Church of St Mary

Details

TF 2569 HORNCASTLE CHURCH LANE (west side)

6/30 Church of St. Mary 7.12.66 G.V. II*

Parish church. Early C13, C15, 1820-21, heavily restored in 1859-61 by Ewan Christian. Green sandstone rubble blocks, some ironstone and red sandstone rubble blocks, some brick and limestone ashlar. Lead roofs with battlements and cross finials. West tower with spirelet, nave with north and south aisles, chancel with north and south aisles and north vestry. West tower of c.1200 remodelled in 1861 with ashlar dressed plinth and 2 stage buttresses applied to pilasters. 2 western lancets with 2 moulded string courses above with small light with Caernarvon head above them. South side with polygonal stair turret of 1861 with doorway in south wall with Caernarvon head and plank door. Single slit lights to south and west with three quatrefoils above. Bell openings on all 4 sides, each a pointed opening with 2 trefoil headed lights and quatrefoil. Moulded eaves with 2 gargoyles and corner gargoyles on each side. Battlements above, lead covered spirelet with weathervane. North aisle of 1820-21 with windows and porch of 1859-61. West end with pointed window with 3 cusped, pointed lights, 3 mouchettes, hood mould and head label stops. Moulded eaves and parapet above with rectangular rosette motifs. North side with gabled porch to right with pointed doorway with moulded head, filleted semi-circular jambs, hood mould and head label stops. C19 inner doorway with pointed head, 2 continuous moulded orders and plank door. 3 windows to left alternate with 2 stage buttress. Windows with flattened triangular heads, 3 cusped ogee headed lights and 2 mouchettes. C15 north aisle of chapel, now organ chamber, with 3 regularly placed buttresses running up to base of 3 pinnacles on roof line. Doorway to right with four centred head, hood mould, plank door and illegible plaque above. 2 large windows to east with flattened triangular heads, chamfered surrounds, 4 round headed cusped lights with panel tracery. Frieze above with cusped rectangular plaques containing shields. North vestry of 1861 with pointed doorway to west, moulded in one with plank door. Pointed window to left with 3 pointed, cusped lights and hood mould. 5 C15 clerestory windows restored in 1861, each with four centred head, 3 flattened pointed cusped heads and hood mould. 4 clerestory windows over chancel restored C19, each with bowtell moulded surround, 3 pointed cusped lights and hood mould. Moulded eaves and battlements above. East end of C19 vestry with pointed window with 2 pointed, cusped lights and panel tracery. East end proper defined by 2 stage gabled buttresses and with large, pointed 5 light window of 1861 with flowing tracery based on the east window of Haltam on Bain, hood mould and head label stops. South aisle of 1820-21 with windows of 1859-61. East end with pointed four light window with panel tracery and hood mould. Moulded eaves and parapet above. South side of chancel aisle with 3 flattened pointed windows alternating'with 3 stage buttresses, the windows each of 4 lights with panel tracery and hood moulds. Moulded eaves and parapet above. South side of nave with 3 shallow pointed windows each with 3 cusped ogee headed lights with various mouchettes above. Porch of 1861 to left with flattened gable, 2 stage diagonal buttresses, pointed doorway with chamfered head, polygonal responds, hood mould and head label stops. Flanking stone benches and pointed inner doorway with continuous chamfered surround, plank doors, hood mould and head label stops. West end of south aisle with pointed window with 3 pointed, cusped lights, flowing tracery, hood mould and head label stops. Interior tower arch of c.1200 with triple chamfered, pointed head which dies into roll moulded jambs, central jamb on each side with fillet. Small doorway in south- west corner of tower with semi-circular relieving arch, rectangular moulded lintel, small segmental headed plank door beneath. Cusped oculus set high above outer arch. 5 bay early C13 north and south arcades with upper sections of piers, capitals, abaci and spandrels re-built in 1859-61. Single east bays on each side smaller and of late C13 also heavily restored in c.1861. Semi-circular, filleted west responds; piers each with 4 larger filleted rolls alternating with 4 slender rolls; 2 stiff leaf capitals to west, on each side, single piers to east with later C13 moulded capitals and eastern responds dying into the wall. Pointed, double chamfered heads, much narrower in eastern bays, C19 hood moulds and head label stops. Large C15 gargoyle in westernmost spandrel of north arcade. Chancel arch of 1859-61, with pointed, double chamfered head, the inner order with flower head motifs; corbelled on 2 half shafts on each side, with stiff leaf capitals, hood mould and ornate label stops. Pointed archway leading from north aisle of nave into north aisle of chancel, (now organ chamber), with double chamfered head dying into broad chamfered jambs. Ornate late C14 corbel immediately to right with veined leaves and lion faces. Triangular headed C19 south aisle archway leading into south aisle of chancel, with double chamfered head and jambs, and simply moulded corbel to left. C15 2 bay north and 3 bay south chancel arcades, heavily restored in C19, with polygonal responds, octagonal piers, pointed double chamfered heads and C14 screens heavily restored in C19. Blocked doorway in north wall of chancel, heavily restored in C19 with four centred head. Small pointed opening with grille immediately to right. Ornate stone reredos of 1861. C14 piscina in south wall of chancel heavily restored in C19 with richly moulded ogee head, crockets, finial, hood mould with flanking pinnacles and head label stops. Roofs of 1861 supported on stone angle corbels in chancel and wooden angel corbels in nave. C19 altar rail, brass candelabra, octagonal stone font, pulpit and eagle lectern. Chest inscribed "1690 FASHIH". Monuments include in the chancel one of white marble on black field, to the Rev. Clement Madely, died 1843, a semi-circular headed slate monument on white marble brackets, to Elizabeth Fletwell, undated; and a large white marble monument with small sepulchre, marble pedestals with urns and large quantities of black marble diapery, to George Heald, died 1834. 4 slabs in chancel floor to Thomas Lodington, died 1723: John Shelley, died 1707: Jane Dymoke died 1745 and Emma Heald, 1828. South chapel with monument to the Rev. Thomas Gibson, a royalist who suffered during the Commonwealth and eventually died 1678. White marble monument on black field with book, cross and laurels, to Francis Rockcliffe, died 1817. Oval white marble plaque to Ann Sandon, 1825. White marble monument on black field to Richard Rockcliffe, died 1800. White marble monument to Thomas Friskney, died 1776. Small stone plaque in nave inscribed "Thos Gibson Vicar John Hamerton, John Goake Church Warden NS ANNO DOMINI 1673". White marble monument in black field, with fluted pilasters and urn, to Elizabeth Kelham, 1780. Brass to Lionel Dymoke, died 1519, with kneeling soldier, and 2 sons and 3 daughters each on small plaque and 3 coats of arms. Another, very worn brass to Lionel Dymoke in floor of north aisle. 3 stone slabs in nave to: William Hamerton, died 1715; Sarah Sellwood, died 1816 and Richard Everitt, died 1783. 3 hatchments to Dr. Thomas Lodington, died 1724 and to Jane Dymoke, died 1743. Hatchment recently repainted, to Sir Ingram Hopton, who was killed at Battle of Winceby, 1643. Sources: J. N. Clarke, "A History of St. Mary's Church, Horncastle", 1972. R. E. Elliot, "The Parish Church of St. Mary, Horncastle."

Listing NGR: TF2585569555

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

195687

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Elliot, RE, The Parish Church of St Mary Horncastle, ()
Clarke, J N, A History of St Marys Church Horncastle, (1972)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.