Church Of St Michael

Church of St Michael, Bockleton

A parish church of 12th-century date, substantially altered in the mid-13th century with additions around 1560 and in the 17th century, and restored in 1862 by Woodyer. The building is constructed of sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings and has a stone-tiled roof laid in diminishing courses, with parapets and cross-finials at the east gable ends.

The church comprises a west tower, a four-bay nave with opposing north and south doorways, and a two-bay chancel with a north chapel.

The west tower was added between the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It has three diminishing stages divided by strings and set on a battered plinth. The lower stage contains an original Y-tracery west window and a later north doorway with a segmental head. A circular west window sits on the second stage. The belfry stage has pairs of cusped, pointed, louvred bell chamber openings, and above these rises an embattled parapet.

The nave's easternmost bay is expressed externally by pilaster buttresses. Both the north and south elevations feature a 13th-century window of three stepped cusped lights with a hoodmould. To the west of these windows in both walls are two original round-headed windows which flank the doorways. Both doorways project outward and are surmounted by a blind arcade. The north doorway is of two orders with two large roll mouldings between cable mouldings and an outer band of embattled and lozenge enrichment. The jambs have detached shafts with scalloped capitals, and the spandrels are carved with flowers in circles and have a vertical billet moulding on each side. The arcade above comprises five bays standing upon an enriched string course; the arches are enriched and their outer mouldings intersect. The south doorway is of a single order with a four-bay blind arcade but is otherwise similarly detailed. An enriched string course beneath the blind arcades is continued as a chamfered and quirked string course, stopped on each side of the windows and buttresses. The north string is discontinued to the west of the doorway.

The chancel dates from the mid-13th century. The east end has angle corner buttresses and a 19th-century window of five lights with a hoodmould and block stops and a sill string. The south elevation has two 13th-century pairs of cusped lancets with hoodmoulds, and between them is a blocked 13th-century doorway also with a hoodmould. The north chapel dates from around 1560. It features a three-light east window and two two-light north windows, all 19th-century with hoodmoulds. At the west gable end is a cusped pointed doorway, and a cusped lancet sits in the gable apex; these too are of 19th-century date.

The interior chancel has a 19th-century arcade of two bays with a central circular column and two pointed arches opening onto the chapel. West of this arcade is a 16th-century tomb recess with a segmental head and roll moulding, possibly part of the original chancel arch. The nave and chancel have ashlared collar rafter roofs; the west part of the chancel roof and the collar and tie-beam truss in the chancel are possibly original. The stone reredos with foliated carving, piscina and sedilia are 19th-century work. A traceried, arcaded timber chancel screen, a circular font with head reliefs and arcaded detailing, and a three-sided timber pulpit are all 19th-century.

The church contains notable memorials. In the north chapel are Barneby memorials comprising a tomb chest with demi-figures and shields, together with two elaborately carved recumbent effigies of Richard Barneby (died 1597) and his wife Mary (died 1574). On the wall behind are figures of five sons and four daughters in relief flanked by demi-figures. Also in the chapel is a large marble memorial to Charles Baldwyn (died 1706), and a tomb chest to William Wolstenholme Prescott by Woolner, dated 1865.

The east window is by Kempe, dating to around 1905. A fragment of medieval glass survives in the north-east nave window.