HITCHIN HUNDRED 



e and aisles 



The church consists of a chan 

 south porch and west tower. 



The nave and aisles belong to the original church 

 of c. 1220, which probably consisted of a chancel, 

 nave and aisles and west tower, and the south porch 

 contains re-used masonry of that date. The windows 

 and doors belong to various dates in the 14th and 

 Ijth centuries. In 1777 the chancel was recasetf, 

 repaired and refitted, and the west tower was entirely 

 rebuilt in the early part of the 19th century. Various 

 minor repairs have also been executed during the 

 1 9th century. 



The chancel is apsidal in its interior termination 

 but square outside. It is heavily plastered and has a 

 canopy of plaster drapery over the 18th-century 

 ^ east window of one wide pointed light without 

 tracery. Over the apse, which is round-headed, is a 

 plaster moulding carried up to a pointed head in- 

 closing Gothic tracery. The chancel is also lighted 

 by a cupola in the roof. The 18th-century chancel 

 arch is round-headed with niches in the flat jambs and 

 plaster panelling in the soffit of the arch. An ancient 

 stone coffin stands in the chancel. 



The nave has arcades of four bays. The arches 

 are of two chamfered orders, with labels running 

 right down to the abaci of the capitals, and with 

 carved stops, some of which are broken off. They are 

 supported by octagonal pillars, which lean outwards 

 considerably, probably owing to the pressure of an 

 earlier roof. The capitals are foliate and the bases 

 are moulded. The I 5th-century clearstory has three 

 windows on either side, two of three lights, and one, 

 the westernmost, of two lights, all much restored. 

 The roof has one I 5th-century tie, resting on a broken 

 carved corbel of that date, at the eastern end. The 

 north aisle has a modern east window. The three 

 square-headed windows in the north wall are of two 

 lights, of the 15th century, and are much repaired. 

 A small inscription cut on the east jamb of the 

 easternmost of these windows records the consecration, 

 on the feast of St. Sulpicius, of the side altar below the 

 window. In the middle window are some fragments 

 of 14th-century glass. There is no west window. 

 The north door has a two-centred arch of two orders, 

 and was inserted towards the end of the 1 4th century. 



The south aisle has an east window and three south 

 windows, all of two lights. The east window and the 

 western of the two south windows have pointed 

 heads ; that at the eastern end of the south wall is 

 square-headed. All have modern tracery, but the 

 inner jambs are probably of the 15th century. At 

 the east end of the south wall is a 15th-century 

 piscina, with a shallow pointed niche over it, in 

 which are two tiles, with the lettering in reverse, 

 probably of the 14th century. The south doorway 

 is also of the 15th century, and has a square head. 

 The roof is of the 15th century. The south porch, 

 of brick covered with cement, has some re-used 

 material of the same date as the nave (c. 1220) in its 

 west window. The entrance arch, which is pointed, 

 is heavily defaced by cement repairs. 



The brick tower has a small low spire and an 

 embattled parapet. It is of two stages. The tower 

 arch is plastered. 



OFFLEY 



The font is octagonal, of Totternhoe stone. Each 

 side contains the head of a heavily cruckcted ogee 

 with a finial, inclosing tracery of various designs ; 

 pinnacles with heavy finials are carved at the angles, 

 and rosettes fill the spaces between them and the 

 finials of the ogees. The bowl rests on a low stem 

 with eight engaged half-octagonal shafts on plinths, 

 with four-leaved flowers between them. The date of 

 the font is the middle of the 14th century. The 

 wooden cover is of the early I 7th century. 



There is some late 1 5th -century seating m the nave 

 and aisles westward of the gangway. 



On the north wall of the north aisle is a brass 

 of John Samuel, his two wives and one son. Another 

 brass with no inscription is that of a man, his three 

 wives and nine sons ; it is plainly by the same 

 engraver as that of John Samuel. On the floor of 

 the aisle are the indents of the brasses in two slabs. 



On the west wall of the south aisle is a monument 

 to John Spencer, 1699, with elaborately sculptured 

 figures. 



The bells are six : the treble, by Robert Oldfeild, 

 of 1632 ; the second, of 161 8, the fourth of 1 6 1 9, 

 and the fifth, of 1618, by Thomas Bartlett ; while 

 the third is by John Dyer, 1583, and the tenor by 

 John Briant, I 803. 



The plate, all presented by Eliza Chamber in 

 1730, consists of two cups, two patens, flagon and 

 almsdish, of the same date. There is also a large 

 plated shield, bearing the sacred monogram, the 

 origin and purpose of which are unknown. 



The registers are contained in six books, the first 

 having all entries from 1653 to 1734, the second 

 baptisms and burials from 1 7 3 2 to I S I 2 and marriages 

 from 1732 to 1753, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth 

 marriages from 1754 to 1764, 1764 to 1802, 1802 

 to 18 10, and 181 1 to 1812, respectively. 



The advowson of the church of 

 4DV0IVS0N Offley was granted probably about 

 the middle of the 12th century by 

 Amice Delamare and her son Geoffrey (see Delamers 

 Manor) to the church of St. Mary, Bradenstoke, 

 co. Wilts. Geoffrey de St. Ledger (see manor of 

 St. Ledgers) also confirmed the grant before 1207, 1 " 

 and in 1237-8 William de St. Ledger, great-grandson 

 of Amice, made a further release of the title to Simon, 

 Prior of Bradenstoke." 6 At the beginning of the 

 14th century the convent apparently alienated it, for 

 in 1406 it was held by the executors of the will of 

 Robert Braybrook, Bishop of London, who in that 

 year obtained licence to endow with it a chantry in 

 the church of Chalgrave, co. Bedford, for the souls of 

 Robert Braybrook and Sir Nigel Loreng (for whom 

 see Kimpton).'" Licence was also given for the 

 master and chaplains of the chantry to appropriate the 

 church, maintaining the endowment for the vicarage 

 already made." 3 



At the dissolution of chantries in the reign of 

 Edward VI the advowson came to the Crown, 

 and in 1599 Queen Elizabeth granted it to Henry 

 Best and John Hallywell,' 5 ' probably in trust for 

 Luke Norton, who presented in 1603, 1606, 1608 

 and 1614. His son Graveley Norton presented in 

 1661. Luke son of Graveley sold the advowson to 



" Cal. Pat. 14.01-8, 



'. Papal Lett 



