Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This is a parish church with roots in the 13th century, substantially rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries, and comprehensively restored in 1871 by James Fowler of Louth. The building is constructed of squared coursed ironstone rubble with ashlar dressings and slate roofs finished with stone coped gables and cross fleury to the ridges.

The church comprises a western tower, a nave with clerestorey, north and south aisles, a south porch, a chancel, and a vestry.

The three-stage tower has a plain chamfered plinth, two chamfer-moulded string courses, and a roll-moulded cornice supporting a battlemented parapet. Although much restored, the parapet dates from the 15th century and carries eight pinnacles and four gargoyles. Corner buttresses rise only to the first stage. The south face of the second stage features a 19th-century pointed two-light window. Bell openings to each face are 15th-century two-light openings, heavily recut, with hood moulds. The west face has a 19th-century three-light window with trefoil heads, and a plain light and similar two-light window on the south side of the second stage. The north face matches the south face and includes an angled stair turret.

The north aisle has a plain chamfered plinth, a 19th-century lancet west window, and a blocked 13th-century north door with a chamfered arch and plain hood mould. A three-light 16th-century window with a shallow four-centred head also lights this aisle. The 19th-century vestry is attached at the east end with a single door and light. The chancel's east window is a 19th-century geometric design. On the south side of the chancel, two recut late 13th-century trefoil-headed windows with hood moulds and 19th-century label stops provide light. The south aisle has 19th-century lancet windows to the west and east, a 19th-century two-light south window, and a 19th-century south porch. The clerestorey on both north and south faces contains two pairs of two-light recut 16th-century windows. The south doorway dates from the 15th century and features concave moulding, with the door displaying interesting 19th-century ironwork decoration.

Interior

The two-bay north arcade is 13th-century work with an octagonal column and responds carrying double-chamfered arches. The two-bay south arcade was rebuilt in 1871 in the Early English style. The 13th-century tower arch features triple chamfers, and the 13th-century chancel arch is double-chamfered. The chancel imposts are both carved as human heads, the northern example depicting a man pulling his mouth open, while the southern figure sticks its tongue out with both hands supporting the arch.

The principal fittings—a stone pulpit, oak screen, and font—all date from the 19th-century restoration. The chancel floor is laid with Minton tiles and is dominated by a fine 19th-century stone reredos with gilt mosaic decoration. The east wall of the nave displays 19th-century painted designs and texts, while the stained glass throughout dates from the restoration period. A large 19th-century oil painting forms part of a group of seven examples found in the surrounding area, comparable to works at South Kelsey and Normanton. The north aisle contains two 19th-century painted iron candle brackets.

Monuments

The chancel preserves several important monuments. Under a recess on the north side lies a 13th-century tomb slab with a quatrefoil-headed cross and shield, traditionally identified as the tomb of the founder, Brayboeuf. On the south side stands a monument erected in 1605 to John Witherwick, who died in 1595. This consists of a tall base chest decorated with circles and rectangles, surmounted by an inscription panel flanked by kneeling figures of a man and woman facing each other across a prayer desk. Behind the woman stands a further female figure, now headless. This sculptural group is flanked by single Doric columns supporting an entablature filled with coloured glass recesses, the frieze also decorated with coloured glass circles. A shield with flanking scrolls crowns the composition.

Additional brasses commemorate Fitzwilliams Armiger (died 1634, with shield and helmet), Jane Burnaby (died 1653), and Mary Monson (died 1638, with scrolly shield). A marble tablet honours the Reverend Richard Dixon, who died in 1819.