Manton is a village situated roughly equidistant from both Peterborough and Leicester in Rutland. Standing in the middle of the village, the mostly ironstone church of St. Mary boldly announces itself with its massive, buttressed bell-cote on the W façade; this and the nave, as well as the chancel arch, are all of 13^th c. date. The S porch was built in the 14^th c. and in the 15^th c. the N and S transepts were added. In 1796 the entire chancel was rebuilt. Restorations took place in 1854 and 1887, the later involving the reseating of the nave. From the 12^th c. church here there remains the N doorway of the nave, the S and N arcades of the nave and the baptismal font.

Manton is not mentioned in Domesday Book, but it is thought that the manor was one of the seven outliers of Hambleton which were part of Queen Edith’s dowery. In 1086 those lands belonged to King William I and Domesday Book notes the presence of three churches and three priests in the outliers. During the 12^th c. the advowson of the church was held by the Crown.

Both Pevsner and the VCH put the nave arcades in the Transitional period, around 1200. The diminished scale of the capital dimensions in the N arcade suggest that they were completed at a different time than those in the S arcade, and perhaps by a different workshop as well.

See also Priory Cottage, Manton: https://www.crsbi.ac.uk/view-item?i=124685