Part 14

Contemporary with these churches there existed at Hartlepool a monastic house said by Bede to have been founded by Heiu, the first Northumbrian nun, and subsequently extended by St. Hilda, before her transition to Whitby in 657.

Although continued after this date, its history during the period of the Danish invasion is lost. The present Church of St. Hilda is mentioned in the confirmatory charter to Guisborough Priory of Bishop Pudsey in 1195, and in those of several of his successors, and was most likely included in the original grant with the churches of Hart and Stranton, of which it was a dependent chapel. In 1308 Bishop Bek, as a reward for the continual devotion, charity, and hospitality of the Prior and convent of Guisborough, granted them the indulgence, that in the church of Hart and chapel of Hartlepool, service should, after that date, be perpetually performed by a canon of Guisborough.

Statutes for the government of the church were drawn up by the Corporation of Hartlepool in 1599, and appear in the Corporation records, whence the following extract:

"Ytt ys ordeyned, that whosoever of this town dothe shott att or within the churche or churche steple of thys town, with gun, crosbowe, or anie other shott for the kyllinge of any dove, pigeon, or anie other foule, shall paye, for every suche offence, to the use of the town. 12.d."

In 1600 the number of "pues or stalls" was thirty-three.

The first church, though much restored, is the one which still remains, and the finest of the parish churches in the North. Standing on high ground, the impressive landmark formed by its massive tower and crocketed pinnacles, over many miles of land and water, has been referred to with admiration by every historian of the county.

"The church of Hartlepool differs from most ancient churches in being throughout one design, carried out at one time.... It tells, as authentically as any written document could, of the rapid growth and prosperity which preceded its erection. In the enthusiasm to which success gives birth, the merchants of Hartlepool said: ‘We will build a church.’ From the first they contemplated a splendid design, and this they executed worthily."--BOYLE.

The church stands to the north-west of the site of St. Hilda’s Foundation. Its tower is its most striking characteristic. At an early date the tower must have shown signs of weakness, and the enormous buttresses which increase its picturesqueness so much were added. These additions are generally ascribed to the year 1230, and the entrance arch, with a very beautiful but much decayed chevron moulding, cut through the south buttress of the west side, is of the same date. The tower is of three stages, and the south-west corner forms a turret, through which a staircase leads to the roof. The clerestory windows have formerly been of three lights each, now built into one, and are very fine. The original capitals remain, but all the shafts have gone.

The west, or main entrance, has been built up. The nave is supported by five clustered pillars on each side, with pointed arches. In the wall of the south aisle is a piscina. The greater part of the chancel is modern.

Several chantries were attached to the church before the dissolution of the monasteries, but the monumental remains are few.

In the churchyard is a large tomb, which was formerly enclosed within the walls of the ancient chancel, before the latter was taken down. It is generally ascribed to the De Bruses, and the armorial shields on the sides, each charged with a lion rampant, confirm the suggestion.

Durham possesses another very good example of Early English architecture in the parish church of Darlington, dedicated to St. Cuthbert. It consists of a chancel, north and south transepts, a nave with aisles, and a central tower crowned by a spire. That it stands on a site of great antiquity is proved by the discovery, in 1866, during restoration, of fragments of three pre-Conquest crosses, which are now preserved in the church. In the charter of Styr, son of Ulf, which is included in a record called by Symeon, the "Ancient Chartulary of the Church," there is given to St. Cuthbert "the vill which is called Dearthingtun, with sac and soc," and Symeon again mentions Darlington as one of the places to which the secularized monks of Durham were removed in 1083 by William de St. Carileph. On the authority of Geoffry de Coldingham, the erection of the church has been ascribed to Bishop Pudsey, and the date to 1190-95.

The principal entrance is in the west front, set in a richly moulded arch, with a trefoil-headed niche above. In the second stage of the front is an arcade of five arches, and the third stage has three arches, all with dividing shafts. The arches in the second stage are pierced alternately with lancet lights. The walls of the aisle were greatly altered about the middle of the fourteenth century, and all the square-headed windows belong to this period, no features dating from the original erection of the church remaining except the doorways. The north doorway has been greatly restored, and the south doorway was originally covered by a porch; it has a niche above. The clerestory has an arcade of twelve arches pierced with four lancet windows on each side. Both transepts and the chancel are of two stages, divided by string courses; but the south transept is more enriched than the north, both internally and externally. Buttresses divide the walls of the chancel into three bays, and the walls and ends of the transepts are similarly divided into two bays each. Those buttresses at the junctions of the transepts and the chancel, owing to their great proportion, have much the appearance of corner turrets. The spire and the higher stage of the tower are of the same date as the walls of the aisles. Longstaffe says of the spire: "On July 17, 1750, this beautiful spire, considered the highest and finest in the North of England, was rent.... The storm occasioned fifteen yards of the spire to be taken down and rebuilt in 1752.... Unfortunately the mason omitted the moulding at the angles of the new part."

