Building record 1232/1/1 - Church of St. Bartholomew

A church, with medieval (12th to 14th century) origins, however the extant fabric of which mostly dates to circa 1620, with restoration phases of 1870 and the early 21st century. It is built of coursed squared limestone, with a slate roof to the nave and tiled roofs to the chancel and tower. The main existing fabric from circa 1620 includes straight headed windows, a round tower arch and chancel arch. This rebuilding is thought to have been funded by Sir Robery Banastre of Passenham. The building went through a period of dereliction after 1921 before being taken over by the Churches Conservation Trust and restored at the beginning of the 21st century. By 2007 it was once more open to the public. The Church is a Listed Building.

{1} Church. C12 and C14 substantially rebuilt c.1620 and restored 1870. Coursed squared limestone, slate roof to nave, plain-tile roofs to chancel and tower. Chancel, nave and west tower. 2-bay chancel has 3-light east window with curvilinear tracery, ogee-arched heads to lights and hood mould. Pair of 2-light windows to south with straight heads and Decorated tracery and small blocked rectangular window below south-west window with chamfered stone surround. Round-arched priest's door to south with hood mould and label stops. Diagonal off-set buttresses, 2 offset buttresses to north and chamfered plinth to east end. 3-bay nave has 3-light arched mullion windows with cut spandrels and hood moulds, except for similar 2-light window to west of south door. South doorway with chamfer, Tudor-arched head, cut spandrels, hood mould and plank door. Similar doorway to north. Stone bracket water-spouts to west end either side of tower. Chamfered plinth. Plain parapet with moulded string to base and shield to middle of south side of parapet with initials in rectangular wave-moulded surround. Finial to east gable. 2-stage tower is partly built within west end of nave and has 3-light window to west similar to those of nave and similar bell-chamber openings, wave-moulded plinth, diagonal off-set buttresses, string and moulded string to base of battlemented parapet. Parapet has pair of water-spouts to west resembling urns. Pyramidal roof. Interior; chancel has image brackets either side of east window, pointed trefoil-headed piscina, double sunk quadrant moulded tomb recess to north side and blocked window to north-west with pointed trefoil head. 2-bay roof with cambered tie beam, rest concealed by plaster ceiling. Double-chamfered chancel and tower arches with continuous chamfer outermost and polygonal responds innermost with chamfered bases and moulded capitals. Nave has 3-bay roof with many-moulded wall plate, moulded tie beams to principal rafters, moulded purlins and ridge piece, king posts and ogee-stop-chamfered rafters. Small C17 octagonal stone font. The church was rebuilt at the expense of Sir Robert Banastre of Passenham who purchased the Manor of Furtho in 1625. (Buildings of England; Northamptonshire: 1973, p221)

{2} The Church of St. Batholomew is a Listed Building Grade II* The description in the record summarry is partly based on the listed description. For full description please refer to Listed Building System

{3} The existing building is said to be of about 1620. It was rebuilt by Edward Furtho.

{5} A new church was erected at Furtho after 1600.

{7} C14th chancel; nave and tower reconstructed in early C17th; escaped later restoration; ceased to be parish church in 1920.

{10} Mostly of 1620, the church is now disused and derelict


{11} Watching brief conducted by G.Cadman on 31/01/1991. Test Pits sunk prior to major repairs both on exterior and interior of north chancel wall. Revealed tomb recess though no extant vault.

{12} Excavations beneath the present tower have revealed the well-preserved foundations of the former west end of the nave. No dating evidence was present but is demise probably took place when the exisiting tower was incorporated into the body of the church in the 17th or 18th centuries. A medieval stone fishing weight was also found.

{13} Updates previous survey carried out by Hugh Richmond for RCHME.

{14} No archaeological deposits or artefacts were present. The shallow nature of the groundworks undertaken in the area did not impact on layers below the depth of the present floor make-up.

{15} The foundations of the church walls were examined.

{19} Undated photo, also one photo dated 21.10.1978, two photos dated 04.03.1994, also four photos of interior dated 04.03.1994;

{20} (SP 77344309) St Bartholomew's Church (NAT)

{22} The Church of St. Batholomew is a Listed Building Grade II* The description in the record summary is partly based on the listed description. For full description please refer to Listed Building System

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 7/103 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F11 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.119/Site 9 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<4> COUNCIL FOR THE CARE OF CHURCHES, 1987, Report on church under consideration for redundancy, (checked) (Report). SNN57589.

<5> Allison K.J.; Beresford M.W.; Hurst J.G. et al, 1966, The Deserted Villages of Northamptonshire, p.40 (checked) (Report). SNN39628.

<6> COUNCIL FOR THE CARE OF CHURCHES, 1987, Furtho, St Bartholomew, Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Report). SNN57286.

<7> 1994, Visit Churches in Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, (checked) (Pamphlet). SNN33492.

<8> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches, (unchecked) (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<9> Riden P.; Insley C., 2002, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN102540.

<10> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.221 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<11> Cadman, G., 1991, SMR Report Form, (checked) (SMR Report Form). SNN50265.

<12> Soden I., 2007, An Archaeological Watching Brief at the Church of St Bartholomew, Furtho, Northamptonshire, January 2007, (checked) (Report). SNN105846.

<13> Barnwell P., 2004, The Whittlewood Project: Notes on The Medieval Churches, (unchecked) (Report). SNN105022.

<14> Leigh, D.J., 2006, An archaeological watching brief at the Church of St Bartholomew, Furtho, Northamptonshire, June 2005, (checked) (Report). SNN106597.

<15> Audouy M.; Soden I., 1993, An Archaeological Watching Brief at Furtho Church, Potterspury, Northamptonshire 1992, (checked) (Report). SNN70163.

<16> Tricker, R., 1998, St. Bartholomew's Church, Furtho, Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Guide). SNN108950.

<17> Chapman P. (Editor), 2008, Archaeology in Northamptonshire in 2007, p.297 (checked) (Article). SNN106430.

<18> Horne B. (Editor), 2008, South Midlands Archaeology: CBA Group 9 Newsletter (38), 38/40 (checked) (Journal). SNN106282.

<19> Photographs of buildings in Potterspury (Photographs). SNN112957.

<20> Ordnance Survey, 1955, 1950s/60s Ordnance Survey 6 Inch Mapping Series (SP44NE), 1958 (Map). SNN61128.

<21> Colquhoun, FD, 1969, Field investigators comments, 21/OCT (Notes). SNN112950.

<22> ENGLISH HERITAGE, Pastscape, Website feedback via email, 03/OCT/2007 (Website). SNN109137.

<23> Historic England, Undated, St Bartholemew's Church, Potterspury, BF061752 (Archive). SNN116435.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 4:23PM