Monument record 1682/2 - Church at Kirby

Medieval church at Kirby, probably destroyed in the late 16th century. The remains lie beneath the prospect mount, which was probably created in the 17th century

{1} Documentary evidence; medieval church of the village of Kirby; Bridges says that where the Mount is a cartload of bones was dug up '20 years since'; this is the possible site of the church;

{3} The creation of the Mount was entirely dependant on the destruction of the village church, which the Treswell survey shows to have existed hereabout, and its remains still lie beneath the summit. They consist of the razed foundations of two parallel east-west walls, with the remains of cross-wall partitions between them. Together they form a room 6m long x 3.5m wide, but it is not possible to determine which part of the church is represented. A separate, short foundation at the east end may form part of an extension. Associated pottery of Lyveden-type both from within the main walls and in layers directly beneath them shows that the layout of the church in this form probably took place at some time in the thirteenth century. The more easterly of the cross-walls contained a sherd of Cistercian Ware of the mid-fifteenth to late-sixteenth century.
A group of seven earth-cut features occuring both within and outside the church remains denote former graves. Although not individually excavated, they had all been previously disturbed by the creation of the Mount which had exposed some of their content of human bones. A sherd of seventeenth century pot found during the cleaning of the top of one of the graves suggests that burial might have continued up to the time of the physical demise of the church, though there is a string likelihood of contamination by the subsequent massive earthmoving operations.

It is uncertain how long the church was left standing after the enclosure of the village. There is no evidence for a private chapel in the house itself until the 1670s, and even then Lady Hatton complained that 'the wayes and wheathere is so bad that we can hardly get to church', implying that there was not a church close by.

It may from documentary evidence be postulated that the church of Kirby was still functioning as a chapelry in 1557, having its own priest, but by 1584 had lost its cleric, possibly due to the run-down nature of the village. The destruction of the church could have followed soon afterwards.

Description from record 1682/2:
{1}{2} Church still survives in 1586.

<1> Treswell R., 1586, Kirby (NRO FH 272/8), (unchecked) (Map). SNN46187.

<1> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.315 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77326.

<2> Treswell R., 1586, Kirby (NRO FH 272/9), (unchecked) (Map). SNN72124.

<2> Linford N., 1992, Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire: Report on Geophysical Survey (Report). SNN109699.

<3> Dix B.; Soden I.; Hylton T., 1995, Kirby Hall and Its Gardens: Excavations in 1987-1994, p.331-5 (unchecked) (Report). SNN74020.

Record last edited

Mar 25 2019 2:28PM