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I Location

II General Description

The church is primarily of the 13thc. with a five-bay nave arcade and N and S aisles which flank the W tower. The S porch, S transept, and chancel are of the 14thc. Romanesque elements consist of the font and the W tower arches leading into the nave and side aisles.

IV Interior Features

1. Arches

b. Tower/Transept arches

(i) Tower arch

Arch into nave

Pointed, of two chamfered steps. Jambs are chamfered with chamfer stops at the bottom. Respond plinths are chamfered, bases are double torus with the lower one large than the upper one and no scotia. Semi-circular column shafts carry polygonal multi-scallop capitals with roll mould necking. Continuous impost with roll and chamfer.

Roll mould label. Pitch lines of the 12thc. roof are present above the arch as is the string course and setback of the tower wall. Measurements not possible.

Arch into S aisle

Same as tower arch into nave with the exception of no label being on the S side and there is no roll mould on the chamfer of the impost. There is some damage, probably from a screen, on the capitals and shafts.

Dimensions

Arch into N aisle

Same as tower arch into nave with the exception of no label being on the N side and the W capital is a plain, polygonal, bell type (E capital is multi-scallop like the other capitals of the tower arches). A wooden screen extends across the opening of this arch and serves to isolate this W bay of the N aisle which is now used as the community centre complete with kitchen and toilet.

Dimensions

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

Located in the S transept and set on a modern base. Octagonal font with intersecting, round-headed arcade motif. Column bases are of the cushion and attic types and the column shafts are semi-circular. Capitals are very worn and look primarily to be bell shaped. The E side is completely cut back to a smooth surface. On the S side there is a length of reset beading (0.165 m) above the arches. The arches in the SW side have some beading in them. On the W side, the surface has also been cut back but faint traces of the arcade remain. There is a lozenge-shaped angle spur on the base of the NE and the SE sides. Along the top of the N side is a plain roll mould. Large pieces of stone are missing from the SE and NW sides where iron pins are inserted. The bowl is lead-lined and has a center drain at the bottom.

Dimensions

VII History

Under the listing of the land of Guy of Craon, the Domesday Survey records the existence of a church and a priest in Frampton in 1086. The inscription on the modern base of the font reads: '+ TO THE GLORY OF GOD / AND IN FILIAL MEMORYOF / ELIZABETH ANNA DR OF THO TUNNARD ESQR / WIFE TO REVD CHARLES MOORE / BAPD 12 JANY 1795 DEC D 29 NOVR 1837 / THIS FONT / THE SOLE RELIC OF AN EARLIER CHURCH / WAS HERE ERECTED A.D. 1889 / R.I.P.'

In the nave wall directly behind the W respond of the S arcade there is an opening with a pointed arch above it; the lower part of the opening is now in-filled with new ashlar. An inscription here reads: 'The font taken out of this arch and pillar and restored – A.D. 1862 +'. The local church notes further mention that 'for many years the font was housed in the southeast corner of the tower, until such time as it became necessary to move it to the southwest corner, to enable further strengthening of the tower support. It was moved to its present more practical location, in the Lady Chapel [i.e. S transept], in March 2000, as part of a Millennium project.'

VIII Comments/Opinions

The embedding of the font into the wall behind the W respond of the S arcade is similar to the treatment of the font at Crowland Abbey.

IX Bibliography