St Catherine, Draughton, Northamptonshire

I Location

Site Location: Draughton
National Grid Reference: SP 762 768
County: traditional: Northamptonshire
now: Northamptonshire
Diocese: medieval: Lincoln
now: Peterborough from 1539
Dedication: medieval: St Catherine 1493
now (or name of monument): St Catherine
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

: W tower from SW

: Exterior from SW

: Interior to E

St Catherine's has an aisled and clerestoreyed nave with 13thc. three-bay arcades. The chancel arch is of the same date, but the chancel is 19thc. work. There is a N chapel off the chancel, now housing the organ and a vestry. The W tower is 12thc. in its lower storey with a 12thc. tower arch and a plain 12thc. lancet in the W wall. The upper storey, of ashlar, is later (Pevsner thinks 17thc.). The only Romanesque feature described here is the tower arch.

IV Interior Features

1. Arches

b. Tower/Transept arches

(i) Tower arch

W arch

: Tower arch, E face

: Tower arch, N impost

Single order, pointed. The jambs and arch are plain and square. The arch is carried on chamfered imposts with a row of nailhead on the face.

VII History

Draughton was divided between three manors in 1086: 1 hide and half a virgate belonged to the king's manor of Rothwell and Orton, 1 virgate to Mainou's manor of Maidwell, and 21/2 virgates to Countess Judith's manor of Harringworth. No church or priest was recorded at that date.

Benefice of Maidwell with Draughton and Lamport with Faxton.

VIII Comments/Opinions

The lancet in the tower W wall has a badly eroded head, but appears to be pointed and chamfered. This, along with the form of the tower arch and its nailhead decoration, suggests a late 12thc. date for the lower part of the tower.

IX Bibliography

N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, Harmondsworth, 1961, rev. by B. Cherry, 1973