St. Nicholas Church
The church of ST. NICHOLAS consists of chancel, 36 ft.
6 in. by 17 ft. 6 in.; clerestoried nave, 54 ft. 6 in. by 20 ft. 6
in.; north and south aisles, 10 ft. wide; south porch, and west
tower, 12 ft. square, all these measurements being internal. The
width across nave and aisles is 46 ft. 9 in.
A church was built here during the first half of the 12th
century, having an aisleless nave with north transept, chancel, and
west tower. Of this church little is left but the upper part of the
nave walls above the arcades and the lower part of the tower: the
scalloped capital of a nook-shaft inserted in the wall near the
south doorway appears to be c. 1140. The upper part of the
tower is late in the same century. The chancel was rebuilt and no
doubt lengthened early in the 13th century and was further
increased in length by about 8 ft. c. 1290–1300.
Soon after this the aisles appear to have been added, or at any
rate completed in their present form, but the first pier from the
east on the south side, which has 13th-century nail-head ornament,
is different from the rest and may indicate that an aisle had been
begun earlier on this side and left unfinished. The south doorway
has good plain early-14th-century mouldings.
The 13th-century chancel had lancet windows in the side walls,
but soon after the completion of the aisles they were altered into
wider windows of two lights, with the exception of one on the north
side. The clerestory was added c. 1400, superseding a
highpitched roof the tabling of which remains on the east wall of
the tower. The porch appears to be of early18th-century date. The
church was restored in 1871.
The building is of rubble throughout, with lowpitched leaded
roofs to nave and aisles. Internally the plaster has been stripped
from the walls except in the chancel, where it remains above the
string. The parapets of the aisles are battlemented and those of
the nave plain: over the east gable of the nave are the remains of
a sanctus-bell turret.
The chancel has a modern red-tiled roof and plain parapets, with
coupled angle buttresses, and is of two bays. Externally the
five-light east window is entirely restored, but its rear arch and
internal shafted jambs belong to the late-13th-century extension,
the length of which is clearly indicated outside by the character
of the masonry. The windows are set high and there is a
string-course at sill level within and without. On the south side
are four square-headed windows of two trefoiled lights, two to each
bay, the easternmost wholly of the 14th century, but the rest
insertions within the original widely-splayed 13th-century
openings, the segmental rear arches of which remain. There are two
similar inserted windows in the middle of the north wall, but with
uncusped lights, and east of them the original lancet already
referred to. In the south wall, in the usual position, is a cusped
piscina with shafted jambs and fluted bowl, and west of it two
trefoiled sedilia at the same level, the eastern seat containing
the bowl of the earlier piscina re-used. The 13th- century priest's
doorway is simply chamfered and has a segmental rear arch: at the
west-end of the wall, below the string, is a contemporary lancet
low-side window. At the east end of the north wall is a tall
rectangular aumbry with trefoiled head and hood-mould, the staples
for the door of which remain. West of this is a blocked doorway to
a former vestry and farther west again two widely splayed low-side
windows, like that opposite, with a blocked doorway between. This
arrangement of three low-side windows is unusual, but it is
possible that the two in the north wall were intended to give light
to a seat in the chancel belonging to the lord of the manor and
that the doorway between them was for his use. All three windows
are plain chamfered lancets, with hood-moulds, segmental rear
arches, and internal sloping sills; that in the south wall retains
its shutter hooks and hasp. The chancel arch is of two chamfered
orders, the inner on half-octagonal responds with moulded capitals
and bases: a considerable portion of the hood-mould has been cut
away on the nave side. The rood-loft doorway, now blocked, is on
the south side. Part of the old rood-screen appears to be in use as
the support to a desk on the north side of the chancel.
The nave arcades are of four bays with pointed arches of two
chamfered orders on octagonal piers with moulded capitals and
bases, except between the two eastern arches on the north side
where part of the older wall is left standing as a masonry pier
with a half octagonal respond on each face. The easternmost arch on
each side is narrower than the others, and the two eastern piers
stand on square plinths of masonry; elsewhere the plinths follow
the plan of the column.
The aisles have diagonal angle buttresses and a scroll string at
sill level outside: within, the scroll is repeated in the south
aisle, except in the west wall, but in the north aisle the string
is keel-shaped, save for a length of scroll moulding at the west.
All the windows are of the 14th century, with pointed arches and of
three lights. Those at the east end of the aisles and the
easternmost in the north and south walls have original reticulated
tracery. The rest have cinquefoiled lights and two quatrefoils in
the head. In the west wall of the north aisle, built into the
string, is a stone bracket carved with a head and conventional
four-leaf flower, and above the string another with two grotesque
heads conjoined.
The north and south doorways occupy the second bay from the
west; both are of the 14th century, with continuous wave mouldings,
but the south doorway is of two orders divided by a casement. The
15th-century traceried oak door retains its original hinges and
handle and is nail-studded.
There are four square-headed clerestory windows of two trefoiled
lights on each side, with segmental rear arches: all the roofs are
modern. The organ is in the middle of the north aisle and the
vestry at its west end.
