Church of the Holy Trinity, Embleton
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The Church of the Holy Trinity is located in
Embleton, Northumberland Embleton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English county of Northumberland. Besides the village of Embleton itself, the civil parish includes the settlement of Christon Bank, situated about a mile to the w ...
, England. The church, dedicated to the
Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
, is west of the village. Built in the form of a cross, it consists of a two aisle
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 ...
, a
clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
, a
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. Ove ...
, a porch, and a
chantry A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or # a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area in ...
chapel. It has a tower with a small vestry, and a gallery. The vicarage house and garden are on a gradual slope on the south side of the churchyard. Traces of stonework show evidence of an earlier church from the 12th century. It is a
Grade I 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 ...
.


History

There is no evidence of a church at Embleton preceding the
Conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...
. There are, however, some remains which indicate that there was a stone church on this site before the end of the 11th or in the early part of the 12th century consisting of a nave without aisles, a tower and a chancel. Of the tower, the lower portion remains. Light was provided by two windows, which are partly obscured. The dedication to the Holy Trinity may have been preceded by another, as in Bacon's ''Liber Regis'' (1534–5) and in Randall's ''State of the Churches under the Archdeaconry of Northumberland'' (c. 1778), there is mention of a dedication to
St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
. In 1830, when known as St. Mary's, the patron was
Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...
.


Architecture and fittings

Embleton church's superstructure is similar to others such as those of
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
or the
Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
. The open
battlement A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
resembles that found at
St Michael's Church, Coxwold St Michael's Church is an Anglican parish church in Coxwold, North Yorkshire, England. The Parish of Coxwold is part of the Church of England's Diocese of York. The earliest church on the site dates to the Anglo-Saxon period. That church was r ...
in
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
; this pierced battlement is an unusual feature for a country church in
northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...
. ;Nave Most of the Norman era nave no longer exists, except the walls which later included arcades. The subsequent nave has elements that are considered unusual for work done in the north country. It is long and wide, with two aisles. The chancel is in length and in width. The arcades have three bays each; their arches are supported by ornamented shafts. The arches have chamfered orders, and the hood-mouldings are also ornamented. In the north aisle, just above the eastern pillar, there is a square-moulded bracket which dates to the time of the aisle widening, about 1330–40; it was probably added to hold a light or image in connection with the adjoining chantry. ;Clerestory The clerestory, built circa 1330–40, contains three windows; the rear arch ones being old, while those of the tracery being modern. The arches that open into the western extension of the aisles are modern. The responds of the tower arch are pear-shaped, and date to the time of the nave arcades, but the arch itself is later, and may possibly have been built at the time of the upper stages of the tower, about 1330–40. The addition to the north aisle projects to the north, and contains a square
aumbry An ambry (or ''almery'', ''aumbry''; from the medieval form ''almarium'', cf. Lat. ''armārium'', "a place for keeping tools"; cf. O. Fr. ''aumoire'' and mod. armoire) is a recessed cabinet in the wall of a Christian church for storing sacred vesse ...
. A groove for the
parclose A parclose screen is a screen or railing used to enclose or separate-off a chantry chapel, tomb or manorial chapel, from public areas of a church, for example from the nave or chancel. It should be distinguished from the chancel screen which sep ...
screen exists on each side of the arch. There appears to have been another chantry, or possibly two, at the east end of the north aisle, with which two niches, one on each side of the east window, were connected. There was another chantry at the east end of the south aisle, connected with a square
aumbry An ambry (or ''almery'', ''aumbry''; from the medieval form ''almarium'', cf. Lat. ''armārium'', "a place for keeping tools"; cf. O. Fr. ''aumoire'' and mod. armoire) is a recessed cabinet in the wall of a Christian church for storing sacred vesse ...
just south of the
corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...
. There are two brackets at different levels on the north side of the aisle's east window with carvings of a female head. South of the window, there is a plain bracket. These three brackets probably all belong to the chantry. ;Chancel There is no doubt that
Dunstanburgh Castle Dunstanburgh Castle is a 14th-century fortification on the coast of Northumberland in northern England, between the villages of Craster and Embleton. The castle was built by Earl Thomas of Lancaster between 1313 and 1322, taking advantage of t ...
formed a
quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...
for stones with which an earlier chancel was built. However, nothing exists of the Norman chancel. Above the present modern chancel arch is a pointed opening, now filled in, which may have been a window. Beneath it, the line of the original Norman nave roof is visible. The chancel, considered modern in the 1800s, features windows containing excellent specimens of
stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
by
Charles Eamer Kempe Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lichg ...
, in memory of the late Sir
George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...
of
Fallodon Fallodon is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Newton-by-the-Sea, in the county of Northumberland, England. It is the territorial designation of Viscount Grey of Fallodon and Baronet Grey of Fallodon. It is pronounced with ...
. ;Windows The 1953 coronation of Queen
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
is commemorated by a window in the west side of the church, and a north-facing window is dedicated to a vicar from
Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, ch ...
. There are two windows in the side walls and one at the east end of each aisle. They are all similar and, though modern, probably are representative of the originals. They match the tower's belfry windows. The three windows at the west end are modern. ;Inscriptions, memorials and monuments There are inscriptions in numerous places including a tablet on the south side of the chancel, in the south aisle, and at the west end of the south aisle. There are memorials to the Right Honourable
Sir George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...
and to George Henry Grey, lieutenant colonel of the Northumberland Light Infantry Militia, a tablet to the widow of George Grey of Southwick, and a monument to Shafto Craster of
Craster Tower Craster Tower is an 18th-century Georgian mansion incorporating a 14th-century pele tower situated near the fishing village of Craster, Northumberland, England. It is a Grade II* listed building. History The Craster family have owned lands at ...
. ;Renovation The church has undergone multiple restorations, including one by John Dobson of
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
in 1850, when the Falloden aisle was built; and another by F. R. Wilson in 1867 when the chancel was rebuilt. The first alteration seems to have been the replacing of the original chancel by another one, probably larger, towards the end of the 12th century, about 1180. There is no certain proof that this change took place, but the present modern chancel arch is supported upon two capitals that are of the
Transitional style In interior design and furniture design, Transitional Style refers to a contemporary style mixing traditional and modern styles, incorporating old world traditional and the world of chrome and glass contemporary. Features The style combines curv ...
. The next change that took place was the addition of aisles to the nave, and the insertion of a three bay arcade on either side in the old walls about the year 1200. No further alteration appears to have been made until the 14th century, when, about 1330–40, the aisles were rebuilt on a more extended plan. They were widened, and were projected westwards as far as the west wall of the tower, so that the tower, which in the
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
church had been isolated, became attached. The two upper stages of the tower were then rebuilt. At the same time, a chapel was added. No other additions or alterations appear to have been made until the 19th century, with a new chancel. All the windows in the body of the church were renovated, most of them being copies of the previous ones. Into the walls of the more modern vestry, several ancient stones were discovered during renovation of the old chancel which was of the
Georgian period The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the relatively short reign of Willi ...
.


