Church of St Genewys

Church of St Genewys

This is a parish church at Scotton, primarily dating from the 12th century, with significant late 13th, 15th and 16th-century work. The building was substantially restored in 1866 by the architect G. E. Street. It is constructed of coursed limestone rubble with concrete tiled roofs and comprises a western tower, nave, north and south aisles, and chancel.

The three-stage tower features a moulded string course, battlemented parapet and gargoyle chutes to the north and south sides. Corner stepped buttresses have been added. On the south side is a large blocked pointed arch that originally opened into the south aisle; blocking it is a 19th-century pointed doorway. The second stage has a plain single light window. The west face carries a small lancet at ground level and a small circular window above it, with a further smaller lancet in the second stage. The belfry stage has on each face a 16th-century two-light opening with cusped trefoil heads and mouchettes beneath a hoodmould.

The north aisle contains three 15th-century watershute heads and four 13th-century two-light windows with Y tracery, one positioned in the west wall and three in the north wall. The east wall has a three-light 13th-century window with Y tracery. The north door features a pointed head with an order of roll moulding, a hobnail order and originally a hobnailed hood mould. Flanking the door are engaged angle shafts with outer nook shafts, both with stylised foliage on annular bases.

The north wall of the chancel displays a stepped cill course and two two-light 13th-century windows with Y tracery, trefoil heads and quatrefoils. To the east of these is a single lancet. The 19th-century east window contains three lights with geometric tracery. The south wall of the chancel has a 19th-century two-light window that copies the north chancel's 13th-century windows, and a blocked priest's door. High on this wall is an oval plaque with an illegible inscription.

The east wall of the south aisle has a moulded triangular hooded window with hoodmould and label stops, apparently remade from fragments. The south wall contains two fine three-light windows with Y tracery, deep single chamfered reveals, hood moulds and human head stops. The south doorway has a plain single chamfered arched head with two displaced human head stops. The west wall retains a repositioned two-light window with Y tracery.

Interior

The three-bay late 13th-century north and south arcades have circular columns on the north side and octagonal columns on the south, each with simply moulded capitals and double chamfered arches. Only the south side now retains hood moulds with carved heads to the labels. The west wall contains a small triangular-headed doorway leading to the tower, above which the earlier pitch of a lower roof is visible. The north aisle includes a late 13th-century tomb recess with a two-centred moulded arch, and a blocked squint at its east end. The chancel arch comprises two chamfered orders springing from octagonal corbels, with a two-light 15th-century window with cusped heads above it. The chancel has 19th-century piscina and sedilia on the south side and an aumbry on the north. The south wall incorporates what appears to be a Romanesque arch. All fittings, including the font, date from the 19th-century restoration.

Monuments

At the east end of the south aisle is a late 13th-century recumbent effigy of a cross-legged knight wearing chain mail and surcoat, his feet resting on a lion. Beneath him are pieces of a 15th-century tomb bearing blank quatrefoils. Nearby stands the effigy of a lady, also late 15th-century, in flowing robes with her feet resting on a dog. The east end of the north aisle contains a 15th-century priest's grave slab, originally inscribed with black letter Lombardic lettering. The head, shoulders and hands are shown in relief within a recessed panel at the head of the slab.