Building record 472/1/1 - St. Faith's Church

The church was built in the 13th century and restored in 1868-9 by E Christian and again in 1895. Built of uncoursed limestone and ironstone rubble, the tower is partly of squared coursed sandstone, and the roofs are of lead and tile. The church consists of a chancel with north chapel, aisled nave, south porch and west tower. The church was part of the episcopal estate of the See of Lincoln from the early 1100s until the Dissolution. The church is now dedicated to St Faith but with an earlier dedication to St Andrew (deduced from 15th and 16th century wills). It perhaps had an even earlier one to St Denys in the 12th century, and was originally founded in the early 1100s as a daughter chapel of the neighbouring parish of Barby. In October 2003 a small inscribed stone was found buried under the north-aisle front pew. In addition, when the pews in the south aisle were removed and the church re-floored in 2006, several medieval lead-glazed floor-tiles (dating from about 1380-1450AD), were uncovered. Some have been provisionally identified as Penn tiles, and at around the time this floor was laid the adjacent Prebend House was erected.

{1} Improvements to the existing drainage around the church required that a shallow excavation would take place around the base of the exterior walls. This did not reveal any unexpected information about the construction of the building; the stonework was the same as that visible in the rest of the wall.

{2} Church. C13, restored 1868-9 by E. Christian and again in 1895. Uncoursed limestone and ironstone rubble, tower partly squared coursed sandstone, lead and tile roofs. Chancel with north chapel, aisled nave, south porch, west tower. C14 three-light window to chancel, tracery renewed C19. Perpendicular 2-light window with flat arched head and panel tracery to north chapel. Similar window in south wall of chancel and a C13 priests doorway with 2-light window of the same date to left of it. C19 window to south aisle. C19 south porch. Inner doorway C13 with single chamfered arch and C19 plank door. C13 tower of 3 stages with crenellated parapet, gargoyle water spouts and octagonal spire. The west doorway has a single chamfered arch and lancet window above. Bell openings of 2 cusped lights with C19 tracery. Part of jamb and arch of blocked doorway in right bay of north aisle. Perpendicular 3-light window with square head in left bay and C19 window in the centre. The east window of the north aisle is probably C13 but the head is blocked by a wood lintel. Interior: 4-bay nave arcades with octagonal piers and double-chamfered arches. North chapel has Perpendicular 4-centred arch opening to north aisle. C19 roofs. Box pews. Stained glass in east window, 1869, by Powell and Sons, with the Crucifixion by Doyle.

{5} A small tombstone found under the front pew on the north side of the nave, bearing the inscription "I.T. 1746". About 3-4 inches thick, 44cm high and 20cm wide, made of local Northamptonshire sandstone. Cross checking of the parish registers identifies the person it commemorates as John Thompson, a church warden who died in 1746.

{6} Investigations undertaken during pew restoration identified original floor levels in the church and also recovered floor tile fragments of 2 different types: large plain clay tiles of the C17/18 and smaller lead-glazed clay tiles, probably late C14 or early C15.

{7} It is possible that layer A and B (and perhaps also C and D) of fig 4 were laid in or after 1911, when a serious fire took place in the belfry. However, no mention was made in reports of any re-laying of floor slabs and it seems more likely that layers A/B/C/D of fig 4 probably date from the re-modelling of the church in 1870. This interpretation would also explain the existence of whitewashed plaster fragments in layer E.
The tiled floor may perhaps have been laid only in the nave. In the absence of dating evidence the north aisle would be expectedto pre-date the south aisle by a century or so and to post-date the nave by a similar amount of time. Sources suggest the original nave and santuary were C12th, the north aisle C13th and the south C14th.
A possible early floor was found below part of the vestry floor, made from locally-made fired-earth tiles on a bed of lime mortar helps to substantiate an early date for the north aisle. A great wealth of detail can be found in the report.

{9} Undated photo.

{12} The church was part of the episcopal estate of the See of Lincoln from the early 1100s until the Dissolution. The church is now dedicated to St Faith but with an earlier dedication to St Andrew (deduced from 15th and 16th century wills). It perhaps had an even earlier one to St Denys in the 12th century, and was originally founded in the early 1100s as a daughter chapel of the neighbouring parish of Barby. In October 2003 a small inscribed stone was found buried under the north-aisle front pew. In addition, when the pews in the south aisle were removed and the church re-floored in 2006, several medieval lead-glazed floor-tiles (dating from about 1380-1450AD), were uncovered. Some have been provisionally identified as Penn tiles, and at around the time this floor was laid the adjacent Prebend House was erected.

<1> Tingle, M., 1994, St Faiths Church watching brief, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN49331.

<2> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 14/159 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<3> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F04 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

<4> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p. 276 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<5> Hatton, G., 2003, Tombstone Brought to Light During Restoration Work at St. Faith's Church, Kilsby, (checked) (Report). SNN106903.

<6> Hatton, G., 2006, St. Faith's church, Kilsby: Renewal of Flooring Beneath Pews in South Aisle, (checked) (Report). SNN106904.

<7> Hatton, G., 2013, St. Faith's Church, Kilsby, (part checked) (Report). SNN109158.

<8> Lee M., 2004, Henry Penn, Bellfounder, 1685-1729, p.41-53 (unchecked) (Article). SNN109357.

<9> Photographs of buildings in Kilsby (Photographs). SNN112704.

<10> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), OS 6' 1955 (Map). SNN112944.

<11> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, District of Daventry, 11/03/1987, p. 65 (Report). SNN112993.

<12> Hatton, G, 2010, Kilsby Village, Kilsby Church by Gren Hatton. 2000 [Accessed 16-MAR-2011] (Website). SNN113599.

<13> Historic England, Undated, St Faith's Church, Kilsby, BF107350 (Archive). SNN115589.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 4:04PM