Church of St James

Details

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

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

316305

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Wiltshire, (1975), 204-205

End of official list entry

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