EDWINSTREE HUNDRED 



MUCH HADHAM 



The east window of the chancel is of 15th-century 

 date and has five cinquefoiled lights with traceried 

 head. In the north wall is an early 13th-century 

 blocked lancet, and partly under, and cutting into 

 it, is a large doorway of about 1350, with arch and 

 jambs of two continuously moulded orders of double 

 ogee mouldings ; this opens into the vestry, and has 

 an old oak door formed of planks about I 5 in. wide, 

 with fine early 13th-century iron hinges and scroll- 

 work. At the western ends of the chancel walls on 

 each side are lofty shallow recesses about 1 5 ft. in 

 width of 1 3th-century date ; they appear to be of 

 the full height of the original chancel, and the jambs 

 have splayed edges. A 1 3th-century moulded string- 

 course under the windows inside is returned into 

 these recesses ; they have never been arched, and 

 were apparently originally recesses to give extra width 

 to the chancel ; there is nothing to indicate their 

 former depth. They were filled up, probably in the 

 15 th century, when a window of two cinquefoiled 

 lights with traceried head was inserted in each. The 

 window on the north side now opens into the organ 

 chamber. Between the old doorway to the vestry 

 and the doorway to the organ chamber is a recess, 

 probably used as an Easter sepulchre, with con- 

 tinuously moulded arch and jambs and moulded label 

 forming an ogee arch above, with a mutilated carved 

 finial and stops with shields ; it is of 15th-century 

 date. The doorway to the organ chamber has a 

 splayed arch and jambs and is of l 5th-century date ; 

 some of the stonework has been renewed. In the 

 south wall are two 15th-century windows of two 

 cinquefoiled lights. The one at the eastern end has a 

 segmental arched head ; the other, in the built-up 

 recess, is similar to that on the north side. The 

 south doorway is of 15th-century date and is similar 

 to that opening into the organ chamber. In the 

 south wall are two piscinas. The most easterly, which 

 is of 1 5th-century date, has a cinquefoiled arch, nearly 

 elliptical, under a square head ; the arch and jambs 

 are moulded. The adjoining one is double, one 

 side being a credence ; the arches are trefoiled, and 

 the jambs, arch and central shaft are moulded. In 

 one of the openings is a sixfoiled drain ; it is of 

 13th-century date. The chancel arch is of two 

 chamfered orders, the inner one hollow-chamfered. 

 The jambs have splayed sides and a central engaged 

 circular shaft, slightly keel-shaped. The mutilated 

 capitals are moulded, the bases have gone. The work 

 is of early 1 3th-century date, but has been taken 

 down and rebuilt with a wider span in the 15 th 

 century, the small-sized voussoirs in the upper part 

 of the arch indicating the extension. The chancel 

 roof is of 1 5th-century date, with roses carved on the 

 soffit of the tie-beams at the centre. 



The north nave arcade consists of five bays. The 

 eastern bay, which is wider than the others, formerly 

 opened into the north chapel. It is of late 13th- 

 century date and has an arch of two splayed orders, 

 the inner one hollow-chamfered. There is a moulded 

 label on one side only ; the responds are semi- 

 octagonal and the capitals and bases are moulded. 

 The west impost is back to back with the impost of 

 the four western arches, which are of mid- 14th- 

 century date with two moulded orders and labels on 

 both sides. The mouldings are enriched with ball- 

 flowers and leaf carvings placed at considerable 

 distances apart. The piers are octagonal, with moulded 



capitals and bases ; the capitals, which are at a higher 

 level than those of the eastern bay, have human 

 faces and leaves carved on their bells. The south 

 arcade is also of five bays. The three eastern arches 

 were erected about 1240-50, one of two orders, the 

 outer one splayed, the inner with a hollow between 

 fillets and a label on both sides. The octagonal piers 

 have moulded capitals and bases. The two western 

 arches, of about 1260-70, have two orders, one a 

 plain chamfer, the inner hollowed, and plain labels ; 

 the piers are octagonal with moulded capitals and 

 bases, the clunch capitals being much mutilated. 

 On many of the stones in the two western arches 

 are roughly cut mason's marks in the form of irre- 

 gularly shaped crosses potent. The 1 5th-century 

 clearstory windows have three cinquefoiled lights 

 under a square head. The nave roof is of 15th- 

 century date, with moulded trusses and carved bosses, 

 and with traceried spandrels under the tie-beams 

 resting on stone corbels, some of which bear the 

 symbols of the Evangelists, and others are carved 

 with figure subjects. In the north-east corner of 

 the nave is the upper doorway to the rood-stair, set in 

 a splay. 



The three-light east window of the north aisle 

 and the two adjoining two-light windows in the 

 north wall are all of 15th-century date, with cinque- 

 foiled lights and traceried heads. Under the east 

 window is a recess which formerly contained an altar 

 reredos ; to the south of it, in the east wall, is a 

 small trefoil-headed piscina with hollow-chamfered 

 edge. In the south-east angle is the doorway to the 

 rood-stair, and beside it is a small blocked trefoiled 

 opening, probably not in its original position. The 

 west window of three lights and the adjoining two 

 in the north wall of two lights are of 14th-century 

 date, with flowing tracery ; under the window sills 

 in the west and north walls inside runs a 14th- 

 century moulded string-course, with carvings at 

 intervals as on the arcade arches. The north doorway 

 has continuously moulded arch and jambs of 14th- 

 century date. 



The east and west windows of the south aisle are 

 of 15th-century date, each of three cinquefoiled lights 

 with traceried heads. There are four windows in 

 the south wall. The most easterly is a three-light 

 window of 15th-century date, similar to the east 

 window but much restored. The second is of 14th- 

 century date, of two lights, with flowing tracery ; the 

 inner jamb has a double ogee moulding and label ; 

 much of the stonework is modern. The third window 

 is similar in character, but of modern stonework ; the 

 fourth is a 15th-century window of two cinque- 

 foiled lights, with traceried head, restored. The 

 15th-century south doorway has arch and jambs of 

 two continuously moulded orders under a square 

 head ; in each traceried spandrel is a shield, one 

 bearing St. George's cross, the other St. Andrew's. 

 In the east end of the south wall is a 14th-century 

 piscina with cusped arch, slightly ogee-shaped, and 

 carved mutilated finial ; the drain is sixfoiled. The 

 south porch belongs to the 1 5th century. On each 

 side are two two-light windows under four-centred 

 arches ; much of the stonework of these is modern. 

 The entrance has a moulded two-centred arch with 

 semi-octagonal shafts in the jambs and moulded 

 capitals ; the buttresses have cusped gablets. The 

 parapets of the porch and both aisles are embattled. 



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