Grounds

The churchyard has an inscription in memory of Major-General
Henry Darling Major-General Henry Charles Darling (Uppingham, 28 February 1780 – 11 February 1845) was a Major General in the British Army and served as Lieutenant Governor of Tobago (1833–45). Darling served with the Army in Annapolis Royal in the Colony ...
. The
vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically own ...
is situated to the southwest of the church. The garden is found to the south and was laid out in 1828 during the time of George Grimes when other additions were made to the house by Dobson of Newcastle. The grey stoned
Embleton Tower Embleton Tower is a peel tower and Grade I listed building in the village of Embleton in Northumberland, England. Tradition states that in 1395, the tower was built to protect the minister and church goers of Embleton's Church of the Holy Tri ...
is picturesque. A very complete find was made in this churchyard of
groats Groats (or in some cases, "berries") are the hulled kernels of various cereal grains, such as oat, wheat, rye, and barley. Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain, as well as the endosperm ...
of about the time of the
Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...
.


References

* ''This article includes text incorporated from Eneas Mackenzie's "An historical, topographical, and descriptive view of the county of Northumberland, and of those parts of the county of Durham situated north of the river Tyne, with Berwick upon Tweed, and brief notices of celebrated places on the Scottish border" (1825), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from L. Creighton & M. Creighton's "Life and letters of Mandell Creighton: D.D. Oxon. and Cam., sometime bishop of London" (1904), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from Northumberland County History Committee's "A h\History of Northumberland" (1895), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from British Archaeological Association et al, "The archaeological journal" (1885), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from Benjamin Clarke's "The British gazetteer: political, commercial, ecclesiastical, and historical; showing the distances of each place from London and Derby--gentleman's seats--populations ...&c. Illustrated by county maps, with all the railways accurately laid down" (1852), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne's "Proceedings" (1887), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from The Academy Publishing Company's "The Academy and literature" (1885), a publication now in the public domain.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Embleton, Holy Trinity Grade I listed churches in Northumberland Church of England church buildings in Northumberland 12th-century church buildings in England
Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...