Selston church

By Mr A S Buxton

Selston church (A Nicholson, 2002).

Although no part of this church now remaining is earlier than the 12th century, it stands on the site of a much older building. The Domesday survey mentions a church at Selston, and it is said that the three acres of meadow lying north-east of the graveyard were allotted to it in Saxon times. The meadow fell into the hands of the Dixies, the lay rectors of the manor, and so passed out of the church’s possession. This land was where the old tithe barn formerly stood, and to-day part of a barn may be seen there.

At the time of the Domesday survey William Peverel possessed the manor. Subsequently, the Wandsleys made presentations to the living, but, although the principal landowners seem to have held the advowson wrongly and had to surrender it towards the end of the 13th century to the rightful family, in whose line it had descended from William Peverel, viz., that of William de Ros or Roos, and Eustachia, his wife. Early in the 14th century, presentations were made by Nicholas de Cantelupe, who, in 1343, gave the advowson of the church to the Carthusian Priory of Beauvale In addition to the advowson of the church, Nicholas granted thirteen messuages and seventeen-and-a-half bovates of land in Selston and the villeins who held this land in villeinage.

On the appropriation of the church to Beauvale the Archbishop of York reserved, as recompense for damage thus done to his cathedral church, the annual pension of one mark to himself and his successors, and to the dean and chapter 6/8 to be paid by the prior and convent of Beauvale yearly at Pentecost and Martinmas in equal portions.

In the year 1344 the rector of Selston was removed and a monk of Beauvale became vicar. The new vicar was to have a house built at the cost of the prior and convent of Beauvale, the house to stand on the king’s highway, near the church, and all expenses in his church to be borne by the said prior and convent for ever, The stipend was to be of the annual value of six marks sterling, and included the mortuaries, and oblations, and the tithes of wool, and Iamb, and other small tithes.

The present vicarage of Selston still stands on the land appropriated to the vicar’s house in these early times.

Dealing with this connection of Beauvale, it is worth noting how early coal was worked in Selston parish. In 1402, there is a confirmation by John Day, then vicar, of a lease to the priory of Beauvale of all coal, and the right of digging for the same in Selston parish, and of all wood growing there to make “punches and proppes.”

Taking church plans generally the order of growth was, first, nave and chancel, then aisles, and finally, generally in the 14th century, chancel chapels.

But Selston possessed what may be termed a complete typical plan as early as the opening of the 13th century, and in this respect differed from the churches of the neighbourhood.

The plan of the church as it now stands is, with the exception of the vestry, what it was when the monks of Beauvale first officiated there as vicars. Saying this, I am presuming that the church then had a tower at the west end, for the present tower is later. I do not think the supposition is unreasonable, for a church having so complete a plan in other respects would hardly be without so important a feature.

The nave, looking east.

The oldest part of the church now remaining is the north nave arcade, dating from the 12th century. Although this part is somewhat rude, the work is not earlier as shown by the carving on the capitals, which, slight as it is, has a distinctly late Romanesque character. Unfortunately, the bases of the columns on this north side have been cut away, and we have thus lost what might have been a valuable clue to fixing the exact date.

Note that the responds are in the form of pointed bowtells.

The south arcade, south door, chancel arch and chapels come next, belonging to the transitional period between the Norman and early English styles.

The caps and bases of the south arcade are unmutilated, and the columns and walling above thinner than the north.

The corbel respond at the east end of this arcade is new.

The old respond was merely a capital, and the diminutive columns resting on a ball were added at the recent restorations.

Over some of the capitals of this arcade a groove is seen. This is where the old Selstonians placed a hat rail for their comfort, probably an 18th or 19th century innovation when respect for old churches was scant.

Owing to the lowness of the chancel arch and the consequent large amount of blank walling above, the three-light opening between the nave and chancel was inserted at the last restoration, and at the same time the width of the north aisle was increased. The corbels to the chancel arch have been much mutilated, but the one on the south still hears enough trace of the original moulding to class it with the work of the chancel chapels and south arcade. Until the recent restoration the chancel chapels were down, the only indication that they had ever existed being their blocked-up arches in the chancel walling. Probably the chapel on the north side disappeared some time before that on the south, for, in an old 18th century drawing of the church, a square-headed, two-light perpendicular window and a small square one are shown on the north side. The south chancel chapel must have existed as late as the 17th century, as burials took place there at that time.

