St Mary, Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire

I Location

Site Location: Great Shelford
National Grid Reference: TL 459 519
County: traditional: Cambridgeshire
now: Cambridgeshire
Diocese: medieval: not confirmed
now: Ely
Dedication: medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Mary
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

: Exterior, general view from N.

: Interior, nave to SE.

The church consists of an aisled nave with a clerestorey and a massive S porch, an aisleless chancel with N vestry, and a W tower. Construction is largely of flint and pebble rubble, although the tower is rendered. Of this, everything except the nave aisle W windows and doorways and the piscina, which are 14thc., belongs stylistically to the early 15thc., and must represent the church erected in 1387, at the sole cost of Thomas Patesle, then vicar, who is buried in the nave. The tower is square in its lower storey and octagonal above, with a stumpy lead spire, but this form is not original. The medieval tower collapsed in 1798 and was rebuilt to this design using old materials. At the same time the nave seems to have been reduced from its original five bays to the present four. The only Romanesque features are carved stones, presumably from the pre-Patesle church, arranged to form a niche above an altar.

IV Interior Features

5. Interior Decoration

c. Miscellaneous

: E end, S aisle, reset stones.

Eight 12thc. carved stones arranged to form a niche in the E wall of the S aisle above an altar.

(i) Reset stone 1

: E end, S aisle, reset stone 1, cable-moulded label stone.

A curved length of cable moulding with a chamfered extrados, possibly from a label.

Dimensions

overall l.	0.30 m
w.	0.09 m

(ii) - (vi) Reset stones 2-6

: E end, S aisle, reset stones 1-6.

Five chevron voussoirs of two different designs, arranged to form a segment of arch:

(ii) Double quirked roll lateral face chevron, centrifugally carved, with cogwheel edge.

(iii) Triple quirked roll lateral face chevron, centrifugally carved with cogwheel edge.

(iv) As (iii).

(v) As (iii) but surface badly damaged.

(vi) As (ii).

Dimensions

(ii)
overall l.	0.17 m
max. w.	0.12 m
min. w.	0.115 m

(iii)
overall l.	0.15 m
max. w.	0.15 m
min. w.	0.085 m

(iv)
overall l.	0.15 m
max. w.	0.14 m
min. w.	0.085 m

(v)
overall l.	0.15 m
max. w.	0.12 m
min. w.	0.07 m

(vi)
overall l.	0.17 m
max. w.	0.17 m
min. w.	0.135 m

(vii) Reset stone 7

: E end, S aisle, reset stone 7 and sawtooth string course.

A section of chamfered string course or impost carved with sawtooth on both face and chamfer.

Dimensions

overall l.	0.30 m
visible w.	0.135 m
visible d.	0.15 m

(viii) Reset stone 8

As (vii).

Dimensions

overall l.	0.30 m
visible w.	0.14 m
visible d.	0.19 m

VII History

In 1086 Great Shelford was substantially held by the Abbey of Ely. Nine hides and 24 acres were directly held by the abbey. Hardwin (de Scales) held 2½ hides and 9 acres and a minster of the demesne farm of the monks of Ely. Seven sokemen held 1½ hides and 6 acres from the abbot. In addition the king had holdings here in the form of a berewick of his farm at Newport (Essex). These 3 hides were held from the king by Peter de Valognes.

VIII Comments/Opinions

The sawtooth stones (5.c.(vii) and (viii)) probably came from a string course similar to the one at nearby Haslingfield.

IX Bibliography

N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England. Cambridgeshire, Harmondsworth 1954 (2nd ed. 1970), 396–97.
G. R. Bossier, Notes on the Cambridgeshire Churches. 182, 42.
The Ecclesiastical and Architectural Topography of England: Cambridgeshire (Architectural Institute of Great Britain and Ireland), Oxford 1852, 15.
C. H. Evelyn-White, County Churches: Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. London 1911, 152–53.
A. G. Hill, Architectural and Historical Notices of the Churches of Cambridgeshire. London 1880, 49–59.
F. S. L. Johnson, A Catalogue of Romanesque Sculpture in Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. M.Phil (London, Courtauld Institute), 1984, 254.
D. and S. Lysons, Magna Britannia. Cambridgeshire II, pt I, London 1808, 249–50.
The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, VIII, 1982, 217–18.