Building record 805/2/1 - Church of St. Mary & All Saints

Collegiate church now parish church, begun as a college of Chantry Priests circa 1370 for Edmund Langley and founded in 1411 by his son Edmund of York. The nave was rebuilt circa 1434 for Richard Duke of York, by the mason William Hanwood. The chancel, cloisters and college buildings were demolished at the Dissolution. The church was restored in the 19th century. The original building consisted of an aisled nave, chancel west tower, north porch, cloisters and college buildings. Built of limestone ashlar with some squared coursed limestone to the south and east walls, the roofs are of lead.

{1} Collegiate church now parish church. Begun as a college about 1370 for Edmund Langley and founded 1411 by his son Edmund of York. Nave rebuilt for Richard Duke of York by mason William Hanwood about 1434. Chancel cloisters and college buildings demolished at the Dissolution. Restored C19. Originally aisled nave, chancel west tower, north porch, cloisters and college buildings. Limestone ashlar with some squared coursed limestone to south and east walls. Lead roofs. South aisle of 6 bays, 5-window range of 4-light windows with 2-centred arch heads and panel tracery. Bay to far right is blank, with various blocked openings originally giving access to the cloisters. 2-stage buttresses, between bays, terminating as crocketed pinnacles decorated with panel tracery. Flying buttresses, springing from the base of each pinnacle to the nave clerestory, are curved above and below. 2 flying buttresses, to left of centre, and one to right are missing. Buttress above east wall is solid with a central 4-centred arch head opening. Lean-to roof with castellated ashlar parapets. 3-light east window of aisle, with 4-centred arch head, is set in former archway to chancel. 4-light west window is similar to south windows. South nave clerestory of 6 bays. 5-window range of 4-light windows with 4-centred arch heads. The bay to the far right has 2 windows, one of which is only 3-lights. 2 bays to far left are blank. Shallow gabled roof with castellated parapet and remains of gargoyles. East wall of nave has blocked chancel arch. 5-light window above has 4-centred arch head. Flanking 3-stage buttresses and central 2-stage buttress. Shallow gable roof has plain ashlar parapet to this elevation. North aisle of 6-bay, 5-window range of 4-light windows similar to the south aisle; the window to the far left is of 3 lights. 2-stage buttresses, between bays, with pinnacles and flying buttresses, all similar to the south aisle. Lean-to roof with castellated parapet. East elevation is a blocked archway to the former chancel. West elevation has a 4-light window similar to the south aisle. Bay to far right of north aisle has 2-storey north porch. Central 4-light, square-head, first floor window. Similar 3-light window, now blocked, in return wall to left has blocked square-head opening below. Single-light window in return wall to right. Outer doorway, to left of centre, has 4-centred arch head with moulded surround and semi-circular reveals. Inner doorway has 4-centred arch head roll moulding and square-head surround. Flat roof, not visible, has castellated parapet. North nave clerestory of 6 bays, 5-window range, similar to south clerestory. 2-windows to far left forming separate bays and wider blank area to far right, appearing as one bay. West tower rises 2 stages from blank end bay of nave clerestory with an octagonal lantern above. West doorway has moulded and shafted archway set in square-head surround with quatrefoils and shields in the spandrels. Panelled doors. Large 8-light window above has panel tracery with transom. Flanking 3-stage buttresses. Nave parapet continues above this stage. Stage above has 2-light windows, to each face, with 4-centred arch heads and hollow reveals. Upper stage of tower has large 4-light bell-chamber openings, to each face, with king mullions, transoms and 4-centred arch heads. Shallow corner buttresses terminate as octagonal corner turrets with castellated parapets. Plain parapet between turrets. The 2 south turrets have remains of armorial beasts. Octagonal lantern has diagonal shafts at corners decorated with panel tracery and carved heads, each terminating as a crocketed pinnacle. Tall, 3-light, windows to each face of octagon have 2-centred arch heads, panel tracery and transoms with cusping. Castellated ashlar parapets between pinnacles. Central leaded spirelet with weathervane. Interior: 4-bay nave arcade of tall Perpendicular arches which are moulded with a continuous double hollow section. Semi-circular responds facing into each archway and plain shafts, facing into nave and aisles, which are continuous to roof level. Similar shafts are reflected in the aisle walls. Clerestory windows, above, are set in plain recesses. Tall tower arch is similar to the nave arcade but with 4-centred arch head, similar lower arches between tower and aisles. Nave roof has curved braces and collars with carved bosses at intersection of purlins. Aisle roofs restored C19 possibly incorporating some original timbers. Fan vaulted tower ceiling c1529. 2-light, square-head, window to right of altar opens into south aisle. Various blocked openings to right of south aisle altar. Perpendicular pulpit with rib vaulted tester with a larger Jacobean tester over. Late C18/early C19 box pews. Early C19 reredos, to east wall, has Gothick panels with the Ten Commandments, The Creed and The Lords Prayer inscribed. Stained glass: mid C20 armorial shields of House of York, east window of south aisle. 16 C20 painted shields in nave relate to families having historical links with Fotheringhay. Fragment of wall painting to right of west window. Perpendicular octagonal font has medieval carving incorporated into cover. Monuments: matrices of medieval brasses in chancel and sanctuary floor. Edmund Second Duke of York and Richard Third Duke of York, identical monuments to either side of altar, erected in 1573 by Queen Elizabeth I. Each is of limestone, ashlar, with central armorial devices with strapwork flanked by pairs of attached Corinthian columns, similar columns on return walls facing into nave. Entablature, with armorial devices of House of York, and moulded cornice with central bracketed sections with semi-circular section above. Thomas Hurland, died 1589: brass tablet in sanctuary floor. Kath Hutchins, died 1726: Rococo style tablet on centre pier of north nave archade. Rev. John Morgan, died 1781: tablet to left of south aisle altar has delicate swags, broken pediment and urn. Various C18 and C19 floor and wall tablets. The college was established for about 30 persons and its buildings probably included cloisters, dormitories, chapter house, hall and kitchens. (RCHM: An Inventory of Architectural Monuments in North Northamptonshire: p64; Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: p220).

