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St Mary

St Mary

Covenham St. Mary

Lincolnshire

TF 39 SW COVENHAM ST. MARY MAIN STREET 7/4 Church of St. Mary 9.9.67 II* Parish church. c.1359, C15, late C18, C19.

Architectural Features

The C15 2 stage chalk tower has plinth, stepped angle buttresses and embattled parapet with corner pinnacles.

The north nave wall has a blocked C15 doorway with chamfered ogee head, beyond are 2 three light windows, with trefoil heads to the lights, panel tracery and moulded surrounds and hoods with human head label stops.

The east window is C14 of 3 lights with trefoil heads, curvilinear tracery, single chamfered surround and moulded door.

The C14 inner doorway has a continuous sunk wave moulding and moulded hood.

The C15 tower arch springs from human head corbels supporting octagonal brackets and is double chamfered.

The nave roof is a C19 timber barrel vault, but is supported on massive C15 braced ties, with blank shields to the ends of the braces, resting on probably repositioned C15 corbels, some of which are decorated with grotesque figures.

In the chancel which is undivided from the nave is an ogee headed piscina in the south wall and in the north is a fine C14 tomb recess with moulded ogee surround and pierced cusped tracery.

Attached to the rear wall of the recess is a small brass to Sir John Skipwith who died in 1400, showing the deceased in full plate armour with sword, misericord, feet resting on a lion.

There are C19 fine brass altar rails and good C17 oak altar table with turned legs.

The C15 octagonal font with moulded top has fleurons, beneath which are shields on each face separated by foliage.

Pews and pulpit are C20.

There is a late C14 incised slab to John Merle, rector.

The chancel was licensed in 1359.