Incidentally it should be noted that Durham is one of the counties in which spires are comparatively rare.

The tower is supported by four arches on clustered shafts, and the nave is divided from its aisle by four arches on each side. The east wall of the chancel is modern. Three sedilia of the Decorated period occupy the usual position in the chancel. In one of the windows on the east side of the south transept occurs the only instance of the dog-tooth ornament in the interior of the church, and there is a piscina in both of the side walls of the same transept.

Darlington is the only church in the county which retains a rood-loft.

On the south of the chancel is the vestry, which has been greatly modernized. The only monumental effigy is that of an unknown lady with a

## book in her hand. It dates from the early thirteenth century, and is

placed at the west end of the nave.

After the two churches last mentioned, the church at Sedgefield, dedicated to St. Edmund the Bishop, but formerly dedicated to the Virgin, is probably the finest in the county. The nave and chancel date from the Early English period. The tower is very fine, of Perpendicular date and of three stages, crowned by battlemented parapets and small spirelets standing on angle buttresses. The Rev. J. F. Hodgson is of the opinion that it was intended to crown the tower with an open lantern, as at St. Nicholas’ Cathedral, Newcastle.

There are two transepts; the south contains the chapel of St. Thomas, and in its east wall are two piscinas, one of which is trefoil-headed; and in the south wall are two pointed recesses occupied by much mutilated male and female effigies, the latter dating from the later fourteenth century. The north transept contains the Chapel of St. Katherine, and is now known as the Hardwick porch. Two of its ancient windows still remain, and fix its date as 1328. The east window is filled with Late Decorated tracery. The nave is divided from the aisles by three pointed arches, supported by clustered pillars on moulded bases. The capitals are richly carved and very interesting.

The font is octagonal and of Frosterley marble, dating from the end of the fifteenth century, and charged on each side with armorial shields, most likely carved in the seventeenth century. The stall work of the chancel is ascribed to the latter part of the seventeenth century, and the rich chancel screen to a slightly earlier date.

On the north side of the chancel is the grave cover of Andrew de Stanley, first master of Greatham Hospital.

Two interesting brasses of skeletons in shrouds are preserved in the vestry, and were originally inlaid in one slab. Another small brass is in the south transept. It is considered to be one of the earliest in England, and represents a lady in loose robe with tight sleeves and wimple and hood. There is another brass to the memory of William Hoton, engraved with a helmet and crest of three trefoils.

Of the five bells, one is of pre-Reformation date, bearing the inscription "✠ TRINITATE SACRA FIAT HEC CAMPANA BEATA," and the arms of Rhodes and Thornton.

The church at Staindrop, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, was much mutilated by restorations in 1849, but its sepulchral monuments to members of the Neville family are unrivalled.

Parts of the walls of the nave are of pre-Reformation date, and two of the original windows still remain. The north and south aisles were added to the original structure in the twelfth century, when the nave walls were pierced by three arches on each side, supported on cylindrical pillars, with capitals carved in different foliage designs. During the following century the plan of the church was altered, and an additional bay added to the west end of the nave, north and south transepts thrown out, and the tower erected. The tower was of three stages, probably crowned by a wooden spire, taken down in 1408, when a fourth stage was added. Being built on the original corbel-tables, and overhanging the substructure, it gives the whole a very heavy appearance. About the same time the original high-pitched roofs were lowered to the almost flat roofs which now exist, and the clerestory of the nave built. Before the date of the latter alterations extensive changes had been made in the church during the fourteenth century, when Ralph, Lord Neville, under licence of the Prior and convent of Durham, endowed three chantries. The original south aisle and transept were removed, and the present south aisle, which is much wider than the nave, erected. At the south-east angle of the aisle a small porch or vestry projects, which was intended for the use of the priests officiating in the chantries.

Shortly after these alterations, the symmetry of the church being destroyed, a new north aisle and transept, of similar dimensions, but much inferior work, were erected. The ancient vestry opening from the chancel, with _domus inclusa_ above, is very interesting.

Staindrop is the only church in the county in which the pre-Reformation chancel screen remains, but the rood-loft which surmounted it has been destroyed. The font is octagonal, and of Teesdale marble, decorated with armorial bearings, and may date from the latter part of the fourteenth century.

The first of the effigies before referred to is that of a lady, and lies in a recess in the south aisle. It is ascribed to Isabel de Neville, wife of Robert FitzMeldred, Lord of Raby. "The costume is an excellent example of the dress of a gentlewoman of Western Europe in the second half of the thirteenth century and beginning of the fourteenth." Sepulchral effigies of females of this early date are extremely rare. The general resemblance of this effigy to that of Aveline, Countess of Lancaster, in Westminster Abbey, who died in 1269, is very striking.

