St John the Baptist, Piddington with Horton - History

St John the Baptist, Piddington with Horton - History

The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Piddington with Horton was built in about 1290, although it is believed that there may have been a place of worship on this site prior to that date. The Church is laid out in the traditional cross shape, but has been extensively restored and rebuilt with additions over the subsequent centuries. The accepted dedication is to St John the Baptist,though old Wills refer to St Mary the Virgin, and there is also reference to St Thomas Becket. It is a Grade 2 listed building.

The older walls are of limestone, but the aisles and porch were rebuilt in ironstone. Internally, the walls are bare stone with a wooden floor which gives the interior a warm and friendly atmosphere. Outside, the attractive Churchyard is now closed to burials.

A number of trees, both ancient and newly planted, frame the open views in three directions from the Church which occupies a surprisingly commanding position over the neighbouring countryside. The main entrance gates were the gift of an anonymous donor in 2008, while the Hackleton Parish Council installed the “kissing gate” as part of the commemoration of the Millennium.

The tower rising to a spire (described as 'strange and unsatisfactory' [1] was rebuilt following a rate levy in the Parish in 1847. the style of spire is similar to those where a wooden spire tops the tower, but in this case the spire is of stone. On the east face of the tower is the clock face of the church clock, more than a 100 years old, believed to have been made by Dent and Co., who manufactured "Big Ben".


On entering the Church, you pass beneath the historic cusped niche above the porch door, believed to have been removed from an earlier location. The statue which one would expect to find in it has not been traced or recorded.

A tour of the interior

One enters the Church through the main porch to the south aisle, rebuilt in the style of the 14th century, in about 1877-8. The Church has fixed low pews throughout, which were added in 1900-2. On the immediate left is the octagonal font, lined with a lead bowl and covered with an attractive wooden lid to match the pews. The font itself is believed to date from the 13th century but is not in its original position. 


From the central crossing in the nave, you can see how the Church has been extended, one clue being the original roof line visible on the wall of the tower. The upper parts (clerestory) were added when the Church was extended and rebuilt, giving a light, airy feel to the four bays of the nave. The clear glass in most of the upper and lower windows of the Church enhances this.

Turning towards the tower, the fine engraved glass screen doors to the Belfry were part of the legacy of the late Jessie Sansome and were completed in about 1970. The ground floor ringing chamber commands a peal of six bells, five of which were new or recast by Taylors of Loughborough in 1845/6. The sixth (treble) was added in 1935 in memory of another member of the Sansome family who was a bell ringer. The bell chamber is situated on the second floor, with the clock chamber in between. The clock was renovated and converted to an automatic winding system (which does not detract from its antiquity) in 1998. The work was carried out by Smith of Derby and included regilding the clock face and hands enabling the time to be seen more clearly.

The belfry exterior door opens on to the Churchyard, and is of modern design. The access to it has been paved from the path and made wheelchair friendly.

Returning to the nave from the belfry, the beautiful stained glass east window draws the eye as it is the only such window in the Church; this was the major part of the gift of the late Jessie Sansome, (see above) and is widely admired, both from within, and after dark, from outside, when the interior lighting makes the window both a beacon and attraction on the approach from Church Way.

Leave the crossing to approach the north aisle and you will see an old north door which has been blocked for many years. Turn into the north aisle towards the east.

As the whole of the east bay of the north aisle is taken up by the organ, a small space behind serves as a vestry, separated from the main body of the Church by a wonderful embroidered curtain, designed by Margaret K. Wright and made for our Church under her direction, the story of which is embroidered also, in a nearby picture frame. A more detailed account of the work can be viewed on request.

Inside the vestry, the east window is believed to be the oldest of those in the Church, dating from the 14th century. The organ itself was made by Holditch, an organ-builder of some repute and was, according to his work schedule, completed in about 1854. It is much appreciated by organists as well as by congregations, and is a single manual instrument.

Returning to the nave through the front pews, the finely carved lectern in memory of an earlier Incumbent is one of the Church's treasures. From here, the wooden roof of the building, supported by corbels can be clearly seen, as can the stone heads, some grotesque, others almost like portraits. One can pick out a man's head crowned, a woman's with a coronet, a warrior, two ecclesiastics, and heads with tongues protruding and so on. Above your head at this point, one of the many memorial wall tablets is to John Glass, Deputy Ranger of Salcey Forest who died in 1775.

The chancel is through the modern arch (which is not quite symmetrically placed). It is believed there is an ancient grey, square tomb with a Norman-French inscription beneath the chancel floor which is now covered by tiles and carpeting, so the details are impossible to verify. The Sanctuary is small and again the floor is tiled. The Church is fortunate to possess numerous fine altar embellishments, such as crosses, candlesticks and communion vessels, many of which are used regularly. The most ancient and valuable of these are no longer stored in Church.

Leaving the chancel for the south aisle passing the carved pulpit on the left, one reaches the charming small Lady Chapel designed in the 1960's as a children's corner. In the far right wall of this, is an ancient piscina for the washing of vessels. This must have been moved from a different site, as it is much older than this part of the Church. Above the altar to the left can be found the remains of a rood loft, now just a blocked doorway. As you leave, please pause to consider the words of welcome and reflection on the pillar opposite the entrance door. We hope you have enjoyed your visit, and will take something of the peace of this lovely place with you and return many times to savour it once more.

The marriage register

You might like to do a walking tour of Piddington and the neighbouring village, Hackleton, taking in places related to William Carey, the renowned Baptist missionary. There is a nice guide at the Parish Council website. As a missionary in the Danish colony, Serampore, India, Carey translated the Bible into Bengali, Sanskrit, and numerous other languages and dialects. William Carey was married in our church in 1734 to Dorothy Plackett.

Carey's marriage to Plackett

Note: The historical outline above has been gleaned from many sources. As with many ancient buildings, not every event or detail can be verified. Even the recollections of more recent times are not always identical. We welcome any additional information, the comments of researchers and anyone who can add to our knowledge of this Church and its artifacts.    
                              
(c) Joanne Wilde, First printed 1998, This edition 2013

[1] Pevsner, N. The Buildings of England, Northamptonshire, 2^nd Ed 1973 Penguin, London