St Mary the Virgin, Moreton Pinkney, Northamptonshire

I Location

Site Location: Moreton Pinkney
National Grid Reference: SP 574 490
County: traditional: Northamptonshire
now: Northamptonshire
Diocese: medieval: Lincoln
now: Peterborough from 1539
Dedication: medieval: St Mary 1512
now (or name of monument): St Mary the Blessed Virgin
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

: Exterior from SE

: Interior to E

St Mary's is a church of nave, chancel and W tower. The nave is aisled with three-bay arcades, the N late 12thc., the S 13thc. The roof has been heightened and there is a late medieval clerestorey. The chancel arch is 13thc. as is the chancel stylistically, but it was entirely rebuilt by Sir Henry Dryden in 1846. The tower is of three storeys, 13thc. except for the battlement. The N and S nave doorways are both under porches; the N doorway being contemporary with the N arcade and the N porch dated 1649. Construction is of stone rubble except for the clerestorey and the rebuilt chancel, both of ashlar. Romanesque features are the N doorway, N arcade and font.

III Exterior Features

1. Doorways

(i) N nave doorway

: N doorway

Single order, depressed head.

Jambs and arch are plain and chamfered, with no capitals but plain chamfered imposts at the arch springing. There is a plain chamfered label.

Dimensions

h. of opening	1.97 m
w. of opening	1.13 m

IV Interior Features

2. Arcades

c. Nave

(i) N arcade

: Nave N arcade from SW

: Nave N arcade E respond

: Nave N arcade pier 1 capital

: Nave N arcade pier 1 base

: Nave N arcade pier 2 capital

: Nave N arcade pier 2 capital, NE angle

: Nave N arcade pier 2 capital, SE angle

: Nave N arcade pier 2 capital, SW angle

: Nave N arcade W respond

Three bays, pointed. The arches are single order and unmoulded, with a chamfered label on the S face. The E and W responds are plain and square with hollow chamfered imposts: both replaced or resurfaced in plaster, the W with a groove at the bottom of the face. The piers are cylindrical with roll and necking bases.

Pier 1 capital: the capital is a plain concave bell with a tall, plain abacus, roll necking and hollow chamfered impost block.

Pier 2 capital: as pier 1 but the lower part of the abacus has a double step, the necking roll is also stepped, and on three of the angles of the bell is a leaf motif. The NE angle has a seven-lobed palmette with ridges along the spines of the lobes. The SE angle has a trilobed leaf with a broad ribbed stem. The SW angle has a pair of leaves, like that at the NE, but with fluted lobes.

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

: Font from E

At W end of nave, a plain slightly tapering tub font on a later square chamfered base of coursed ashlar blocks. The bowl is lined with lead and there are repairs to lock damage on the rim to N and S.

Dimensions

overall h. of font	1.05 m
h. of bowl	0.55 m
ext. diam. at top	0.77 m
int. diam. at top	0.57 m

VII History

Moreton Pinkney was held by Geoffrey from Giles, the brother of Ansculf in 1086. No church was recorded at that time, the earliest notice being in c.1150-75 when the Pinkney lords transferred it to Canons Ashby priory.

Benefice of Culworth with Sulgrave and Thorpe Mandeville and Chipping Warden with Edgcote and Moreton Pinkney.

VIII Comments/Opinions

The arcade capital forms and pointed arches suggest a date c.1200. The font and N doorway are not closely dateable.

IX Bibliography

J. Bridges, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire. (Compiled from the manuscript collections of the late learned antiquary J.Bridges, Esq., by the Rev. Peter Whalley). Oxford 1791.
N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire. Harmondsworth 1961, rev. B. Cherry 1973, 307.
RCHME Report, uncatalogued.