Monument record 4287/2/1 - St Denis' Church

Destroyed church of Faxton, dedicated to St. Denis. Demolished as late as 1958. The chapel of Faxton consisted of two cells with no tower. It is known to have existed in 1174 and 1181.

{1} The earliest known map of 1746 shows the medieval church was isolated except for Rectory Farm, an early C17th building which stood immediately to the east, and another building to the east again. The Tithe Map of 1840 shows a different layout of the map of almost 100 years earlier. The church, Rectory Farm and the almshouses remained. The church was pulled down in 1958.
At the south-east corner of the green stood the small church dedicated to St Denis. It was mainly C13th but incorporated some C12th work. New windows were inserted in the C14th when the chancel arch was also rebuilt and the clerestory was added in the C15th.

In formal terms the church was a chapel of ease of Lamport and this was certainly the case from 1208 onwards. However as early as 1180 there was a dispute between the Priory of Lewes which held it and the rector of Lamport over the burial of dead parishioners and this suggests that perhaps from its foundation the church was a chapelry of Lamport.

{4} Article which includes photos of the unroofed Faxton church, an internal monument and 'The Pottery' - a dovecote type feature.

{5} Photo.

{6} The church comprised chancel and nave.

{7} The font is at All Saints, Kettering. The plate, and a mural tablet to Mrs. Raynsford 1763 by William Cox are at Lamport. The monument of Judge Nichols 1616, a tablet by John Hunt, and another by John Bacon Jnr are in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

{9} Destroyed chapel of Faxton, dedicated to St. Denis. Destroyed as late as 1958 the chapel of Faxton consisted of two cells with no tower. It is known to have existed in 1174 and 1181. The monks of Lewes claimed it as part of their possessions from an earlier date, but both the privilege of Archbishop Ralph d’Escures of 1121 and the actum of Bishop Robert Chesney (1148-66) which contains it are spurious. Even the royal charter of Stephen to Lewes which would give a terminus ante quem for the monks’ acquisition of Faxton of 1154 is not trustworthy. The actum of Archbishop Richard of Dover of 1174 and 1181 which is certainly genuine, is thus the earliest confirmed reference to a chapel in Faxton. The dispute which this actum resolved was one of long standing and was perhaps connected with the shift of landownership from king to the Balliols at some point between 1086 and the date of the Northamptonshire survey. Once the rights of Lamport over Faxton were confirmed, Faxton remained a chapel-of-ease for the whole of the medieval period. A will of 1521 mentions the gilding of St Nicholas’ altar, presumably in an aisle.

{15} Article detailing the 20th century decline of the chapel and the efforts by various people, including Joan Wake and Sir Gyles Isham, to save it.

{19} Drawing of font with dimensions, notes on the font, sketch of church;

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.122 site 15 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<2> 1746, Map of Faxton (Possible Inclosure Map), (unchecked) (Map). SNN26677.

<3> 1840, Faxton Tithe Map, (unchecked) (Map). SNN26679.

<4> 1927, The Remainder, ?10-11 (unchecked) (Article). SNN43453.

<5> 2012, Retro: Looking back on how the county used to live, (checked) (Newspaper cuttings). SNN107865.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP77NE2 (checked) (Index). SNN443.

<7> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.216 (checked) (Series). SNN1320.

<8> 1805, The Gentleman's Magazine, p.793 (unchecked) (Magazine). SNN109161.

<9> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches, Lamport p.7-8 (checked) (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<10> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.95 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77326.

<11> Salzman L.F.(ed), 1937, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.171-2 (unchecked) (Series). SNN100371.

<12> Hodgkinson T., 1972, Monuments From Faxton Church in Northamptonshire Held in The Victoria & Albert Museum, (unchecked) (Article). SNN66235.

<13> Lee M., 2004, Henry Penn, Bellfounder, 1685-1729, p.41-53 (unchecked) (Article). SNN109357.

<14> Butler, L, and Gerrard, C, 2020, Faxton: Excavations in a deserted Northamptonshire village 1966–68, p. 48-56 (Monograph). SNN112494.

<15> Morris, J, 2009, 'A Dangerous Structure'- The Sad Fate of St Denis Church, Faxton (Article). SNN115500.

<16> Morris, J, 2014, St Denis' Church, Faxton, Northampton (Report). SNN115501.

<17> Historic England, St Denis' Church, Faxton, Lamport, BF107355 (Archive). SNN115502.

<18> Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Faxton Church, Northamptonshire, File 146 (Archive). SNN115503.

<19> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/112/1-3 (Archive). SNN115.

Record last edited

Feb 5 2025 7:06PM