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I Location

II General Description

The church has chancel with N vestry, crossing tower, N and S transepts, and nave with S porch, S aisle and clerestorey. The crossing and lower stages of the tower survive from the original 12thc. cruciform church, as does the nave and N transept. The N transept has plain, deeply splayed round-headed windows in the W and N walls and a blocked arch in the E wall which indicates the location of a fomer chapel. The S transept was absorbed into the 15thc. S aisle. The S porch and clerestory are also 15thc. The upper stage of the tower was built in 1867. The chancel was rebuilt in brick by Thomas Smith in 1840, and the vestry was added in 1880. The nave is rendered and the tower and N transept are of flint and coursed rubble.

IV Interior Features

1. Arches

b. Tower/Transept arches

(i) Crossing arches

Massive arches of one order. No bases, plain jambs and plain arches. Each pier has a plain shallow capital of convex profile, with necking, and above this, a chamfered impost, slightly hollow, with a groove along the shallow upright. Only on the W arch does the impost continue onto the outer face (facing away from the crossing) of the order. The imposts are decorated as follows:

E (chancel) arch, N impost: a double row of roll billet, stepped.

E (chancel) arch, S impost: a row of scale ornament

S (transept) arch, E impost: modified scale carved into a series of small swags or crescents, alternating plain or with incised lines

S (transept) arch, W impost: plain

N (transept) arch, E impost: a double row of roll billet, stepped.

N (transept) arch, W impost: plain.

W (nave) arch, N impost: plain

W (nave) arch, S impost: plain

VII History

Before DS the manor of Weston was held by Alestan de Boscumbe, a thegn of Edward the Confessor. At the time of DS it was held by William de Ow. Henry I later granted the manor to Walter, son of Richard de Clare after the forfeiture of William de Ow. In King Stephen's reign they were held by Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke. After Gilbert's death in 1148 his son, Richard Strongbow inherited the manor. After Richard's death in 1176, his widow Eva who was daughter of Dermot, King of Leinster, continued to hold the manor, and it descended via her daughter Isabel.

The advowson of the church was awarded by Gilbert de Clare to the Knights Templar prior to 1148. This was later confirmed by William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, the husband of Isabel. The Templars held the advowson until 1309, when their order was suppressed, and it then passed to the Knights Hospitallers.

VIII Comments/Opinions

IX Bibliography