A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



was extensively altered in 1811, and was restored in 

 1874. 



The chancel has a modem east window of three 

 lights in a two-centred head. On the north side is 



formerly the 

 part also destroyed, 



mac EajlSfCcdModem 



Plan of Dicswell Church 



an arch of about 1200 opening into the north chapel. 

 The face towards the chancel is modern. The arch 

 is two-centred of a single chamfered order ; to the 

 east of it is a deep recess with a four-centred head, of 

 the 1 5 th century, which may have been originally open 

 on both sides. In the south wall at the east is a 

 modern three-light window with a square head. At the 

 west end of this wall is a lofty segmental-headed 

 window, probably of the 13th century, now blocked. 

 To the east of the easternmost window in the south 

 wall is a double piscina of the 13th century with 

 two high two-centred chamfered heads and a central 

 shaft, of which the base is old. 



Between the chancel and the chapel is a screen of 

 the early 16th century, of which the lower part has 

 been destroyed. A simila 

 rood screen, with the low 

 divides the chapel from the 

 aisle. The north chapel has 

 two early 16th-century win- 

 dows, that in the east wall 

 having three trefoilcd lights 

 in a four - centred head, 

 and the north window 

 two cinquefoiled lights in a 

 square head. At the north- 

 east corner is a small door 

 with a two-centred head, 

 leading to the churchyard. 

 On each side of the east win- 

 dow is a stone bracket, 

 moulded and cjrved with 

 shields of Pericnt, three cres- 

 centsquartering a cross paty. 

 It is possible that these may 

 have been originally in John 

 Perient's chantry. The roof 

 of the chapel is low pitched, 

 of panelled oak, and dates 

 from the early 16th-century 

 remodelling. 



The nave walls are proba- 

 bly of the 1 2th century, 

 but there is no detail of an 

 earlier date than the 15th 



century. There were three windows in the south 

 wall, but the middle one of three lights is blocked 

 by the east wall of the porch ; the other two contain 

 some 1 5th-century stones and are of two cinquefoiled 

 lights with tracery above in a two-centred held. 

 The west window is of three lights with tracery 

 above in a two-centred head. The roof has 1 jth- 

 century tie-beams. The south door opens to the 

 cemented and embattled porch, which has a small 

 light in the east and west walls. 



The north aisle opens to the nave by a single 

 modern arch, which replaces the original arcade of 

 two bays. In the north wail are two two-light 

 cinquefoiled windows of the same date as those of the 

 chapel, and obviously inserted when the chapel was 

 rebuilt. Between them is a remarkable recess with 

 a richly moulded two-centred arch, containing tracery 

 of the end of the 1 3th century. The lower part of 

 the recess is destroyed, but the tracery is intact and 

 consists of four high trefoiled heads, supported 00 

 three corbels with the heads of a priest, a woman and 

 a bishop, and having above them two trefoils sur- 

 mounted by a quatrefoil, the space in the middle 

 being filled by the dove, the symbol of the Holy 

 Ghost. The lower part of the label of the arch, 

 with returns, is modern. 



The north-west tower has a north wall of the 

 same thickness as that of the nave. It is open only 

 to the aisle by a four-centred plastered arch. The 

 oak doors in this arch, of early 16th-century work, 

 were probably originally those of the rood screen. 

 They have traceried and moulded panels and a four- 

 centred cusped and foliated head. Thewest window 

 of the tower is of a single light, of the 16th century. 

 It is unglazcd and closed by a door. The four bell- 

 chamber windows are also of the 16th century, of 

 two cinquefoiled lights under a square head. 



In the chapel are mural monuments to William 

 Sedley, 1658, Eliza Shallcross, 1677, and Francis 

 Shallcross, 1681, and some 17th-century floor-slabi 



Dicswell Church : North Aisle, showisc Riciss with Tiaciit 