West of the chancel there are clear traces of three altars and
there was probably a fourth: at the east end of the south aisle is
a 13th-century trefoiled piscina with mutilated fluted bowl, and at
either end of the chancel arch, against the formerly existing
rood-screen, are the original tiled floors upon which the nave
altars stood. Behind that at the south end are the remains of a
wallpainting of our Lord on the cross between SS. Mary and John,
which formed the reredos. The east ends of both aisles were
formerly inclosed by screens, but no piscina or other ancient
ritual arrangement remains on the north side.
The arch from the tower to the church is contemporary with the
nave arcades and is of three chamfered orders on the east side, the
inner order on half-round responds with moulded capitals and bases.
Above the arch, within the line of the original nave roof, is a
round-headed opening.
The tower is of three receding stages and finished originally
with a tiled saddle-back roof, but in 1737 this was taken down and
the present flat leaded roof and plain parapets with angle
pinnacles substituted. The diagonal buttresses are additions of the
14th century, and the west doorway seems to have been inserted
c. 1190–1200: it is of three square orders, the two
outer on shafts with moulded capitals and bases. Above the doorway
in the lower stage is an original roundheaded window of two
chamfered orders with hoodmould, and on the south side in the upper
part of the middle stage a window of two rounded lights, which may
be a comparatively late insertion. The lower stage is blank on the
north and south and the middle stage on the north and west. The
bell-chamber windows are of two round-headed chamfered lights
recessed within a semicircular moulded arch without hood-mould. On
the south side of the tower are two tablets, one inscribed 'This
steeple was pointed in 1685', the other obliterated.
The 13th-century font has a plain circular bowl and short stem,
on two circular steps. It has a late tall crocketed pyramidal oak
cover.
The 17th-century oak pulpit is part of a former 'twodecker'; in
plan it is hexagonal, with three tiers of panels, the two lower
arched, and stands on a modern stone base. Behind it, attached by a
bracket to the pier, is an iron hour-glass stand and glass. The
lectern and altar rails are also of the 17 th century, the latter
with twisted balusters of c. 1620–40.
Four choir stalls, two on each side, with carved misericords,
remain in the chancel: on the north side are represented a carver
with his tools at work on the rose supporters, and vine leaves and
fruit issuing from a mouth; on the south a rose, and leaves. The
counters also are carved. Some 17th-century seats remain at the
west end of the south aisle.
In the middle of the nave is a 14th-century floor slab with
indents of a cross and two shields: the brass inscription
remains—'Ici gist Mons. William de Pateshull qu. morust le
xvij jour de Septembr.mccclix'. In the floor of the north aisle is
a large slab with two leaf-stemmed calvary crosses the heads of
which are obliterated, as is the inscription in Lombardic lettering
along two of the verges.
Bridges mentions four shields of arms in two of the windows of
the north aisle, but of these only one survives—azure a bend
or between six covered cups (Butler). There is also a stained
roundel with the sacred monogram crowned and in a border of roses
in one of the windows of the south aisle, and fragments in the side
lights.
Three chained books are preserved in a glass case: (i) Erasmus'
Paraphrase 1551; (ii) a Bible of 1613; and (iii) the
Book of Homilies 1676.
There are five bells, cast by John Taylor of Oxford and
Loughborough in 1841. In 1552 there were three bells and a little
bell, and in 1700 four bells.
The plate consists of a silver cup and cover paten of 1569, an
alms dish of 1683 given by Mrs. Frances Say in 1721, and a flagon
of 1721 given in that year by the Rev. Humphrey Say, vicar.
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) baptisms
1560–1648, marriages and burials 1560–1647; (ii)
burials 1678–1792; (iii) marriages 1690–1754; (iv)
baptisms 1690–1773; (v) baptisms 1773–1812; (vi)
marriages 1754–1812; (vii) burials 1793–1812.
Advowson
The advowson of the church of Great Doddington was granted by
Simon de St. Liz the younger to the nunnery of Delapré in the 12th
century. In 1291 the living was valued at £13 6s.
8d. In 1328 Edward III confirmed to the Abbess of Delapré
all the gifts of Earl Simon including the church of Doddington. At
the Dissolution the value, including a pension received by the
Archdeacon of Northampton, was £12 2s. 8d.
The vicarage was rated at £8 13s. 4d. Since the
reign of Henry VIII the patronage of Great Doddington has been held
by the Crown.
The rectory until the Dissolution belonged to Delapré; after the
year 1531 it was granted by Henry VIII to Lord Harrowden, who died
in 1595 and left the rectory to his wife Mary for her life, with
remainder to his son George and his heirs or, failing such, to his
brother Ambrose Vaux, who in the same year transferred his right to
Anthony Naylhart. Evidently the rectory was sold, for in 1607
Thomas Sherley conceded it to Roger Rogers and others. Again within
a few years the rectory changed hands; in 1611 Augustin Say died
seised of it and was succeeded by his son Francis. In 1628 Francis
alienated the rectory to Alexander Ekins, in whose family it
remained until 1719, when Harvey Ekins conveyed it to John Hanbury.
In 1766 when the parish was inclosed Ambrose Isted held the rectory
and all the tithes, but in 1773 he transferred it with Doddington
Manor to Richard Heron.
Congratulations to Bevaren for the FTF
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would
just ask that you could let
Sadexploration know first so he can keep
track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication
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