doorway is also of i 5th- 

 century date with arch and jambs of two moulded 

 orders having a square head and moulded label ; the 

 spandrels are traceried and contain blank shields' 



■"' At Sundon and Clothall, as well as 

 here, oolite has been used in conjunction 



The north transept is built of 2-in. bricks. In 

 the north wall is a four-light window with plain 

 tracery. The east and west walls have each a three- 

 light window under a four-centred arch. All the 

 windows are of brick cemented. On the east side is a 

 doorway with four-centred arch and splayed jambs of 

 brickwork. The chancel roof is modern. Over the 

 nave is a plain 15th-century roof with moulded beams 

 and traceried spandrels resting on carved stone corbels ; 

 one represents a knight with sword and shield and 

 others are grotesques. The north transept has an 

 elliptical plastered ceiling. The south porch is of 

 open timber work. On each side are two bays of four 

 lights each with trefoiled arches ; all the mullions are 

 gone. The entrance has a segmental pointed arch, on 

 each side of which is a single trefoiled light. The 

 barge-board is cusped. The work is much worn and 

 defaced. 



The west tower is of three stages, with diagonal 

 buttresses, embattled parapet, and slender leaded 



spire ; the belfry stair 

 is in the south-west 

 angle. The tower arch 

 is of late 14th-century 

 date and has two 

 moulded orders ; the 

 jambs have circular 

 engaged shafts sepa- 

 rated by hollows and 

 moulded capitals and 

 bases. The west door- 

 way has a pointed arch 

 of two moulded orders 

 which die on splayed 

 jambs. The label is 

 moulded and has head- 

 stops. From each stop 

 is carried a vertical 

 string-course similar 

 in section to the label, 

 which stops against 

 the string-course 

 above, under the win- 

 dow, forming a square 

 head over the doorway 

 with traceried span- 

 drels containing blank 

 shields. The splayed jambs are chiefly of modern 

 stonework, the arch is of clunch, and the label and 

 string-course of a hard oolite.'^ The west window 

 is of three cinquefoiled lights with modern tracery. 

 In the second stage, on the west and south sides of 

 the tower, are single cinquefoiled pointed lights 

 under square heads ; that on the south is blocked. 

 The belfry windows are of two cinquefoiled lights 

 with traceried heads ; they have been restored. 

 The font is of stone with plain octagonal bowl and 

 pedestal ; it is probably of early 16th-century date." 

 The oak chancel screen is of five bays on each 

 side of the central opening; the lower panels are 

 closed and two on each side of the central opening 

 have traceried heads. The rail above is carved on the 

 west side over the four traceried panels with a pome- 

 granate pattern, the other three on each side being 

 plain ; these may indicate the poations of former 



Feet 



with clunch in positions liable to be 

 damaged or weather-worn. 



'' In 1823 a fluted pillar served as the 



56 



font ; this is now in the churchyard. 

 See J. Nichols, Thi Progrciie, 0/ Quet„ 

 Elixabeti (1823), ii, 222. 



