118. CASTLE THORPE.
(O.S. 6 in. ix. N.E.)
Ecclesiastical
(1). Parish Church of St. Simon and St. Jude,
stands on the N.W. side of the village, within the
inner bailey of the former castle (see (2)), and is
built of stone rubble with squared stone dressings;
the tower is faced with ashlar; the nave has a
plain parapet. The roofs are covered with lead,
except that of the chancel, which is covered with
slate. No detail remains to show the date of the
original Nave, to which a N. aisle was added
c.1190; a S. aisle was built probably at the same
time; c. 1340 the Chancel was re-built and considerably lengthened; c. 1420 the North and South
Aisles, with the S. arcade, were re-built, some of
the old material being re-used in the S. arcade, and
the clearstorey was added. The former W. tower
fell in 1729 and nothing remains to show its date;
the present West Tower was built in the 18th century, when the church apparently was repaired.
The plan of the church is unusual, the nave
being very short in proportion to its width. The
early 17th-century screen is noteworthy.
Architectural Description—The Chancel (34½ ft.
by 14 ft.) has an E. window of c. 1340, of three
trefoiled ogee lights and tracery in a two-centred
head, which has a moulded external label with
defaced head-stops; at the top of the tracery is
an approximately circular opening, with no remaining traces of cusping. In the N. wall is a
window, of the same date as the E. window,
formerly of two trefoiled lights; the mullion is
missing and the tracery much decayed; the two-centred head has a moulded external label with
large mask-stops. In the S. wall is a window, also
of c. 1340, with chamfered jambs and two-centred
head and a moulded external label; it was
originally of two lights and tracery, but the mullion
and tracery are missing; further W. a 14th-century
low-side window of two trefoiled ogee lights and
tracery now forms a doorway, the sill having been
cut down and the mullion removed; the jambs
are chamfered and the head is two-centred, with a
moulded external label. The chancel arch is of
the 14th century, possibly with some older stones
re-used; it is two-centred and of two chamfered
orders dying into the walls. The Nave (30 ft. by
21 ft.) has a N. arcade of c.1190, and of two bays,
with two-centred arches of one chamfered order—
the chamfer stopped at the springing—and with a
label in the nave; the column is circular, with a
moulded base and foliated capital having a moulded
square abacus; the responds are stop-chamfered,
and have moulded abaci. In the E. respond is the
staircase to the former rood-loft, with five stone
steps in the thickness of the wall; the lower doorway,
on the N. side, has rebated jambs and two-centred
head with chamfered imposts; the upper doorway,
on the S. side, has chamfered jambs, imposts and
two-centred head. The S. arcade of two bays was
re-built c. 1420, some of the 12th-century material
being re-used; the two-centred arches are of two
chamfered orders; the octagonal column has
broach-stops at the base and a capital with broachstops under a square abacus; the responds are
stop-chamfered and have chamfered imposts. The
clearstorey has, in the S. wall only, three 15th-century windows, each of one trefoiled light under
a square head. The North Aisle (10 ft. wide) has,
in the E. wall, an early 15th-century window,
originally of two cinque-foiled lights under a square
head with a moulded external label, but now without the mullion and the middle part of each cinque-foiled head. In the N. wall are two windows, the
eastern of the 18th century, and the western modern, in an 18th-century opening. The South Aisle
(8½ ft. wide) has, in the E. wall, a window of c. 1420,
and of two cinque-foiled lights under a square head
and a moulded external label with carved stops.
In the S. wall are two windows also of c. 1420, the
eastern of three cinque-foiled ogee lights under a
square head with a moulded external label having
grotesque animal-stops; the jambs and mullions
are moulded externally, and the head is chamfered:
the western window is similar to the other, but the
jambs and mullions are chamfered and the label
has face-stops. The West Tower (9 ft. square) is of
the 18th century. Built into the wall over the
W. window is a carved female head with horned
head-dress, of stone and of c. 1380. The flat-pitched Roof of the nave is of late 15th-century
date, repaired in the 17th century; it is of three
bays with roughly chamfered principals supported
by curved brackets and chamfered wall-pieces
resting on moulded wood corbels; one truss has
pierced tracery between the tie-beam and the
rafter; the ridge and purlins are chamfered, and
the rafters are concealed by plaster. The N. aisle
has a flat lean-to roof of the 16th or 17th century,
of three bays; the principal rafters, purlin and upper
wall-plate have an edge-roll; the roof is plastered
between the principal timbers. The roof of the S.
aisle is similar to that of the N. aisle, but is probably
of late 15th-century date, and the principals,
purlin and upper wall-plate are stop-chamfered.
