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I Location

II General Description

All Saints was a chapel of Rothwell until 1964, when it became redundant by 1966. It now houses the Orton Trust, founded in 1968 to teach traditional stonemasonry techniques. The nave is 12thc., with a blocked window remaining in the S wall. This now has an aisle of three bays with a 14thc. arcade. There is a 14thc. clerestorey on the S side, but not on the N where the nave is lighted by two tall windows, apparently 19thc. but with Y-tracery. The chancel is 19thc. work, but the plain chancel arch is 12thc. The unbuttressed W tower of three stepped storeys has a plain 13thc. lancet on the S wall and early-14thc. bell-openings. It was extensively restored and the chancel rebuilt in 1887. There is a 12thc. font decorated with human and animal heads.

IV Interior Features

1. Arches

a. Chancel arch/Apse arches

(i) Chancel arch

Single order with plain jambs and chamfered imposts supporting a depressed arch.

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

In bay 2 of the S arcade, alongside the S doorway. The 12thc. bowl is cylindrical, inscribed with three roughly parallel grooves around the upper part, and carved with projecting heads at the NE, SE, SW and NW. It rests on a later, table-like support that stands on a two-course cylindrical drum, perhaps original. This in turn stands on a modern moulded plinth and step. The bowl is lined with lead. NE head. Dog-like beast head with pointed, cat's ears, comma-shaped eyes indicated by in incised line and a broad snout, damaged at the end. SE head. Ram's head with curved horns. The head is long, tapering to the snout and very plainly carved. The eyes are again indicated simply by incised lines, and are small and almond-shaped. The end of the snout is missing SW head. Horse's head with bridle. The end of the snout below the bridle is missing. The ears are tiny hollows, and the eyes small and lozenge-shaped, indicated simply by incised lines. NW head. Human head, again with the lower part lost. What remains has a simply indicated fringe across the forehead, ears set high on either side of the forehead, but reasonably accurately carved, almond eyes set in deep sockets with a pronounced eyebrow ridge, and a nose offset to the right at the tip, as if broken. Below the nose can be seen the spiral ends of a magnificent moustache, but mouth and chin are gone.

Dimensions

VII History

In 1086 Orton belonged to the extensive royal manor of Rothwell. Orton was not separately assessed, but there was no mention of a church or a priest in Rothwell. The church was formerly a chapelry of Rothwell parish, and is now owned by the Orton Trust.

Dedication formerly All Saints.

VIII Comments/Opinions

Pevsner suggests that the font may be 13thc., but the present author prefers a mid-12thc. date. All four heads are damaged at the bottom, suggesting that the bowl may have rested on them at some time, or that they were used for lifting it. The horse's head and ram's head motifs also appear in the form of corbels at St Peter's, Northampton, and in fact they are relatively common in corbel sculpture throughout E-central England, presumably originally from Ely. The form of the font may be compared locally with Harlestone, which is later and has four projecting human heads on the support.

IX Bibliography