The second effigy in point of date is attributed to Euphemia, mother of Ralph, Lord Neville, founder of the chantries and builder of the south aisle, in which it lies in an enriched recess. The third, a female effigy, is also in the same aisle, and though no doubt representing one of the Neville family, its exact identity is a matter of some controversy. It dates from the fourteenth century, and the remaining effigy in the aisle--that of a boy--is of the same date.

A remarkably fine altar-tomb, with effigies of Ralph Neville, first Earl of Westmorland, and his wives--Margaret, daughter of Hugh, Earl of Stafford, and Joan, daughter of John of Gaunt--has been described as the most splendid in the North of England.

The Earl is dressed in a rich suit of full armour, with collar of SS., and the ladies in kirtles, with jewelled girdles and sideless surcoats and mantles. Their arms have been destroyed. The Earl died in 1426.

The remaining monument is to the memory of Henry Neville, fifth Earl of Westmorland, who died in 1564, and his two first wives--Anne, daughter of Thomas Manners, Earl of Rutland, and Jane, daughter of Sir Richard Cholmondeley.

The monument is of oak, and ornamented with effigies of the Earl’s children and armorial bearings. The Earl is dressed in armour, and an inscription states that the tomb was made in the year 1560.

In addition to the churches already mentioned, the south and south-east districts of the county are rich in churches, worthy, if space availed, of more than passing notice.

At Barnard Castle the church dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin carries evidence that it was in early times a large and important edifice, and in the twelfth century consisted of chancel and nave, with north and south aisles. Rebuilding and structural alterations were carried out from time to time until the middle of the fifteenth century, when both transepts were rebuilt. The vestry is probably of the same date, and the chancel arch, which is very fine, slightly earlier. The tower is modern, and replaced a fifteenth-century structure. The floor of the chancel is much higher than that of the nave, and evidence of a similar difference in levels is found at Lanchester Church. Two arched recesses, one of which contains an effigy of a priest, are in the north wall of the north transept, and a mutilated piscina is in the south wall of the same transept. In this church there were four chantry chapels dedicated respectively to St. Catherine, St. Helen, St. Margaret, and the Trinity, and referred to in old records, but their exact position cannot now be ascertained.

The church at Winston has several sepulchral brasses, but, with the exception of the walls of the chancel, which contain two remarkable single-light windows, and the arcade and north wall of the nave, is modern.

Nearer to Darlington is the Church of St. Andrew at Haughton-le-Skerne. The whole of the edifice is of one period, and dates from the second quarter of the twelfth century. Its most striking feature is a massive tower, surmounted by a battlemented turret of later date. The richly carved woodwork of Restoration date is interesting. In the east wall of the nave is a monumental brass, and a stone slab in the floor of the tower commemorates the death of Elizabeth Naunton, Prioress of Neasham, 1488-89.

The only medieval pulpit in the county is in the Church of St. Michael at Heighington. It is of oak, and carved with the linen pattern design and flowing tracery, with an inscription on the cornice.

The church dates from the twelfth century, and considerable remains of that date still exist.

At Aycliffe, the Church of St. Andrew is substantially a building of Norman date. It now consists of a chancel, nave with north and south aisles, south porch, and western tower, the latter and the south aisle dating from the beginning of the thirteenth century. Remains of several pre-Conquest crosses are in the church and churchyard.

Gainford Church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, is all of one period, and with a few exceptions dates from the middle of the thirteenth century. It contains several interesting brasses. The same may be said of the Church of St. Edwin at Coniscliffe, which has a very interesting carved slab above the south door.

The Church of All Saints at Hurworth contains several effigies, but was almost entirely rebuilt in 1870. The Church of St. Mary at Egglescliffe has portions of Early Norman date, but the chancel dates from the later Perpendicular period, and has a fine east window of five lights. On the south side of the nave is a fourteenth-century chapel, with a sepulchral effigy of a man in rich armour in a niche in the outer wall.

St. Cuthbert at Redmarshall is a modest structure, but contains two interesting alabaster effigies of Thomas de Langton and Sybil, his wife, placed in a fifteenth-century chantry chapel on the south side of the nave.

Both Norton and Billingham contain churches of great interest. The former has portions of pre-Conquest date, and was one of the churches to which William de St. Carileph removed the monks of Durham in 1083. The church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, contains a nave and side aisles, chancel, north and south porches, and central tower. The latter originally rose no higher than the ridges of the main roofs, and formed a chamber, the floor of which has been removed. Beneath the tower is a very fine effigy of a knight in chain armour, surmounted by a crocketed canopy. The chancel was rebuilt in the thirteenth century, and the upper stage of the tower is probably of the same period.

