St Cuthbert's Church, Holme Lacy
Encyclopedia
St Cuthbert's Church, Holme Lacy, is a redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...

 Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...

 church about 1 miles (1.6 km) to the southeast of the village of Holme Lacy
Holme Lacy
-Etymology:Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse holmr "island" like other places of the name Holme, but from the fairly similar Old English hamm "land in a river-bend". The name was recorded as Hamme in the Domesday Book in 1086...

, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...

, England. The church stands in an isolated position at the end of a lane in a bend of the River Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...

. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

 as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...

.

History

The land on which the church is built was given after the Norman conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...

 by William the Conqueror to Walter de Lacy. The estate later passed by marriage to the Scudamore family, who became its patrons. It remained in the possession of that family until 1909–10 when it was bought by Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, 1st Baronet. The Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

 records a priest at Holme Lacy, which implies that a church was present at that time. The church is now in an isolated position, but earthworks in its vicinity suggest that a village existed nearby, which subsequently became deserted
Abandoned village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages were deserted for a variety of causes...

. The fabric of the present church originates from the 13th century. The tower was added in the 14th century, and a north chapel and south porch followed in the 16th century. In 1833 a gallery was built and an organ given to the church. By 1924 the gallery had been removed and the old organ replaced by a new one. During this year extensive repairs to the roof, arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....

 and floors were carried out at a cost of about £1,000 (£ as of ).

Exterior

St Cuthbert's is constructed in sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

 with tiled roofs. Its plan consists of a six-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...

 nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...

 with two-bay chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...

, and a north chapel. It has a south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...

 extending to a south chapel at its east end, and a south porch. At the west end is a tower. The tower is in three stages, the upper two being separated by a string course. There are diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...

es at the northwest and southwest corners. On the west wall in the bottom stage is an arched doorway over which is a small arched window. Above this in the middle stage is another window, this one being square-headed. The upper stage contains an arched, louvred
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...

 bell opening on each side of the tower. Above each bell opening is a pair of trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...

 windows. The parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...

 is plain. Along the north wall of the nave are three pairs of windows; above the west pair is a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...

d dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...

. There is a pair of similar windows on the north wall of the chancel. The east window of the chancel has three lights, and there is a buttress between this and the two-light east window of the south chapel. There is a gable cross on the apex of the north chapel and the chancel. Along the south wall is a variety of windows, including two lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...

s. The west window of the aisle has two lights. The south porch contains benches along each side.

Fittings and furniture

The ceilings of the body of the church are plastered, while the wagon roof
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...

 of the north chapel is open. Between the nave and the north chapel is a carved wooden screen. There is a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...

 in the chancel, and another in the south chapel. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...

 dates from the 17th century, and consists of a round bowl on a cylindrical stem. It is carved with rosettes and cherubs
Putto
A putto is a figure of an infant often depicted as a young male. Putti are defined as chubby, winged or wingless, male child figure in nude. Putti are distinct from cherubim, but some English-speakers confuse them with each other, except that in the plural, "the Cherubim" refers to the biblical...

. On the floor near the entry to the north chapel is a round stone bowl. The chancel contains a communion table dating from the 17th century, and on its east wall is panelling
Panelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....

 from the same period. In the church are two sets of choirs stalls dating possibly from the 15th century with misericord
Misericord
A misericord is a small wooden shelf on the underside of a folding seat in a church, installed to provide a degree of comfort for a person who has to stand during long periods of prayer.-Origins:...

s carved with such features as a grotesque head and a bird. There are other items from the 17th century, including carved benches, a chest and chairs. The lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...

 consists of a gilded
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...

 eagle on an oak plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...

 dated 1914. On the walls are four hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...

s, and near the south door is a benefactions board dated 1790. At the west end of the church is a two-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...

 organ. This was built in 1912 at a cost of £300 (£ as of ), and was moved to the west end in 1924 at a cost of £36 (£ as of ). The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...

 consists of eight bells. These were all cast by Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 produced over 5,000 bells. The business was founded by Abraham Rudhall and the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be...

, six of them in 1709 and the other two in 1808 and 1829.

Memorials

Most of the memorials in the church are to the Scudamore family. Between the chancel and the south chapel is a chest tomb dating from around 1550 bearing the alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...

 effigies
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...

 of John Scudamore and his wife Sibell. John Scudamore is dressed in armour, and his feet rest on a lion; she is dressed in a long gown. Along the sides of the tomb are shields containing coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

. On the north wall of the chancel is the white marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...

 monument in Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...

 style to James Scudamore
James Scudamore (1624-1668)
James Scudamore was an English politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Hereford, 1642–1643, and Herefordshire, 1661–1668....

 who died in 1668. It contains a sculpture representing James Scudamore in a sitting position, wearing Roman dress
Clothing in ancient Rome
Clothing in ancient Rome generally consisted of the toga, the tunic, the stola, brooches for these, and breeches.-Fibers:The Romans used several different types of [fiber]s. Wool was likely used most often, as it was obtained easily and was rather easy to prepare...

