Church Of Saint Oswald

The Church of St Oswald is a parish church dating back to the 11th century, with significant additions from the 13th century, situated in West Hauxwell, North Yorkshire. Constructed primarily of sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings, it features stone slate and lead roofs.

The church comprises a west tower, a nave with a south porch, and a chancel with a north vestry. The four-storey west tower has set-back angle buttresses. The ground floor of the tower has two lancet windows, while the first and second floors each contain a single lancet window. A two-light trefoil-headed belfry opening is topped by an embattled parapet. The west side of the tower features a 19th-century window with two trefoil-headed lights and a cinquefoil above, alongside a two-light belfry opening with double-chamfered surrounds. The north side has a similar belfry opening with trefoil-headed lights and hollow chamfers, and the east side features a belfry opening with two pointed lights in a double-chamfered surround.

The nave, displaying herringbone masonry, has three bays. A 19th-century porch fronts an early 12th-century Romanesque doorway, which is characterised by scallop capitals to the columns, zigzag, billet, and roll mouldings to the arch, and a trellis motif in the tympanum. A small pointed window sits west of the porch. To the east is a window of two trefoil-headed lights with a quatrefoil above and a hood mould, followed by a lancet window. The north doorway is blocked and contains 11th-century jambs with a roll moulding, plain capitals, and imposts. The lintel appears to be a re-used Anglo-Danish cross shaft with interlace decoration. The chancel features further herringbone masonry and a 19th-century priest's door, along with a trefoil-headed window and two lancet windows. A pair of offset angle buttresses mark the east end, the northern one bearing a bench mark. The east window is composed of three pointed lights within a chamfered surround.

Inside, a 12th-century four-centred tower arch consists of two chamfered orders; a 13th-century chancel arch has two orders with rolls, cushion capitals, and cabled abaci. An arch of two chamfered orders leads to the north chapel. The piscina includes a trefoiled head and shelf. The octagonal font rests on an 18th-century baluster shaft set upon a 13th-century column base. A Jacobean-style pulpit also features. Under the tower, two 15th-century bench ends have poppy-heads, along with carvings of a pelican and a griffin. A hatchment commemorating Mary Gale, who died in 1845, is also present. The nave holds two gesso effigies of Sir William de Barden, who died in 1309, and his wife. A floor slab in the sanctuary memorializes Mark Milbanks, who died in 1698. A brass plaque commemorates Henry Thoresby, who died in 1611, set within a stone frame with a trefoil. A large monument honors William Dalton, who died in 1670/1, adorned with a bayleaf garland and a cartouche displaying a coat of arms, surmounted by a broken pediment. Several fine 18th-century wall monuments are also present, including one to Sir Charles Dalton, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, who died in 1747. The vestry contains an oak parish chest.