Church Heritage Record 609097

Nave (4 bays) and chancel (1 bay) in one, south-west porch and north-east vestry.

21m (65 feet) x 8m (25 feet).

An inscription on the chancel screen records that the present building was erected in 1609, which is quite plausible.  However, there has been a chapel on the site since at least 1280.  The church bell is dated to 1242 (recast 1813), which hints at an early origin for the first church on the site.  There may be masonry from the older church incorporated in the north wall. There is also the stump of a cross adjacent to the porch, probably dating to the 11th or perhaps 12th century.  It bears a later inscription, “Thomas Smith CW”.  It has a square shaft and base, with carved wheel motifs and fluting. 

Harthill is not mentioned in Domesday but probably formed part of the Baronry of Malpas after the Conquest. There are several heraldic monuments (installed c1862) to this dynasty within the church.  The church was internally refurbished in the early 18th century, and some of this furniture survives.  The vestry and bellcote were added during the drastic restoration of the church in 1862, the furnishings were restored or replaced, and several of the windows were renewed.  The interior was restored in 1920 by the Barbour family, and again most recently with help from the Manpower Services Commission in 1986.

Externally the church is very restrained and almost domestic in appearance, although this pleasing 17th century simplicity has been somewhat marred by the addition in 1862 of the tall pyramidical stone bellcote, a travesty out of character and scale with the building.  An undated painting in the church shows it with a small bellcote and without the lych-gate, much more in proportion.  The bellcote dominates the building to such an extent that it may give visitors the initial impression that the whole building is a Gothic folly, especially when viewed from the west.  Closer inspection however reveals many features of interest.

The church has mostly rectangular mullioned windows with round-headed lights, with the exception of the windows in the west wall of the nave which are a pair of two-light round-headed windows with plate tracery, again probably from 1862.  The nave windows are four-lights, with the exception of a two-light in the east bay opposite the porch.  The windows are typically domestic in appearance, set between weak buttresses.  The chancel has a three-light in each side wall.  The chancel east window is a six-light with a transom.  The original obviously had a broad arched head typical of the 17th century, now blocked above the rectangular head of the present window. 

Above the shouldered entrance to the porch the lintel is inscribed "Rondvll Prickett Churchwarden ever since 1606 until 1611”.  Inside the porch are the arms of Sir William Brereton, dated 1506.  He was then a holder of lands in Malpas with the right of presentation to the living of Harthill. Above this a smaller stone bears the inscription "John Webster, George Brown Ch 1779”.  This last was added when the porch was repaired.  In 1890 the porch was apparently repaired again; this might account for the different, very fresh stone used for the jambs, and the fact that the inscribed lintel does not sit properly on them. 

The doorway into the church itself is four-centred.  As with the priest’s door at Thornton-le-Moors St Mary, this is said to have been re-set from the old church, but this is again unnecessary and unproved.  Over the door can be seen the arms and name of Sir Marmaduke Drake, 1669 (the Drake family acquired lands at Malpas which included the right of presentation, and retained the patronage until 1873).

On entering the church there is a recess in the west wall, which now houses a disused font.  This is probably the partly blocked doorway which once led to a gallery at the west end, demolished in the restoration of 1862. 

The low broad nave has an oak hammer-beam roof with arch-braces, carried on plain corbels.  The wooden brackets supporting this are carved with foliage and strapwork decoration, and with the date 1609 over the letters T L, the word GOD, and with RW Rector and James Banks.  They were later further adorned during the restoration of 1862 with heraldic bosses with the arms and names of the lords of Malpas, as follows: 

Robert Fitzhugh 1072, William Belward 1101, Sir Urian de St Pierre 1340, and Sir William Cokesay 1398, also the arms of Harthill (the local family first recorded in the reign of King John) and the arms of the families of Egerton, Bulkeley Dodd and Page, with the crests of Calveley and Dodd.

During the restoration of 1862 the early 18th century oak box pews, which had been arranged in three rows down the length of the nave, were sawn together to make new choir stalls and chancel panelling and the present bench pews.  Up until this time revenue was raised by a levy on these pews.  In 1920 new choir stalls and a new oak front to the organ were installed as a thank offering for peace, the money for this being raised by public subscription.  The panelling in the sanctuary also dates from 1920, the early 18th century panelling being re-used as pew fronts.

On the south side of the chancel is a Priest's door, which was blocked up in 1821.  In 1886 an aumbry was discovered when plaster was removed from the east wall of the sanctuary, which is now covered by the panelling which was put in 1920.  At the same time the removal of the plaster ceiling revealed the medieval oak roof.

Of the original chancel screen only the rough frame consisting of six wooden piers supporting the rood beam has survived, which bears the carved inscription: “This Church was builded upon the Devo'con of the Cuntrye by ye labor and travell of Ed Tanat, Jo. Dodd, Tho. Buckley, Ra. Weston, P.  A.D. 1609”.  The very top of the beam above this has egg-and–dart moulding.  During the restoration of 1862 alterations were made to the screen, and more work was carried out on it in 1920.  Various coats of arms were painted onto the piers.

The nave is stone flagged, while the chancel and sanctuary has encaustic tiles in a geometric pattern.

The vestry has a small two-light in the east wall, a four-light in the north wall (in the style of the 17th century windows) and a small door in the west wall from which rises a tall chimney. 

The lych-gate is a large timber-framed construction, with an inscription which reads "John Warburton, George Barbour Ch Wardens 1 Tercentenary year Harthill Church 1609 – 1909”.