We’ve
passed the brown sign to ‘Historic Church’ many times as
we’ve driven along the A614 past Bainton. It was time we
went to investigate it. We knew little about the
church. There is little information on the web and there is
no guide book in the church, although there are information
signs about some of the monuments.
It is a large church in the centre of the village with a
tall battlemented west tower and long nave and chancel.
The church was completely rebuilt in the mid C14th by the
rector, William de Brocklesby. The only part of the original
church to survive is the south west corner of the chancel
with its priest’s door.
The tower used to have a spire but this was removed in the
C18th. The church was restored in the C19th when the porch
was added.
Inside it is a large but rather plain church. Tall octagonal
pillars with pointed arches separate the nave and side
aisles and there is a shallow pointed chancel arch. There
are table altars at the ends of the side aisles and in the
chancel, with stained glass windows above them.
The east window still retains its rather nice original
tracery.
On the north wall of the chancel is a carving of St Andrew,
patron saint of the parish. The face on the stone corbel
beneath him is thought to be that of William de Brocklesby.
At the back of the nave is a Norman tub font dating from
1150 with a diagonal pattern carved round the tub.
Apart from the font, the most interesting features are the
monuments. On the south wall is an effigy tomb set
under a splendid ogee arch. There is some uncertainty over
which member of the de Mauley family is buried here. The
sign by the tomb says it is Sir Edmund de Mauley who died in
1317. He was a close friend of Henry II and is supposed to
have drowned while fleeing after the Battle of Bannockburn.
The leaflet in the church says it commemorates Sir John de
Mauley, who was rector here and also fought at the Battle of
Bannockburn.
Whoever it is, he is dressed in armour. His feet rest on a
lion and he is holding a shield. A wyvern is attempting to
bite the base of it. The carving in the arch shows the
eroded figure of God with two angels carrying a soul in a
winding sheet up to Heaven On the wall above are three de
Mauley family crests.
The large brass in the floor of the chancel is that of Sir
Roger Gudale (or Godeale) who was Rector from 1382-1429. He
was much loved and left generous legacies to the church
including an organ, clock and money, He also left money for
the poor of the parish. He is shown holding a chalice and
wearing the robes used for Holy Communion.
On the south wall of the chancel is a monument to Robert
Faucon who became Rector in 1629, He was a staunch Royalist
and was forced to leave the living during the Commonwealth,
but was reinstated during the accession of Charles II.
The church is open daily and it is worth a quick look if
passing. There is plenty of parking on the road
outside. The post code is
YO25 9NJ and the grid reference is SE 965524.
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