St Mary, Maidwell, Northamptonshire

I Location

Site Location
Maidwell
National Grid Reference
SP 749 769
County
traditional: Northamptonshire
now: Northamptonshire
Diocese
medieval: Lincoln
now: Peterborough from 1539
Dedication
medieval: Our Lady 1521
now (or name of monument): St Mary
Type of building/monument
Parish church

II General Description

Exterior from SE.

Exterior from SE.

Interior to E.

Interior to E.

St Mary's has an aisleless nave with plain 12thc. N and S doorways, both under porches but the N porch blocked off and converted into a vestry. The chancel is entirely 19thc. (by St Aubyn, 1891), with big niches to N and S. The N niche contains the 1634 tomb of Katherine Lady Gorges (d.1633); the N contains the organ. The west tower is 13thc. and unbuttressed but has shafts at the angles. Its bell-openings date from 1705. The church is faced with grey rubble except for the chancel, of regularly coursed brown sandstone.

III Exterior Features

1. Doorways

(i) N nave doorway

N nave, doorway.

N nave, doorway.

N doorway, arch.

N doorway, arch.

The round-headed doorway is under a porch, which has been blocked off and converted into a vestry. The arch has two plain orders and a simple fillet label; the jambs a single chamfered order with imposts not projecting at all.

Dimensions
h. of opening 2.14 m
w. of opening 1.21 m

(ii) S nave doorway

S nave, doorway.

S nave, doorway.

S doorway, W side, impost.

S doorway, W side, impost.

Round-headed, under porch. As N doorway, but the west impost projects towards the door and has a chamfered upper lip with a roll projecting below it.

Dimensions
h. of opening 2.27 m
w. of opening 1.22 m

VII History

The largest part of Maidwell (4 hides and 2 parts of 1 virgate) was held by Berner from Mainou in 1086. Smaller holdings were in the hands of St Edmundsbury Abbey (one third of 1 virgate) and Ansgar the clerk (1 hide and 3 virgates). No church was recorded, although the presence of Ansgar might suggest one.

Benefice of Maidwell with Draughton and Lamport with Faxton.

VIII Comments/Opinions

Despite the simplicity of the doorways, the chamfered jambs and surviving impost moulding on the S doorway suggest a date towards the end of the 12thc.

IX Bibliography

  • N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, Harmondsworth, 1961, rev. by B. Cherry, 1973, 301f.