A History of Horncastle, from the earliest period to the present timeWalter, J. Conway (James Conway)
History
A History of Horncastle, from the earliest period to the present time
Walter, J. Conway (James Conway)
Horncastle (England) -- History
Among the marriage registers, which date from 1695, is the following
note: “March 23, 1779, a marriage was attempted to be solemnized; but the
intended bridegroom, to the great surprise of the congregation assembled,
remaining away, the ceremony, &c. . . .” The rest is illegible.
We have now to speak of the church. The present edifice stands on the
site of a former 14th century church, which, judging by the remains that
have been found, must have been of much larger dimensions, and consisted
of nave, two aisles, chancel, and bell tower; the total breadth having
been 52-ft. Several fragments of stained glass have, at various times,
been found in digging graves, showing that this early church, like
several others in the neighbourhood, had good coloured windows. This was
taken down in 1744, and from the materials remaining a small fabric was
erected in its place, consisting of nave and apsed chancel, with no
pretensions whatever to architectural beauty. This (as has been
generally the case with badly constructed edifices of that period) became
also, in turn, so decayed that the present Rector, on entering on the
benefice, decided to rebuild the church once more; and in 1879 the
present structure was completed at a cost of over £1,000, in the best
early Decorated style.
It consists of nave, chancel, organ chamber on the south, and an
octagonal bell turret, designed by the late Mr. James Fowler, the
Architect, and containing one small modern bell, graven with the date and
initials of W. Carey, Churchwarden in 1744, {176a} who demolished the old
church. The nave has three two-light windows, of the decorated style, in
the north and south walls; there is a square-headed two-light window in
the organ chamber; the chancel has a single-light window in the north and
south walls, with a good east window of three lights, trefoiled, and with
a triangle of trefoils above. In the north wall is a credence recess,
and in the south wall are two stone sedilia. The tiles within the
chancel rails are copied from ancient tiles, which were found some years
ago, at Revesby Abbey. In the west front, over the door, is a large
two-light window, and above it a clock, the only village church clock in
the neighbourhood, by Smith of Derby. Within the west doorway, let into
the north wall of the tower basement, is a fragment of an old battlement,
having a shield in the centre, probably a relic from the original church.
The font is modern, having a plain octagonal bowl, shaft, and pediment.
The roof is of pitch pine, the timbers being supported by plain corbels.
The lectern, chancel stalls, and communion table are of good modern oak
Used as a stile in the south fence of the churchyard is a large slab, on
which, above ground, is the matrix of a former brass, representing one
figure, with a broad transverse bar for an inscription, and connecting it
with other figures, which are now below the ground. {176b}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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