ALL SAINT’S CHURCH, LITTLE BILLING
Until recent years Little Billing was a small village nestling among the trees on the South facing slopes of the Nene Valley.
The original village was situated close to the important River crossing at Clifford Hill. It was considered so important by the Normans that they built a Motte and Bailey Castle here.
It is likely that a Church already existed here before the Castle builders arrived. At the time of Domesday (1086) a Priest is recorded at Little Billing. Inside the Church is a font that dates from the Eleventh Century, and upon which the Saxon craftsman has inscribed his name:
‘Wigberht, craftsman and mason, constructed for this…….whoever comes to immerse his body, without doubt…….’ Other than the font there is no remaining evidence of the original Church. It probably consisted of a Nave, Aisle and small chancel. Extensive Victorian restoration and rebuilding work has made interpreting the early history of the Church difficult. The existing Chancel and North Chapel appear to date from the Fourteenth Century. The West part of the Church (Nave) was rebuilt about 1500. This appears to have involved merging a North Aisle with the Nave under one roof. At a later date wooden pillars were placed on existing stone bases (probably left from the original aisle.) The erection of these wooden pillars would suggest that the Church Officers had some concerns about the wisdom of their forebears’ decision to construct such a wide roof span without support. During the seventeenth century there are a number of references to concerns about the repair of the Church. In 1611 the South Porch was said to be in need of repair, while, in 1683, the Chancel was described as being nearly derelict.
During the eighteenth century there were a number of additions to the contents of the Church, ie Parish Chest, Sundial, Clock. It would appear, perhaps, that the problems of the previous century had, to some degree, been overcome and a period of stability was enjoyed by the hard pressed church officers. The nineteenth century saw a number of restorations. The most significant being in1849 and 1852 – 4. The North Chapel was rebuilt, the Nave and Chancel extensively restored, and the bell tower added.
During the twentieth century routine maintenance and restoration continued. The Organ, dating from 1880, was purchased for the Church by the Manfield family in 1922. In 1925 a statute of the Madonna and Child was presented in memory of Rev H E Dudley. The Century and Millennium closed with further restoration, including restoring the bells to working order and replacing the pews with more comfortable and practical seating. The new Millennium saw, in 2004, the restoration of the organ completed, and so the cycle of repair and restoration continues. References to All Saints Church can be found in various works including the following All Saints Church Little Billing Kevin Ward 1986 A short Guide to ALL Saints Church Little Billing a church pamphlet The King’s England Northamptonshire Arthur Mee Hodder & Stoughton 1945 The Buildings of England N Pevsner Penguin 1961
Northamptonshire & the Soke of Peterborough A Shell Guide by Juliet Smith 1968Victoria County History HMSO Historic Monuments
Reference is also made, including a bibliography relating to fonts, on the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture website www.crsbi.ac.uk
Please also visit the Parish of Billing Website
by clicking the link below;
Parish Of Billing Website
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