The Church of St James the Less, Sulgrave, is the
Church of England parish church of
Sulgrave
Sulgrave is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, about north of Brackley. The village is just south of a stream that rises in the parish and flows east to join the River Tove, a tributary of the Great Ouse.
The villag ...
, a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
about north of
Brackley
Brackley is a market town and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, bordering Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, from Oxford and from Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the inter ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
. The present church dates largely from the 13th and 14th centuries and is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...
as a designated Grade II*
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
[
]
Architecture
Sulgrave has had a church since the Anglo-Saxon era, although not on the current site. An earlier stone church is believed to have stood about north of the present one, on higher ground near the windmill.
The church on the present site was built in the 13th century, when the Cluniac
The Cluniac Reforms (also called the Benedictine Reform) were a series of changes within medieval monasticism of the Western Church focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement began wi ...
Priory of St Andrew, Northampton held the advowson
Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living ...
. At least some material from the original church was used in the rebuilding.[ Most notable is a triangular-headed doorway, characteristic of Anglo-Saxon architecture,] that has been re-set as the west door of the west tower.[ This may date from the 10th century.][ The bell-openings to the top stage of the tower][ and the trefoiled lancet windows to the ground stage][ are ]Early English Gothic
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ...
features that date it to the 13th century.
The tower had a spire, but it collapsed in the 14th century.[ A record from about 1340 reports the church as ''"destroyed"'', and 20 carts being at ''"Helmydene"'' (]Helmdon
Helmdon is a village and civil parish about north of Brackley in West Northamptonshire, England.
The village is on the River Tove, which is flanked by meadows that separate the village into two. The parish includes the hamlets of Astwell and ...
, southeast of Sulgrave) to collect stone for its repair. Helmdon stone is a fine freestone and was certainly the best building stone in the area.[
The work for which Helmdon stone was supplied may therefore have included the south ]aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, par ...
. This was added in the middle of the 14th century and retains all of its original Decorated Gothic
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...
windows.[ The four- bay ]arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
between the south aisle and the nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
is Perpendicular Gothic and therefore somewhat later.[ Also in the south aisle is a ]squint
Squinting is the action of looking at something with partially closed eyes.
Squinting is most often practiced by people who suffer from refractive errors of the eye who either do not have or are not using their glasses. Squinting helps momentari ...
to the high altar in the chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ov ...
, and a 14th- or 15th-century piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. For Roman Ca ...
,[ both of which were installed when the aisle had a side altar. The squint was blocked after the ]Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
but reopened in 1885.[ The south door is 14th century.][ Outside it is the south porch, which is 16th-century Elizabethan with a characteristically Tudor four-centred arch.][ Over it is a ]datestone
A datestone is typically an embedded stone with the date of engraving and other information carved into it. They are not considered a very reliable source for dating a house, as instances of old houses being destroyed and rebuilt (with the old da ...
with the initials ER and year 1564.[ ]Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
visited Northampton that year so the initials may commemorate her visit.[
The ]chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ov ...
has two south windows: the more easterly is Decorated Gothic and therefore earlier; the more westerly is Perpendicular Gothic.[ The baptismal font is octagonal and may date from the 1660s.][
In 1840 the nave walls were raised by about , the ancient oak roof was replaced with a new ]deal
A deal, or deals may refer to:
Places United States
* Deal, New Jersey, a borough
* Deal, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* Deal Lake, New Jersey
Elsewhere
* Deal Island (Tasmania), Australia
* Deal, Kent, a town in England
* Deal, ...
one and the windows were reduced in height, all to accommodate the installation of galleries to increase the church's capacity.[ In 1885 the galleries were removed and the oak roof was restored.][ In the same year to compensate for the loss of the galleries the north aisle was added,][ re-using the 14th-century north doorway.][ The three-light east window of the chancel is also 19th-century Gothic Revival.][
The two-light east window of the south aisle includes four stained glass coats of arms of successive generations of the ]Washington family
The Washington family is an American family of English origins that was part of both the British landed gentry and the American gentry. It was prominent in colonial America and rose to great economic and political eminence especially in the Co ...
.[ Each is surrounded by ]strapwork
In the history of art and design, strapwork is the use of stylised representations in ornament of ribbon-like forms. These may loosely imitate leather straps, parchment or metal cut into elaborate shapes, with piercings, and often interwoven in ...
in white and yellow glass and they are probably 16th-century.[
]
Furnishings
St James' has an ancient wooden chest, hewn from a solid oak trunk and said to be 14th-century.[ It has two compartments and is bound with closely spaced iron bands.][
In the south aisle is the Washington Pew, a 17th-century ]pew
A pew () is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom.
Overview
The first backless stone benches began to appear in English churches in the thirt ...
[ that was installed when the Washington family held Sulgrave Manor.
In 1929 a wooden screen was installed separating the ground stage of the tower from the nave to create a ]vestry
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...
.[ It was funded by the Women's Committee of the George Washington Institute and made by craftsmen of ]Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway is a large village and civil parish in the Cotswolds, England, with a population of 2,540 at the 2011 census. It is in the far southeast of Worcestershire, close to the Gloucestershire border, midway between Evesham and Moreton-in-Mars ...
