A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



had i daughter Mary." The subsequent owners arc 

 not known. Michael William Balfe, the Irish com- 

 poser, is said to have resided at Rowney for a while, 

 and to have died there in 1870." It is now the 

 residence of Mr. James Henry Dugdale, J. P. 



The parish church of ST". NICHOLAS 

 CHURCH lies to the west of the village, and con- 

 sists of a chancel, nave, south aisle, 

 south porch and west tower." It is built of flint 

 rubble with stone dressings ; 

 the foundations. The tov 

 roofs are tiled. 



The nave and chancel 1 

 century and the south aisle i 



ding-stone occurs in 

 plastered and the 



ere built in the 

 the middle of the 



+th 



century. The tower dates from the latter part of 

 the 1 5th century, and at the same time, or it may be 

 in the first years of the l6th century, the chancel 

 arch was widened southward?. The porch is modern, 

 and the repairs of the 19th century include con- 

 siderable restoration of the south arcade. 



The east window of the chancel is modern, of 

 three lights, with flowing tracery in a pointed head. 

 In the north wall is a narrow single-light window of 

 original izth-century date, having a round head and 

 widely splayed jambs. It is much repaired externally 



with cement. In the south wall is a 14th-century 

 doorway with a pointed head, almoit wholly restored, 

 and to the west of it a two-light square- headed 

 window of the 15th century. The wagon roof it 

 modern. The chancel arch is four-centred and flat, 

 and is supported on the north side by the respond of 

 the original izth-century arch, which dates from 

 about 1 1 zo and has circular angle-shafts on the east 

 and west sides and a rudely voluted capital with a 

 square abacus and a moulded base. On the south 

 side the chancel arch dies into the south wall of the 

 chancel, and thus is considerably southward of the 

 axis of the chancel and nave. 



In the north wall of the nave are three three-light 

 I ;th-century windows ; the 

 first has a four-centred head, 

 the second is similar but 

 with tracery, and the third 

 has a segmental head. All 

 are much repaired. Between 

 the two easternmost windows 

 is an image niche of the I 5 th 

 century with an ogee 

 crocketed head, and retain- 

 ing traces of decoration in 

 blue, red and gold. The 

 north doorway, which is now 

 blocked, stands between the 

 two westernmost windows, 

 and is of the lath century, 

 with a round head. Exter- 

 nally it has a large edge-roll 

 supported by engaged shafts 

 with cushion capitals en- 

 riched with inciscdornament. 

 The abaci are splayed and 

 the bases moulded. The 

 nave arcade is modern, with 

 a few old stones. The west 

 respond is of the first half of 

 the 14th century. At the 

 west end is a 14th-century 

 door opening into the tower. 

 The roof of the nave is of 

 the late 15th century sup- 

 ported on carved corbels. 

 The east window of the 

 south aisle is original ; it is 

 of three lights with flowing 

 tracery. Beneath it stands 

 rH-EAST a stone reredos discovered 



during repairs in 186c ; it 

 consists of a central trefoil- 

 headed panel, with a smaller one on either side. 

 The head of the central panel has been cut down, 

 destroying the proportions of the design. A piscina 

 of the 14th century is in the south wall at the east 

 end, with an ogee trefoiled head. Occupying nearly 

 the whole length of the south wall between the 

 piscina and the south doorway are two moulded 

 ogee-headed recesses of about 1350. Above them is 

 a three-light window with a four-centred head, and 

 there is a similar one to the west of the south door ; 

 all but the jambs of these windows is modern. 



Chan 



. 3 in. ; loulta porch, 7 ft. 6 ill. by 



