St Mary, Everdon, Northamptonshire

I Location

Site Location: Everdon
National Grid Reference: SP 595 574
County: traditional: Northamptonshire
now: Northamptonshire
Diocese: medieval: Lincoln
now: Peterborough from 1539
Dedication: medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Mary
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

: Exterior from S

: Interior to E

St Mary's is a spacious church with a four-bay aisled and clerestoreyed nave, probably 14thc., and a broad aisleless chancel, also 14thc., with a N vestry. The W tower is Decorated too, and of three storeys. The nave doorways are both under porches. Construction is of ashlar. The only Romanesque feature is the Sussex marble font.

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

: Font from SE

: Font bowl from S

At W end of nave. The bowl is octagonal and of Sussex marble, carved in low relief with plain round-headed arcading, two bays per face. The lower rim is hollow chamfered. It is supported on one cylindrical central shaft and eight slimmer shafts at the angle. These stand on a worn, chamfered octagonal base; and this on a modern step. The interior of the bowl is circular and lead-lined.

Dimensions

h. of bowl	0.39 m
h. of font (not step)	0.93 m
ext. diam. of bowl at top (across flats)	0.71 m
ext. diam. of bowl at top (across corners)	0.76 m
int. diam. of bowl at top	0.52 m

VII History

Everdon was held by William from the Bishop of Bayeux in 1086. No church was recorded.

Benefice of Weedon Bec with Everdon and Dodford.

VIII Comments/Opinions

Pevsner describes the font as Purbeck and 13thc. The date might well be correct, but it follows a 12thc. form, commonest in Sussex but extremely widespread, and is likely to have been imported to Northants.

IX Bibliography

N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire. Harmondsworth 1961, rev. B. Cherry 1973, 210-11.