.[
]The Colonial Dames of America
The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor who lived in British America from 1607 to 1775, and was of service to the colonies by either holding public office, being in th ...
presented the church with a pipe organ in 1930.[ This was replaced with a new one in 1975.][
]
Monuments
Under the floor of the east end of south aisle is the tomb Amee Washington who died in 1564, and her husband Lawrence who died in 1584. The tomb is covered by a slab of Hornton ironstone[ with monumental brasses set into it.][ There were originally six brasses in the set: a pair of figures of Lawrence and Amee Washington; a pair of smaller brasses, one their four sons, and one of their seven daughters; a brass of a family coat of arms and one with an inscription.][ The brasses of Amee Washington, the family coat of arms and the inscription are missing. In 1889 the two brasses of the children and the head of the brass of Lawrence Washington were stolen.][ They were recovered in 1923 and reinstalled in 1924 but no-one was ever charged with their theft.][
In 1659 the Washingtons sold Sulgrave Manor,][ and in about 1673 it passed to a member of the Hodges family. On the south wall of the south aisle above the Washington pew are three neoclassical wall monuments to members of the Hodges family.][ The largest and most ornate is that to the brothers John and Rev Moses Hodges, both of whom died in 1724.][ It is of grey and white marble and has fluted ]pilaster
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...
s.[
]
Bells and clock
In 1552 during the Edwardine Reformation the church was listed as having four bells in the west tower plus a sanctus bell.[ The ]churchwardens
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ''ex officio'' members of the parish b ...
, John Humfrey and John Mayo, had sold one of the bells for £16 to pay for road and ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
repairs in the parish.[ The buyers, Thomas Stuttesbury and Lawrence Washington, had so far paid £6, and the bell remained in the belfry until the balance was paid.][
None of the bells listed in 1552 survives, but their metal may have been re-used in casting the present ones. The Sanctus bell was medieval, but in 1806 it was recast by John Briant] of Hertford. One of the Newcombe family of bellfounders of Leicester[ cast the present third bell in 1610 and the fourth in 1612.][ Edward Hall of ]Drayton Parslow
Drayton Parslow is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of Buckinghamshire, England, about south of Bletchley. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 596, increasing at the 2011 census to 614.
Toponym
In the 1 ...
[ in Buckinghamshire cast the fifth bell in 1744.][ Matthew Bagley of ]Chacombe
Chacombe (sometimes Chalcombe in the past) is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, about north-east of Banbury. It is bounded to the west by the River Cherwell, to the north by a tributary and to the south-east by the ...
[ cast the second bell in 1769.][ John Briant of Hertford cast the tenor bell in 1808, making a ]ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
of five.[ ]Gillett & Johnston
Gillett & Johnston was a clockmaker and bell foundry based in Croydon, England from 1844 until 1957. Between 1844 and 1950, over 14,000 tower clocks were made at the works. The company's most successful and prominent period of activity as a be ...
of Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
recast all five of the ring in 1928.[ This was increased to six when ]John Taylor & Co
John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...
of Loughborough
Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second large ...
cast the present treble bell in 1932.[
The present ]turret clock
A turret clock or tower clock is a clock designed to be mounted high in the wall of a building, usually in a clock tower, in public buildings such as churches, university buildings, and town halls. As a public amenity to enable the community to ...
in the west tower was made and installed in 1928.[
]
Benefice
The parish is part of the benefice of Culworth
Culworth is a village and civil parish about north of Brackley in West Northamptonshire, England. Culworth is also about northeast of the north Oxfordshire town of Banbury.
The village stands on the brow of a hill about above sea level. The ...
, with Sulgrave and Thorpe Mandeville
Thorpe Mandeville is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England about northeast of Banbury in neighbouring Oxfordshire. The hamlet of Lower Thorpe is just north of the village.
The village's name means 'Outlying farm/settle ...
, and Chipping Warden
Chipping Warden is a village in Northamptonshire, England about northeast of the Oxfordshire town of Banbury. The parish is bounded to the east and south by the River Cherwell, to the west by the boundary with Oxfordshire and to the north by f ...
, with Edgcote
Edgcote is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Chipping Warden and Edgcote, on the River Cherwell in south-west Northamptonshire, England. The parish was bounded by the river to the north and by one of its tributaries to the ...
and Moreton Pinkney
Moreton Pinkney is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, about north of Brackley. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 371.
The villages name means 'Moor farm/settlement'. It was held by the family of Pinchengi ...
. It is in the deanery of Brackley, the archdeaconry of Northampton, and the Diocese of Peterborough.
Future
The church hall is to be refurbished and upgraded with a grant from HS2 Ltd, which will include the installation of accessible toilet
Accessible toilets are toilets that have been specially designed to better accommodate people with physical disabilities. Persons with reduced mobility find them useful, as do those with weak legs, as a higher toilet bowl makes it easier for th ...
s.
References
Sources
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External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sulgrave
Church of England church buildings in Northamptonshire
English Gothic architecture in Northamptonshire
Grade II* listed churches in Northamptonshire