{4} The church was recorded as `worthy of preservation' in 1984.

{7} Little is known about the 12th century church of which the only upstanding fabric is incorporated into the E wall of the present nave. In 1434 a contract was signed between Richard Duke of York and William Horwood, mason, to take down the remaining nave of the parish church and replace it with a nave of similar proportions to those of the collegiate choir. This nave is all that remains of the collegiate church.
Work on the church may have continued until 1529 as suggested by the date visible on the fan vaulting of the tower.
The 15th century (1461-1475?) nave windows have not survived, drawings and documentary references suggest that the aisle windows probably consisted of male saints, including Alban and Guthlac and Richard Scope Bishop of York (who was beheaded by the Lancastrians). The clerestory north side contained female saints, the clerestory south side was composed of royal saints, clerics and princes. Scenes as opposed to single figures were confined to the west window. The nave windows may have still been in situ in the 17th century, Stukeley describes a bribe made to parliamentary forces during the civil war not to destroy the windows.
Glass fragments probably from Fotheringhay can be seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum and in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow.
Between 1806-1817 Thomas Belsey restored the church. A clue to some of the work carried out in this period is evident in a survey report by Temple Moore architect in 1902, where it is noted that repairs to stonework with wrought iron bars and straps had caused 'Inevitable splitting and rapid decay of the stonework'.
An etching of 1862 shows the former trajectory of the path to the west door and the poor in an overgrown state with iron grating barring the doorway. A photograph of 1886 shows the path in its modern position but with no evidence of the downspouts and french drains which now take the water away from the building.

{8} The southern end of the trench near the church had some clay and building rubble, perhaps from when the church was rebuilt, and just beneath the modern gravel path in front of the church was the remains of a cobble apron, 4m wide.

{9} The church is a fine example of Perpendicular architecture with a long historical association with Fotheringhay Castle and the House of York. The present church, started in the early C15, formed the western part of a much larger church and grouping of collegiate buildings which extended to the east and south of the site. The church is at risk from dampness and suffers from poor external ground drainage, deteriorating ageing coverings to all roofs and some disrepair to stonework. A first phase of repair work commenced in 2016.

{11} Observation of the excavation of service trenches found two areas of the former southern porch- the eastern wall foundation and the western wall foundation. Internal and external evidence of the current church reinforces the presence of this porch as disused and filled-in windows and doorways are visible in the southeast corner of the church. The two foundations were part of the structure that connected the main building to the cloisters in the adjacent field.