. Above his head are two cherubs, and the whole is framed between two pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....

s. To the left of this monument is one to his widow, Jane, also in Baroque style. In the south aisle is a wall monument to James Scudamore, 3rd Viscount Scudamore
James Scudamore, 3rd Viscount Scudamore
James Scudamore, 3rd Viscount Scudamore , was an English politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Herefordshire, 1705–1715, and Hereford, 1715–1716....

 who died in 1716. This consists of a sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...

 on which is an urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...

 and two seated putti
Putto
A putto is a figure of an infant often depicted as a young male. Putti are defined as chubby, winged or wingless, male child figure in nude. Putti are distinct from cherubim, but some English-speakers confuse them with each other, except that in the plural, "the Cherubim" refers to the biblical...

. Lower down, on each side of the sarcophagus, are two wreathed skulls. The whole is surrounded by Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...

 columns and a broken segmental pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...

. On the east wall of the south chapel is a monument to Mary Scudamore Stanhope who died in 1859. This was sculpted by Matthew Noble
Matthew Noble
Matthew Noble was a British sculptor.-Life:Noble was born in Hackness, near Scarborough, as the son of a stonemason, and served his apprenticeship under his father. He left Yorkshire for London when quite young, there he studied under John Francis...

 in white marble, and depicts a female figure standing in a niche
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...

. In the north chapel is another marble wall monument by Noble. This was to Chandos Scudamore Stanhope, a captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....

 in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 who died in 1871 and consists of an angel above an anchor.

Stained glass

The glass in the east window of the south chapel depicts Cornelius and the angel, and is to the memory of Francis Brydges Scudamore Stanhope who died in 1855. In the east window of the chancel is a depiction of the Archangel Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...

 weighing souls and is to the memory of Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth who died in 1915. The north window of the chancel contains fragments of medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 glass. The east window of the south wall of the south aisle depicts the Good Samaritan and is a memorial to William Pitt Scudamore Stanhope who was vicar of the church from 1872 to 1892. In the north chapel is a window depicting Sir Galahad
Galahad
Sir Galahad |Round Table]] and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic, and is renowned for his gallantry and purity. Emerging quite late in the medieval Arthurian tradition, he is perhaps the knightly...

 and Sir Bors
Bors
Bors circa 540s-580s, is the name of two knights in the Arthurian legend, one the father and one the son. Bors the Elder is the King of Gaunnes or Gaul during the early period of King Arthur's reign, and is the brother of King Ban of Benoic. Gaunnes is the Fredemundian dynastic kingdom of Neustria...

 to the memory of Sir Archibald Lucas-Tooth, 2nd Baronet
Sir Archibald Lucas-Tooth, 2nd Baronet
-Biography:He was born on June 3, 1884 to Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, 1st Baronet and Helen Tooth. He married Rosa Mary Bovill on January 4, 1916. She was the daughter of Charles Arthur Bovill and Penelope Magdalen Sclater-Booth. They had two children: Rosemarie Helen Lucas-Tooth ; and Christine...

 who died in active service in the First World War in 1918. Also in the north chapel is a window commemorating Henry Scudamore-Stanhope, 9th Earl of Chesterfield
Henry Scudamore-Stanhope, 9th Earl of Chesterfield
Henry Edwyn Chandos Scudamore-Stanhope, 9th Earl of Chesterfield, DL, JP, He was the first son of four of Sir Edwyn Francis Scudamore-Stanhope, 2nd Baronet....

 who died in 1887.

External features

To the south of the church is a churchyard cross constructed in sandstone. Its oldest parts, the base and the lower part of the shaft, date probably from the 14th century. The three stone steps, the upper part of the shaft and the cross date from a 20th-century restoration. The cross has been designated as a Grade II listed building. Also to the south of the church are three further items designated as Grade II listed buildings. To the east of the porch is a wide grave headstone dated 1660. Further to the west are two pairs of chest tombs. Those in the first pair are dated 1790 and 1847. The other pair are surrounded by railings and date from about 1835. To the east of the church are a gate with piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...

 and attached walls. The gate and piers date probably from the later part of the 17th century, and the walls from later. The gates and the piers are in wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...

, and the walls are sandstone. The overthrow
Overthrow (structure)
In wrought ironwork, the overthrow, particularly popular in the Baroque era commencing in the 17th century, refers to the crowning section of ornamental wrought ironwork which forms a decorative crest above a wrought iron gate; the overthrow provides some stabilizing structure tying together...

 contains an inscription and an achievement
Achievement (heraldry)
An achievement in heraldry is a full display of all the heraldic components to which the bearer of a coat of arms is entitled...

 combining the Royal coat of arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...

 and the arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 of the Scudamore family. The gate, piers and walls constitute a Grade II* listed building. It is thought that they were moved from Holme Lacy House.

See also

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