HITCHIN HUNDRED 



foiled lights in a square head. A doorway, also on 

 the south side, has a two-centred arch. In the 

 chancel, under the easternmost window on the south 

 side, is a 1 4th- century double piscina with a central 

 pilkr. 



The east and west arches of the central tower are 

 semicircular, of about 1130, and several of the stones 

 are ornamented with a diaper pattern. The capitals 

 and abaci arc plain, and have been reset and retooled. 

 On the north side is a doorway, of about 1330, with 

 a lancet head and a simple continuous moulding. It 

 now leads to a modern wooden vestry built against 

 the north side of the tower. On the south side is a 

 wide archway, now bricked up, with a low modern 

 two-centred head. This originally opened into a 

 south transept. 



The nave is lighted on the north side by two 

 windows, the easternmost of three lights with tracery 

 above, of the 1 5th century. The lower part of this 

 window is blocked up, the sill being 2 ft. 8 in. below 

 the bottom of the lights. The westernmost window is 

 of two cinquefoiled ogee-headed lights, with a quatre- 

 foil above, and has a high two-centred head. In this 

 window are fragments of 1 4th-century glass. Between 

 the two windows is visible on the interior side only 

 a lath-century round-headed window, now blocked. 

 The 14th-century north doorway, to the west of 

 both windows, is blocked, but on the outside its two- 

 centred head and single -splayed jambs are visible, and 

 the door, which is much defaced, is probably contem- 

 porary. On this wall are remains of painting, now 

 quite undecipherable, which were discovered in 1 883. 



The south wall of the nave has two windows similar, 

 and similarly arranged, to those on the north side, but 

 the jambs of the easternmost window are of the 14th 

 century, and the lower part is not blocked, while the 

 lights of the westernmost window are trefoiled, and 

 simple arches instead of ogees. In the easternmost 

 window are fragments of 15th-century glass with the 

 arms of Lindsay. There are between the windows the 

 remains, consisting of the eastern jamb and half the 

 head, of a 12th-century window like that in the north 

 wall. The south doorway, of about I 3 30, has a two- 

 centred head. The jambs are plain on the interior but 

 moulded on the exterior side. The door is probably 

 contemporary. To the west is the doorway, with a 

 two-centred head, of the stairs to the upper floor of 

 the porch. The west window has three ogee cinque- 

 foiled lights, with tracery above, in a two-centred 

 head. It has been repaired with cement, and is now 

 blocked. The south porch is of two stages, the ceiling 

 of the lower stage having been removed, so that the 

 porch is now open to the roof. There is a stone seat 

 in the west side of the porch ; the east and west 

 windows have been blocked up. There is a small 

 recess over the two-centred entrance arch, and the 

 two-light window of the upper stage above the recess 

 is original, but the dividing mullion is missing. 



The upper stage of the tower is reached by a newel 

 in the north-west angle, approached by a door on the 

 outside. The bell chamber is lighted by three two- 

 light traceried windows on the east, north and south, 

 with two-centred heads, and on the west by a square- 

 headed loop. There is a two-light window on the 



PIRTON 



north side of the lower stage. The tower has an 

 embattled parapet and a needle spire. The buttresses 

 at the north-west, south-east and south-west are 

 original, as are those of the nave, but the large 

 diagonal buttress at the north-cast angle is modern. 



The only monument to be noted is that of Jane 

 wife of Thomas Docwra, 1645, a mural tablet with 

 arms and inscription, on the south wall of the nave. 



There is a chest, probably of the 17th century, in 

 the chance!. 



The bells arc five in number : the treble by John 

 Briant, 1781 ; the second and third by Joseph Eayre 

 of St. Neots, 1763 and 1756 respectively; ihe fourth 

 by Thomas Russell of Wootton, 1 73 1 ; and the tenor 

 by Robert Oldfeild, 1634. 



The plate includes two cups and two patens of 

 Sheffield plate. 



The registers are in four books, the first containing 

 baptisms from 1562 to 1776, burials from 1558 to 

 1776 and marriages from 156010 1753; the second 

 baptisms and burials from 1774 to 181 z ; the third 

 marriages from 1 7 54 to 1773 ; and the fourth 

 marriages from 1774 to 1812. 



In the 1 1 th or early 1 2th century 

 JDFOWSON Ralph de Limesi gave the church of 

 Pirton with the tithes of his lands 

 there 73 to the priory of St. Mary, Hertford, which 

 he founded as a cell to St. Albans. A vicarage was 

 ordained before the beginning of the 13th century. 74 

 The advowson remained with the priory till the 

 Dissolution. 75 It was then granted to Sir Anthony 

 Denny, and descended with the rectory (q.v.) until 

 about the middle of the 17th century. In 1670 

 presentation was made by the king; in 1682 by 

 Dorothy, widow of Samuel Howe ; in 1 732 by the 

 Bishop of Lincoln ; in 1735 by Isaac Coleman, the 

 late incumbent; in 1748 by James Colt Ducarel ; 

 in 1773 by Charles Peers; in 1835 by Susanna 

 Thirlwall ; and in 1 847 and 1 85 I by Ralph Lindsay. 76 

 In 1870 the advowson was conveyed by the repre- 

 sentatives of the late Ralph Lindsay to the Dean and 

 Chapter of Ely, 77 the present owners. 



For a very long period before 1 8 5 1 there had been 

 no resident incumbent. A parsonage-house was then 

 built by Mr. Ralph Lindsay, the rector. 



In 1507 Thomas Pyrton left 40/. ' to make an 

 image of the Blessed Mary and a tabernacle to stand 

 in the church there.' Ie 



There are a Wesleyan chapel and a Baptist chapel 

 in Pirton at the present time. 



In 1641 John Hammond by his 

 CHARITIES will directed that a sum of £100 

 should be laid out in the purchase of 

 land, the rent thereof to be applied in binding out 

 one apprentice or more to an honest trade. The 

 trust estate consists of two allotments at Punches Cross, 

 containing 6 a. 3 r. 23 p., awarded on the inclosure in 

 181 1 in lieu of land originally purchased. 



The testator further devised two cottages, to be 

 occupied by poor families rent free. The charity is 

 regulated by a scheme of the Charity Commissioners, 

 3 May 1904. A premium of £12 10s. is usually 

 paid, and the cottages, rebuilt by the Hanscombe 

 family, are used as almshouses. 



™ Dugdale, Man. Angl. ill, 199, JOO ; 

 Cat. Rot. Chart, (Rec. Com.), i, 95. 



" See Line. Epis. Reg. Wella, 1209-3;. 



" Vdor Ecd. (Rec. Com.), iv, 276. 

 76 See list of palrons given by Cussar 

 Hiit. of Her/!, HiKhin Hand. 23-4. 



17 Land. Gax. 29 Nov. 1870, 

 5+04. 



'8p.CC. Wills, 3 [ Adeane. 