Norman archway inside South porch.

The south door of the church is of the same date as the south arcade. The arch moulding does not fit over all the capitals, and two rows of dog-tooth are carved on the east jamb between the columns, while the west jamb is plain.

The outer door to the porch has a plain, pointed, chamfered arch, springing from two carved impost stones. The carving is shallow: the east jamb is decorated with three heads wearing coifs, and the west with two heads with foliage of a square character springing from the mouths. The only relics of the work of the 14th century now remaining are, part of a window-head built into the east window of the south aisle, and a simple two-light geometric window on the south side of the chancel. The chancel wall, where this window is, has been considerably thickened for some reason not apparent.

The work of the 15th century is seen in the three-light east window and the whole of the tower. On the battlement, on the south side of the tower, are the letters J. and M.,— Jesus and Mary. Also, the letters T. S. with a shield, bearing a bend between a pierced mullet and an annulet. Mr. George Fellows is of opinion that these are the arms of the Samons. The Samons were at Annesley Woodhouse, and of the same family as John Samon, of Nottingham, who contributed to the building of St. Mary’s Church there.

These arms seem to indicate that a Samon helped in the building of Selston tower. The tower was supposed to have been built by an Annesley, as it was thought that the stone came from some Annesley quarry. This theory perhaps gives us the clue to the exact part played by the Samons, viz., that the stone was provided by a member of that family.

Other items belonging to the 15th century are the nave, south aisle roofs, and the clerestory windows.

The carved stone corbels in the nave supporting the roof principals are worth inspecting.

The work of the 15th century is of a rather late character; notice the height of the arch between the nave and tower. Earlier arches in this position are usually low, and it is not until the later Gothic building that the tower arch was made to extend to nearly the whole height of the nave.

At the west end of the south aisle stands the old bucket-shaped Norman font, decorated with a single band of cable moulding. It will be seen that it is badly worn, a condition explained by its varied history. Over a hundred and fifty years ago it was removed from the church and carried to Blackwell. After a time it was brought back to Selston, where it did duty as a trough under the pump at the village inn, the “Bull and Butcher.” Then it was used as a vase in a private garden. Eventually, through the energy of the vicar (Rev. C. Harrison), it was recovered and once more placed in the church. The worn appearance of the top is due to its having been used as a knife-sharpener.

Another relic recovered by the vicar is the Jacobean communion table, which, like the font, also shows signs of wear.

Within the communion rails on the south side is an incised slab of a priest wearing an alb, chasuble and maniple, and holding a chalice.

Mr. W. Stevenson considers this slab to be the lid of a stone coffin dating from the last half of the 12th century, or the first half of the 13th century. He thinks it might he to one of the old rectors of Selston, or to a priest of the old chapel of Wandesley, where half a church is mentioned in Domesday. This church seems to have come down as a private chapel of the Wandesleys served by the priory of Felley, and any canon dying at Wandesley would be buried in Selston.

At the west end of the nave, under the tower, is another incised slab of an unusual character, having a wheel-like ornament at the top and a sword on the left side. Mr. W. Stevenson states that he takes this to be a memorial to a knight, dating earlier than 1289.

In the outer wall of the north aisle a fragment of another incised slab is to be seen. On it are lines of drapery and a dog with a bone in its mouth. It is evidently the bottom part of a slab to a lady.

Lying outside under the east window are fragments of other slabs, some of which have been used as window-cills, and the alabaster portions seem to have been part of a memorial to an ecclesiastic.

In the chancel is a fine monument to William Willoughby and Anne, his wife. He died 12th November, 1630, aged twenty-one and three-quarter years. This tomb is said to have been originally in one of the chancel chapels, probably the south. It shows signs of weather and wear, which bears out this theory, as it would probably be moved when the chancelchapel fell into ruin, it will be noticed that new parts have been inserted, of stone instead of alabaster.

Near to this tomb on the north wall of the chance! is a slab bearing the following inscription: