Description

DAUNTSEY CHURCH LANE
ST 98 SE
3/179 Church of St James
28.10.59
GV I
Anglican parish church, C12 origins, C14, C15, C16 with tower of
1630-2, memorial chapel dated 1656 and restoration 1904. Rubble
stone and ashlar with stone slate roofs and coped gables. 1630-2
west tower in ashlar, C14 nave and aisles in roughcast rubble stone
with C14 porches and fenestration possibly C17, C15 chancel,
extended to east in C16, and north east chapel dated 1656. Tower,
built for Henry, 1st Earl of Danby, has heavy ashlar clasping
buttresses up to square angle pinnacles, plinth, dripcourses and
cornice with shields and gargoyles. Embattled parapet. Main
walling is in small ashlar pieces. Plain 2-light Tudor-arched
bell-openings, second stage has large and ornate Danby arms in open
pedimented frame on west front, inscription plaque below, south
side has similar 2-light with fielded panel below and sundial dated
1680 on buttress to left and north side has fine lozenge framed
clock face. Three-light Perpendicular style west window over plain
4-centred west door. Aisles are gabled with buttresses each end
and heavy stone corbel table. Four bays, with large porches in
second bays and 2-light possibly C17 windows elsewhere with ogee-
headed lights and blank spandrels. Porches have two-chamfer
pointed arches, stone seats within, rafter roofs with moulded wall-
plates and plank doors inside in recessed segmental-headed arches
with imposts and octagonal shafts with cushion capitals. Shafts
C12, possibly re-used. South aisle has 3-light east window with
quatrefoil head. North aisle is continued in matching style but in
small ashlar blocks for C17 chapel, two matching north windows and
Perpendicular style 3-light to east, with unusual tracery details.
Chancel has chamfered wall-plate, two C15 two-light south windows
then C16 flat-headed 4-light to south and north. East end has
angle buttresses and Perpendicular style 3-light.
Interior: 1904 five-bay roofs to nave and aisles but east bay of
nave has boarded wagon ceiling with reused C15 moulded ribs and
diagonal intersecting tracery. Carved angels on ridge. Chancel
has 1904 boarded wagon roof with similar applied decoration to east
bay. Four-bay C14 arcades with octagonal piers and two-chamfer
pointed arches. 1630 tower arch, pointed with moulded imposts,
painted inscription and carved Danby arms over. Tower screen C17
palimpsest of Cl5 woodwork. No chancel arch, but remarkable oak
screen, the upper cornices and ogee-traceried heads of lights late
C14 or C15 but uprights replaced by elongated columns of c1640 and
C17 scratch-moulded panelling below. North east chapel has moulded
round arches with imposts and keystone to north aisle and to
chancel. Arch to aisle has keystone dated 1656. Chancel has heavy
bar-stopped tie-beam. Monuments and fittings of outstanding
quality: in nave and aisles a complete set of C17 scratch-moulded
box pews with ball finials. c1900 pulpit with reused attached
carved panels. South aisle has c1920 east window by W. Tower, and
wall-monumnet to Ann Creed died 1772. North aisle has octagonal
stone font, and at west end very rare C16 doom painted on timber
panels, formerly infilling above chancel screen. Arms of George 11
over door. East end plaque to Alice Wayte c1780 by Reeves and
Sons. In north east chapel very large white marble tomb of the the
Earl of Danby died 1643, with carved inscription around top slab,
Purbeck marble plain angle piers, west end carved arms, east end
epitaph by G. Herbert and extensive biography on side panels. On
north wall, Gothic monument to Rev G. Bisset, died 1828. In
chancel, two fine monuments to Sir John and Lady Ann Danvers, on
north wall Perpendicular style tomb chest to Sir John, died 1514,
with quatrefoil panels and carved arms. Purbeck marble top with
inset brasses of Sir John and Lady Danvers. Window above has
stained glass dated 1520. Lady Danvers monument opposite is
similar tomb-chest but with canopied recess above and concave-
octagonal angle piers carried up free-standing to large dog
finials. Fine carved detail. Rear wall brass to Lady Ann Danvers,
died 1539. Fragmentary glass dated 1525 above. East window has
glass of 1897 to Sir H. Meux (the centre figure reputedly a
portrait of Lady Meux). In front of altar, three floor slabs, one
incised C15 slab to John Dauntsey and John Dewale, then one to Lt.
Gen. H. Mordaunt died 1719 and then one with raised white marble
coronet to Charles, 5th Earl of Peterborough died 1819. Fine
chancel stalls C16 an C17 with arms of Ann Danvers and Earl of
Danby. North wall monument to C. West died 1760.
(N. Pevsner, Wiltshire, 1975 204-5)

Listing NGR: ST9798582463

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17529666

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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