Historical and Descriptive Sketches of the Town and Soke of Horncastle [1820]: in the county of Lincoln, and of several places adjacentWeir, George
History
Historical and Descriptive Sketches of the Town and Soke of Horncastle [1820]: in the county of Lincoln, and of several places adjacent
Weir, George
Horncastle (England)
The present structure, which is dedicated to Saint Mary, stands in the
centre of the town, and possesses but few attractions for the antiquary
or the architect. It consists of a square tower, a nave and chancel,
with north and south aisles. Being for the most part built with the soft
and imperfectly aggregated sand-stone of the neighbourhood, which yields
easily to the moisture of the atmosphere, it has suffered much from the
effects of time; and the decayed parts being repaired with brick gives to
the building a motley and unprepossessing appearance.
The few portions of the original architecture which have escaped the
silent ravages of years, and the hands of the innovator, bespeak the
building of no higher antiquity than the period of Henry the seventh.
The aisle on the north side of the chancel is ornamented with
embattlements, on which quatrefoils and blank shields are sculptured. It
was probably used as a chantry, one of the windows of the aisle having
formerly contained an inscription justifying such a supposition. {29b}
This aisle does not extend the whole length of the chancel, and in the
space so left, the remains of an oratory and confessional are still
visible: this space formerly appropriated as a depository for coals to
distribute among the poor, is now occupied by a building to contain the
fire engines; a corresponding part of the south aisle being used as a
vestry.
The interior of the church is remarkably neat and well pewed. A gallery
at the west end of the nave contains an organ which was purchased by
subscription in 1810. Galleries are also erected in each aisle of the
nave.
In the wall of the north aisle is a stone, containing the figure in brass
of Sir Lionel Dymoke, in armour, kneeling on a cushion, and holding in
his hand a label on which is written,
“Sc’ta trinitas unus deus miserere nob.”
On each side of him are two shields containing arms, at one of the lower
corners are the figures of his two sons, and at the other those of his
three daughters, and under him this inscription:
“In honore sc’te et individue trinitatis Orate p’ a’ia Leonis Dymoke
milit’ q’ obijt xvij die me’se augusti aº D’ni mº cccc xix cuj’ a’ie
p’piciet’ de’ Amen.”
The shields contain these arms:—1. Sable, two lions passant in pale,
ducally crowned or, DYMOKE, empaling Barry of six ermine and gules, three
crescents sable, WATERTON; a crescent for difference. 2. DYMOKE,
empaling Vairè, on a fess gules frettè or, MARMYON, in chief, Ermine,
five fusils in fess, HEBDEN; a crescent for difference. 3. Argent, a
sword erect azure, hilt and pomel gules. {30a} 4. DYMOKE, empaling
Quarterly gules and argent, a cross engrailed counterchanged, HAYDON; a
crescent for difference.
On the floor beneath this monument is a brass, on which is the following
inscription nearly obliterated:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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