Building record 535/1/1 - Church of Holy Cross

Ironstone church with slate roof. Mainly Decorated built about 1350 on the site of an earlier building. The clerestorey is Perpendicular. The church was 'thoroughly restored' in 1870.

{1} Church. C14 and C15, restored late C19. Coursed squared limestone with limestone and sandstone dressings, slate roofs. Chancel, nave, north and south aisles, south aisle chapel, south porch, west tower. Chancel of 3 bays. East window has 3 lights and C19 Decorated tracery, tall 2-light windows, with segmental heads and intersecting tracery north and south. A 2-light Perpendicular low-side window with straight head at south-west end of chancel. North aisle extends over first bay of chancel and has 3-light Decorated east window. 4 bays with 2-light Decorated windows, small 2-light west window, priests door at north-east end and pointed arch north door between first and second windows west. South aisle has 3-light Decorated windows to east end and projecting south-east chapel. Windows either side of porch and at west end correspond to those of north aisle. South porch has a many-moulded entrance arch with ball flowers to middle moulding, a crocketed ogee hood and pinnacles, with a shallow niche with nodding ogee hood above. South door within has double-chamfered arch with hood mould. Nave has clerestory with three 3-light straight-headed Perpendicular windows north and south, with extra 2-light window with segmental head to east end of south aisle (sections of earlier blocked circular windows visible inside). 3-stage west tower with angle buttresses. West door similar to south porch entrance with 2-light Decorated window above, which has ogee hood mould. Above window and at either side niches with nodding ogee hoods and pinnacles. Belfry stage has 2-light windows with basket arch heads and hood moulds. The tower has battlements and recessed spire with 2 tiers of lucarnes in alternating directions; formerly also corner turrets, removed recently. Interior: chancel has 3-seat sedilia with 4-centred cusped arch heads and piscina. Stained glass east and south-west windows by Kempe (1897 and 1902). Double-chamfered chancel arch with responds supported by corbel heads. Nave has arcades of 4 bays with double-chamfered arches and hood moulds, octagonal capitals, piers and pier-bases. South-east aisle chapel has piscina with cusped ogee head and hood mould with label stops and an aumbry. Triple-chamfered tower arch with hood mould and label stops. C19 roofs and pews. 6-sided C17 pulpit on baluster legs. C17 and C18 wall monuments in chancels, gargoyles removed from tower in south porch. (Buildings of England: Northants, p.133)

{8}{9} Cross and grave markers/coffin lids were found in the church.

{11} Undated photo;

{12} Photo dated 1877;

{13} Detailed sketches, drawings, notes and measurements;

{14} Detailed sketches, drawings, notes and measurements;

{15} Detailed sketches, drawings, notes and measurements;

{16} Byfield Church Restoration Fund;

{17} Sketch inside details of Byfield Church Organ fund;

{18} Two 15th-century roundels from the church depicting a hind and the fox preaching to the geese are on loan to the Stained Glass Museum at Ely.

{19} [Former list description] A. Church of the Holy Cross. The ironstone church with slate roof consists of chancel, south transept, nave and clerestory, aisles, south porch, and west tower with spire.
The church is mainly Decorated, built about 1350 on the site of an older building. The clerestory is Perpendicular. The chancel has tall windows of unusual design with flat segmental arched heads and curvelinear tracery, an east window and three on each of the north and south walls. The chancel arch is supported on carved corbels. Both the chancel and south transept have a piscina. The nave arcades have 4 bays. The south porch has an elaborate doorway with ballflower in mouldings, ogee hood mould and crocketted pinnacles. The tower of 5 stages has deep buttresses, battlemented parapet, corner
pinnacles and spire. The W. front of tower has a doorway at ground floor level with ball-flower ornament, ogee crocketted hood mould, and crocketted side pinnacles. Above is a 2-light window with similar hood mould flanked by canopied and crocketted niches. At the apex of this window is a similar niche carried up through the 2nd string of the tower. The font and some of the panelled traceried pew ends are
Perpendicular. In the chancel is a draped late C18-early C19 monument to a member of the Knightley family. The church was 'thoroughly restored' in 1870.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 9+16/19 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F05 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

<3> Glynne S., 1859, Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne, v.42 p.38-40 (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN39492.

<4> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches, Byfield, Holy Cross (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<5> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.109-10 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<6> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.133 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<7> Baker G., 1830, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.488-9 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77327.

<8> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, Parish Files (checked) (Archive). SNN115.

<9> Flesher J., 1800?, Byfield, (unchecked) (Drawing). SNN103288.

<10> Clarke G., 1850?, Byfield Church, (unchecked) (Drawing). SNN103289.

<11> Photographs of buildings in Byfield (Photographs). SNN111843.

<12> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/53/4 (Archive). SNN115.

<13> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/53/1,2,7,10-20,22-29,31- 37 (Archive). SNN115.

<14> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/53/39-75 (Archive). SNN115.

<15> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/53/76-96,98-104,127-138 (Archive). SNN115.

<16> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/53/97 (Archive). SNN115.

<17> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/53/139-140 (Archive). SNN115.

<18> Marks R., 1998, Stained Glass Of Northamptonshire, p. 34 (Book). SNN101533.

<19> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, MHLG(HHR) Daventry Rural District, February 1964, p. 24 (Report). SNN112993.

<20> Historic England, Undated, Holy Cross Church, Byfield, BF107262 (Archive). SNN115769.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 3:59PM