Castle Thorpe, Parish Church of St. Simon and St. Jude
Fittings—Bell: one, by Joan, widow of Richard
Hille, c. 1440; frame old. Font: octagonal bowl,
moulded at the top and bottom, at the top,
projecting from the two W. angles, carved heads
of a man and a woman, plain octagonal stem,
no base, late 15th-century, re-tooled. Locker: In
chancel—in E. wall, [S. end, rectangular, rebated
for shutter, probably 15th-century. Monuments
and Floor-slabs. Monument: In chancel—against
N. wall, of Sir Thomas Tyrrill, knight, Justice
of the Court of Common Pleas, 1671, and Bridget
his wife, daughter of Sir Edward Harrington of
Ridlington, in Rutland; she erected the monument
and gave '£10 per annum for ever to the poore'
of the parish; large black and white marble tomb,
with two alabaster effigies, man's figure in judge's
robes, base with two inscriptions, above it Ionic
order with curved pediment surmounted by urn,
swags and cartouches of arms; alabaster curtain
looped back to column on each side. Floor-slab:
In chancel—at E. end, to Eyre Tyrrill, infant son
of Thomas Tyrrill and Dorothy his wife, date
of death, 1701 altered to 1698. Piscina: In
chancel—in S. wall, small, with chamfered jambs
and pointed head, octofoiled circular basin, 14th-century. Screen: Between chancel and nave—
of four bays, two on each side of gates, with
elaborate strap-work muntins, enriched semi-circular arches in the panels, and carved spandrels,
moulded top rail, moulded middle rail below
which panels are plain and pilasters have oval
bosses, early 17th-century. Sedilia: In chancel—
in S. wall, two, with small attached semi-octagonal
shaft on face of division, eastern recess narrower
than western with higher seat and segmental
pointed head, western recess with semi-circular
head, jambs and arches of both rebated and chamfered, 14th-century, base of shaft and seats,
modern. Miscellanea: S. aisle—scratched on buttress at S.W. corner, two sundials.
Condition—Exterior:—E. wall of chancel
cracked above and below window; stonework of
N. window of chancel and E. window of N. aisle,
bad. Interior:—Lower parts of all walls and the
chancel floor, damp.
Secular
(2). Castle Thorpe (Mount and Bailey), with
the church in the S.E. corner of the site, stands on
nearly level ground about 280 ft. above O.D. It
consists of a mount with two adjoining baileys and
the remains of an apparently rectangular enclosure.
Castle Thorpe
The work is especially interesting on account of
the outworks W. and S.W. of the mount, which
are unusual.
The mount retains no traces of masonry, and
apparently has been much altered, but it is well
defined and stands 36 ft. above the bottom of its
ditch, the N. part being higher than the S. part,
which forms a platform and drops sharply away
to the S. and W.; the ditch is at one point 61 ft.
wide, but is only carried round the S. and W. sides.
The inner bailey, N. of the mount, covers about
4 acres and is well preserved, except at the S.E.
corner, now occupied by the churchyard. The
defences consist of a ditch 16 ft. deep and 66 ft.
wide on the N., having a bank on the counter-scarp
and no rampart on that side, and on the E. a rampart, but no bank on the counter-scarp. There are
two entrances on the W. side. About 250 ft. W.
of the bailey is a line of entrenchment running in a
N.E. direction and consisting of a broad rampart
and ditch, the rampart 10½ ft. above the bottom of
the ditch, which is 44½ ft. wide from crest to crest.
At the N.E. end of the rampart is apparently
a barbican mound, covering the entrance to the
inner bailey. A slight scarp on the N. appears to
have connected this outer work with the inner
bailey. S.W. of these defences and separated from
them by the railway station, is a fragment of
another work, which was apparently rectangular,
and may have been connected formerly with the
main defences, although not in alignment with
them. The remaining S.W. angle consists of a
broad rampart 7½ ft. above the bottom of its ditch,
which is 34½ ft. wide; another, and somewhat
stronger rampart bisects this work from E. to W.
Condition—Well preserved in some places, but
the plan of the work, as a whole, is considerably
obscured.
(3). Castle Yard (see Plate, p. 61), formerly a
farmhouse, now tenements, 150 yards W. of the
church, is of two storeys with a cellar; the walls
are of stone; the roofs are tiled. It was built
probably early in the 17th century on an L-shaped
plan, the wings extending towards the S. and E.;
the house has been repaired, additions have been
built at the E. end of the E. wing, and many of the
windows have been blocked. On the S. front the
S. wing is gabled, and in the angle between the
wings is a large projecting chimney stack of stone;
two doorways have moulded frames and one of
them has a door with nail-studded oak panels. At
the back the S. wing is gabled and has, on the first
floor, a window of five lights with a frame, mullions
and transom of moulded wood; another window
has a moulded frame. Interior:—On the ground
floor the ceilings have chamfered beams and one
doorway has a moulded frame. In the cellar is a
doorway with stop-chamfered jambs and a square
head of stone, possibly part of a former building
of earlier date. On the first floor is a fireplace of
stone with a flat four-centred arch under a square
head. The roof-timbers are visible, the collar-beams having arched struts.
Condition—Not very good.
(4–5). Cottages, two ranges, each of two storeys,
built of stone in the 17th century; the roofs are
tiled. The first range, 100 yards S.E. of the church,
has an original chimney stack at the N. end, and a
doorway with a moulded frame. Some of the
rooms have wide fireplaces, partly blocked. The
second range, about 160 yards S. of the church, has
an original chimney stack at the W. end. On the
ground floor the rooms have open timber ceilings.
Condition—Good.