{13} Twenty-three undated photos, two dated 1936, one dated November 1964, and two dated July 1978;

{14} (TL 05979313)St. Mary & All Saint's church (NAT).

{17} A priest and hence one may assume a church existed in Fotheringhay in 1086. The church stood on the site of the present church in the first half of the 12th century but it was almost totally rebuilt and vastly extended in the 15th century with the foundation of the College and its development as a mausoleum of the House of York. The church is described in detail by RCHME. It comprises a Nave, north and south aisles, north porch and a west tower. The very large choir was demolished in the 16th century. Recent excavation has also revealed a crypt or undercroft beneath and to the east of the north porch.

{29} The medieval glass in the nave of the church survived largely intact until the end of the C18, but between 1787 and 1821 it was removed and disppeared almost without trace. However, the excavation of a vaulted charnel house below the porch in 1992 identified numerous fragments of painted glass and lead. In 1994 the best preserved fragments were arranged, leaded and placed in the east window of the room over the north porch by Barley Studio.

{30} Pamphlet of lithographic views of Oundle and Fotheringhay which includes a view of the church;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 6+14/73 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G10 p.41-42 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN41470.

<3> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.220-1 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<4> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1984, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.64-71 (checked)(see oversized Supplementary File RN: 0593036) (Series). SNN77384.

<5> Croyden-Burton, C.N.B., 1955, Historical Notes on Fotheringhay Church, (checked) (Booklet). SNN57218.

<6> Glynne S., 1859, Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne, 40 p.48-50 (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN39492.

<7> Johnston G., 2000-01, Excavation of an Ossuary at Fotheringhay Church, Northamptonshire, p.163 (checked) (Article). SNN103949.

<8> Johnston G., 1990, Electricity trench at Fotheringhay, (checked) (Letter). SNN107253.

<9> Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2016, p. 52 (Report). SNN110747.

<10> Foard, G. and Britnell, T., 2003, Fotheringhay: A New Perspective from the 1640's, pp.140-3 (checked) (Article). SNN103924.

<11> Dodd, L, 2017, Archaeological Observation and Recording Report: Church of St Mary and All Saints, Main Street, Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire, 2017 (Report). SNN111035.

<12> Historic England, 2017, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2017, p. 60 (Report). SNN111090.

<12> Historic England, 2018, Heritage at Risk: East Midlands Register 2018, p. 60 (Report). SNN111434.

<13> Photographs of buildings in Fotheringhay (Photographs). SNN112503.

<14> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), O.S. 1:10,560 1960 (Map). SNN112944.

<15> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, DOE (HHR) District of Oundle and Thrapston Rural District, April 1963, p. 63 (Report). SNN112993.

<16> Muntz, R.A., Some Ancient Interests of Fotheringhay, (unchecked) (Book). SNN108296.

<17> FOARD G., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Fotheringhay (Medieval and Post Medieval), (checked) (Digital archive). SNN100481.

<18> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.453-56 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77326.

<19> 1793, Fotheringhay Inclosure Map 1793, (unchecked) (Map). SNN100484.

<20> 1806, 1806 Schedule to 1716 map, (unchecked) (Map). SNN100482.

<21> 1696, Fotheringhay 1696, (unchecked) (Map). SNN100483.

<22> Baker G., 1822-36, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Book). SNN10400.

<23> Historic England, Undated, A detail of the royal coat of arms of King Edward IV on the pulpit in the Church of St Mary and All Saints, OP11324 (Archive). SNN113321.

<24> Historic England, Undated, St Mary's and All Saint's Church, Fotheringhay, BF107316 (Archive). SNN113317.

<25> Historic England, Undated, CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ALL SAINTS, 2K/07182 (Archive). SNN113318.

<26> Historic England, Undated, England's Landscapes, BF110930 (Archive). SNN114508.

<27> Historic England, Undated, A detail of the royal coat of arms of King Edward IV on the pulpit in the Church of St Mary and All Saints, OP11323 (Archive). SNN113320.

<28> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<29> Marks R., 1998, Stained Glass Of Northamptonshire, p. 72-75 (Book). SNN101533.

<30> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/205/4 (Archive). SNN115.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 12:08PM