At Billingham the church is dedicated to St. Cuthbert. The tower is of pre-Conquest date, and has certain points of resemblance to the higher stage of that at St. Peter’s, Monkwearmouth. Several fragments of pre-Conquest crosses are built into the south wall of the tower, and the church has three memorial brasses.

In Durham City, St. Oswald’s, the parish church of Elvet, has a well-recorded history, and was the subject of an amusing dispute between the Bishop Philip de Pictavia and the Prior and monks of Durham, arising from a charter

[Illustration: NORTON CHURCH.]

of Henry II. confirming to the latter "Elvet, with the church of the same town."

On the accession of Philip--the last vicar, Richard de Coldingham, having recently died--

"Four of the monks from St. Cuthbert’s held possession of the church, and lived constantly in it.

"The Bishop ... issued a command that the monks should quit the church. This they refused to do; whereupon the Bishop employed as many as thirty watchmen, who guarded all the doors and windows, so that no food should reach the monks in the church. After two or three days, two of the monks could endure the fast no longer, and abandoned their charge. Their example was shortly followed by the others.... Four days were occupied by negotiations, at the end of which the Bishop confirmed the possession of the church to them ‘for their own proper uses.’"--BOYLE.

The church is of various periods, and has a very good clerestory with a fine open-work parapet, and a tower of more than ordinary interest, with a stone staircase in the thickness of the wall, roofed with thirteenth and fourteenth century grave-covers.

St. Margaret’s and St. Giles’s are two city churches of interest. Both have several pre-Reformation bells, and of the latter--

"an interesting fact in the history of this church is that St. Godric, during the period he resided in Durham, was an attendant at its services, and at length became doorkeeper and bellringer."--BOYLE.

Pittington Church, dedicated to St. Lawrence, is one of the most interesting churches in the central district of the county. Portions of the western bays of the nave are of Norman date. In the twelfth century great structural alterations were made to the original church, which had consisted of a nave and chancel only. The tower belongs to this period, and the wonderful north arcade pierced through the original north wall of the nave. The arcading of the wall forms four bays, and a fifth was built as an elongation to the east, the original chancel being taken down and rebuilt. The pillars are alternately cylindrical, ornamented with spiral bands, and octagonal with flutings. The arches are of two orders, ornamented towards the nave with chevron mouldings, and resting on octagonal cushioned capitals. During the thirteenth century the church was enlarged by a south aisle being built. The tower arch is also of this period. The date of the clerestory is uncertain. In 1846 the chancel was taken down, and the south aisle entirely, and north aisle

## partly, rebuilt, and the nave again lengthened. In the splays of an

early window in the north wall of the nave are remains of two wall paintings.

"They are undoubtedly portions of a complete series of paintings occupying the whole interior of the first Norman church.... They represent two incidents in the life of St. Cuthbert--viz., his consecration by Archbishop Theodore, and his vision at the table of the Abbess Ælfleda...."--FOWLER.

There is an interesting grave-cover in the floor beneath the tower, bearing an inscription to the memory of Christian the Mason, a contemporary of Bishop Pudsey. Also an effigy attributed to the family of Fitz-Marmaduke, Lords of Horden, and several interesting monumental stones.

All the bells, three in number, are of pre-Reformation date.

The important Church of St. Michael at Houghton-le-Spring dates almost entirely from the thirteenth century, but stands on the site of a much earlier erection, of which a portion still remains in the north wall of the chancel, containing a square-headed doorway and round-headed window. The church, as now existing, consists of a chancel with north and south transepts, nave with north and south aisles, south porch, and central tower. In the north wall of the chancel is an arcade of eight lancets, much restored, and opening from the south side is an unusual two-storeyed erection, which, it is presumed, had some connection with the ancient Gild of Holy Trinity and St. Mary, established in the church in 1476.

The windows in the gables of the transepts are modern. In the east wall of the south transept are three tall lancets and two in the corresponding wall of the north transept. In a recess in the south wall of the former is a roughly carved and much-weathered effigy of a man in armour, dating from the thirteenth century, and a similar effigy of later date and superior workmanship lies in the same transept, together with the altar-tomb of Bernard Gilpin, "the apostle of the North," and a brass to the memory of Margery, wife of Richard Bellasis of Henknoll, dated 1587. Both the transepts contained chantry chapels before the Reformation, and in both are piscinas in the usual position.

The arcading of the nave is very fine, and supported on clustered piers. The east and west windows are Decorated insertions and contain good tracery. The lower stage of the tower and its supporting arches are contemporary with the main body of the church, the upper stage is modern and with the present spire replaced the ancient spire of wood.

At Dalton, the Church of St. Andrew, is a very simple structure, but contains an unusual sundial, consisting of carved stone figures on the inside of the north wall of the nave, upon which the time is marked by a sunbeam passing through a window.