More information : (SP 7467 6311) St John the Baptists' Church. (TU) (1)
St John the Baptists', Kingsthorpe, orginally an aisleless
early Norman church, the aisles being added in the late 12th c.
The chancel and windows are Decorated. (2)
5327 THE GREEN (North side)
Kingsthorpe
Church of St John the Baptist
SP 7463 9/59 19.1.52.
2.
Remains of original windows in walling of late Saxon or early
Norman church. Late Norman nave of 3 bays circa 1170. Chancel
partly circa 1220: with chapels extended eastwards and crypt
built late C14. South chapel in existence circa 1180. Windows
mainly mid C14. Early C15 west steeple. Restored 1853 and with
south porch built, 1863. Some poppy-head stalls. Jacobean pulpit.
Fine carved wall monuments, to Edward Reynolds 1698, to Morgan
family 1680. (3)
Parish Church of St John The Baptist (SP 746631).
Development - The church appears to have been first built early in the 12th century with a nave of a proportion of two squares, on the site of the present nave, and a chancel of one square i.e. with the E. wall running between the double responds. About 1175 the chancel was lengthened by about another square and the N. wall pierced by a two-bay arcade to give access to a chapel. The N. and S. aisles were added to the nave. In the mid 13th century the S. wall of the chancel was pierced by a two-bay arcade, corresponding to that on the N. About 1350 the chancel was lengthened again and a crypt built below the extension. The N. aisle was widened and extended to the E. The same development may have occured at the same period on the S. but, alternatively, the S. chapel might have remained and been extended later. It was probably also in the late 14th century that the 12th century chancel arch was removed and replaced by another erected one bay to the E., between but not bonded in with the central piers of the chancel arcades. The relationship between the new chancel arch and the rood screen is difficult to reconstruct since the upper doorways to the rood loft lie one bay further E. The erection of a clearstorey probably post-dated the moving of the chancel arch since the clearstorey followed the stepped outline of the extended nave.
There were tow major restorations in the mid-19th century, in 1850 and 1863. The former was probably associated with the elevation of Kingsthorpe to full parochial status in 1850.
History - The church at Kingsthorpe was a dependent chapelry of St Peter's Northampton throughout the medieval period, only being raised to the status of a separate parish in 1850. The first certain evidence of the existence of a church is in a writ of Henry II, dated 1155-8, commanding Bishop Robert Chesney to determine its dependance or otherwise on St Peter's. The bishop replied that Kingsthorpe was dependant because both burials and baptisms took place at St Peter's. Kingsthorpe is likely to have been the Thorpe mentioned in Bishop Bloet's confirmatory actum to St Andrew's Priory (1107-23) since Henry II's writ mentions conditions in the time of his grandfather. If St Peter's was not in St Andrew's hands in 1155-8 but Kingsthorpe was, this might explain the need for Henry II's writ. The large rural estate of more than four hides centred on Kingsthorpe in 1086 including members at Moulton and Weston Favell, may well be further evidence for the extent of the earlier parochia of St Peter's. [Detailed description of architecture and 19th century restoration. RCHM plan. (4)
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