St Andrew, Cotterstock, Northamptonshire

I Location

Site Location: Cotterstock
National Grid Reference: TL 049 906
County: traditional: Northamptonshire
now: Northamptonshire
Diocese: medieval: Lincoln
now: Peterborough (from 1539)
Dedication: medieval: St Andrew (1523)
now (or name of monument): St Andrew
Type of building/monument: Parish church (benefice of Warmington, Tansor and Cotterstock and Fotheringhay and Southwick)

II General Description

: Exterior from SE.

Cotterstock is in the N of the county, a mile N of Oundle. It is a crossing point of the river Nene, but consists of little more than the church, a hall, a mill and a few houses ranged along a minor road. The church is alongside the river and has a W tower, an aisled nave with a vaulted south porch, and a large three-bay Decorated chancel. The only 12thc. feature is the re-set W tower doorway.

III Exterior Features

1. Doorways

(i) W doorway, tower.

: Tower, W doorway.

: W doorway.

: Tower, W doorway, N capital from SW.

: Tower, W doorway, S capital from NW.

The W doorway of the tower has a segmental head and is composed of two orders. The inner archivolt is carved with point-to-point chevron. Beneath it, the lower part of each impost block is carved in imitation of a capital. That on the left is carved with V-shaped, folded ribbon motif; that on the right with pointed, hollowed leaves. There is a roll on the arris of each doorjamb, and no capitals. The outer archivolt is carved with frontal face chevron. The imposts are carried by scallop capitals on en-delit shafts. The capitals have two shields on each face. The shields on the left capital are surrounded by plain raised bands, those on the right capital by beading. The inverted Vs rising between the cones of the left capital are decorated with beading; those on the right are plain. The label returns to the left but not to the right.

Dimensions

h. of opening	2.48 m
w. of opening	1.33 m

VII History

In 1086 Cotterstock was held by two knights from the Abbot of Peterborough. No church was noted. In 1337 John Gifford, a former rector of the church and a canon of York, founded a college at Cotterstock, effectively a large royal chantry, endowing it with the manor and the advowson of the church, among other possessions.

VIII Comments/Opinions

The W doorway of the tower appears to have been re-set. The segmental shape of the arch is uncharacteristic of the period, and several voussoirs show signs of trimming. It probably dates from c.1150-70.

IX Bibliography

Anon. (H.L.), A Short Account of St Andrew's Church, Cotterstock Northamptonshire, 1956, und. reprint.
N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, Harmondsworth 1961, rev. B. Cherry 1973, 160.
RCHME, An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Northampton, VI. Architectural monuments in North Northamptonshire, London 1986, 37-40.
Victoria County History: Northamptonshire, II (1906), 79-83, 166-70 (on Cotterstock college).