Church of St Bridget, Dyserth, Denbighshire

History

Dyserth Church is dedicated to St Cwyfan and St Ffraid or Bride, now St Bridget. There was a well dedicated to St Cwyfan locally. Domesday mentions ecclesia cum presbytero (1086). In the Middle Ages the living was appropriated to the Archdeaconry of St Asaph, and annexed in commendam to the Bishopric of St Asaph under Bishop Hughes in the C16. The list of perpetual curates commences in 1558.

The origin of the present structure can be traced back to the C12 on the basis that the west door of the church before its C19 restoration was described as apparently Norman. The west wall has massive buttresses also of early character, retained in the rebuilding of the gable end. Other dateable features are the south door and the single-light cusp-headed window south of the nave, both probably C13. The nave roof trusses carry the date 1579. The chancel was added on an axis inclined slightly to the north; the east window has glass which is partly dated 1450 and partly early C16 and the four-light window at the south of the chancel was inserted in 1636.

Before its restoration in the C19 the church was described as a ''''small neat structure'''' with a west gallery and closed pews. There was some expenditure on repairs in the early C19 and Glynne in 1839 referred to the interior as ''''modernised''''. The font was restored in 1863. The church was substantially restored in 1873-5 by Sir Gilbert Scott, who rebuilt the west wall and some of the south, removed the gallery, added the porch and the north transept and vestry and installed open seating.

The churchyard has been much enlarged to the south (1871). A Celtic cross and the unrelated base of another cross, thought to be very late and of post-Conquest date, formerly in the churchyard, are now preserved within the nave, but a third was lost in the C19.

Exterior

The church consists of a nave and chancel, to which a C19 north transept and vestry have been added. It is in local axe-dressed and coursed (generally limestone) masonry with freestone dressings, with a slate roof and tile ridge. Some of the early masonry is of a rubble character, and the C19 additions are in finer-jointed but uncoursed work maintaining the same general appearance. The gables are coped, with cross-finials at north and east and a bellcote at west. There are large rough buttresses at the corners of the nave and chancel, and bulky plain buttresses have been used on the C19 north transept, but the north-east corner has a smaller clasping buttress. There is a roughly constructed shed to the heating basement on the north east corner, and an ashlar chimney above the vestry with moulded base and cornice.

The east window is Perpendicular, of five lights, with a label moulding terminating in weather-worn heads. To the south of the chancel is a four-light window with segmental heads, on the lintel of which is ''''Sr John Conway Kngt 1636''''. To the south of the nave is a trefoil headed mediaeval lancet.

The south doorway is chamfered and pointed, slightly obtuse, with a simple label mould which has lost any terminals it may have had; the jamb stones have numbers roughly carved, inside or outside, indicating some rebuild. The door itself is modern, but the wrought iron hinges may be reused.

The other openings are of the C19 restoration work. There are C19 pairs of lancets to north and south of the nave. The west, having been rebuilt, is a C19 composition of quasi-Early English character, with a doorway beneath a stilted pointed arch, with deeply cut mouldings, on nook columns; above that a pair of lancets and a quatrefoil; above that a single-light bellcote. In the parts added in the C19 there are a pair of lancets and a quatrefoil to north of the transept and trefoil-headed single lights to the north and east of the vestry. The vestry north door is pointed. The porch has a timber front and a pair of quatrefoil windows each side.

Interior

The church is entered either directly through the west door or via the south porch, the latter being stone-flagged and having side benches. Both doorways are of two orders, a pointed arch with a segmental arch to the rear. The nave is broad and fully open to the chancel, which is broad and short. It is paved in limestone flags. There are two ranges of plain open pews with newels at each end with carved finials. A C19 arch to left is broad, of two orders, with a label mould with conventional head terminals. The font, at the south-west corner, was donated in 1863, and the ancient cross fragments stand in the same corner.

The nave roof is of four bays with braced collar beams; the truss nearest to the chancel has bracing in full arch form with short hammer beams terminating in Scott''''s carved angels. The mid-truss tie beam carries lettering, apparently ER15 1579 dH WH (but 1579 was not the 15th of Elizabeth). The lettering is gilded and there is a gilded rose boss beneath. Three purlins each side with cusped wind braces, and the trimming of a louvre or bell turret at the centre.

One step up leads to the chancel, with no screen, the change marked only by a slight narrowing of the structure and a separate roof construction. This is similarly constructed but of two bays and with two purlins each side. Paving is in a combination of black and red quarry tiles plus encaustic tiles. The choir has oak Gothic stalls incorporating a prayer desk each side, the fronts carved with similar blind tracery to the reredos and east wall panelling. The lectern at left, the pulpit at right; the latter octagonal on a timber foot, moulded toprail with little brattishing, timber steps. The panelling of the east wall returns about 2 m at each side. It is raised at centre as a reredos with pierced decorative border and a vine trail, the cross above. The Communion rails have paired standards with linking tracery. A small aumbry is dated 1982. The arch at left enclosing the organ is similar to that of the north transept, but with a crowned and a mitred head as terminals.

The windows are all of plain glass except the east window, which is the dominant feature of the interior. This is considered to be of two dates, the tracery lights given by Archdeacon Tubney in 1430 representing the 12 apostles, each carrying a clause of the Creed; the main lights contain a Jesse, with the Virgin and Child centrally at top; this and the outer tracery lights given by Archdeacon Conwy in 1508-31. The lowest part of the window now consists of jumbled mediaeval glass, said to have been rediscovered during the C19 restoration work.

There are early ledger stones in the nave paving, and there are said to be C17 slabs to members of the Mostyn family in the chancel. Close to the pulpit is a floriated C15 tombstone of two brothers interred in the chancel, Robert and H----, early members of the Hughes family, but the inscriptions are no longer legible. A brass plate at the south of the chancel commemorates other members of the Hughes family interred in the churchyard, and a mosaic-bordered memorial in the same location commemorates G E R Thomas, d.1916. On the north wall of the nave are two brass plates to the fallen of the two World Wars.

Reasons for Listing

Listed at Grade II* as a late mediaeval church restored by Sir Gilbert Scott, retaining considerable early fabric and possessing a fine east window with mediaeval glass.

External Links

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