Description

SK 34 SE; 1/78

PARISH OF MORLEY,
CHURCH LANE (North Side)

Church of St Matthew

10.11.67

GV

I

Parish church. C12, C13, C14, C15. Coursed squared gritstone
with gritstone dressings. Roofs hidden behind parapets. West
steeple, aisled nave. South porch, chancel with south aisle and
north chapel. Moulded plinth.

West tower of two stages dates
from 1403. Diagonal buttreses to west. West doorway with
moulded surround, hoodmould and plank doors. Window above with
cusped four-centred arch under a square head. Clock face above
and 2-light Dec bell openings. Similar bell openings to the
other three faces. Curved staircase projection to right. South
elevation has similar stair projection and a small rectangular
window. Lean-to south aisle has a square headed west window of
two ogee lights. Returned hoodmould. Gabled south porch, the
doorway with six orders of moulding, head stops and triple
filleted responds. Inner doorway of two orders, chamfered and
concave. Plank doors with iron hinges. Small arrow slit side
windows. To the right are two windows similar to the aisle west
window, then a buttress, a priest's doorway with a chamfered and
concave order and a 3-light window similar to the other windows.
Clerestory with a plain ovolo moulded 2-light and 3-light
window. South aisle east window of three ogee lights under a
square head. Main east window of three lights with cusped
intersecting tracery and filleted nook shafts. North chapel
east window of 4-lights with ogees and cusping, under straight
heads. North aisle of five bays. Four 4-light Perp windows
with ogees and cusping under straight heads. Closely spaced
with thin buttresses between. In the western bay is a gothic
doorway with moulded surround and plank door and a window with
square head and two ogee lights. The west end of the north
aisle has a similar 2-light and 3-light windows, and a blocked
four-centred arched window. Clerestory has two 2-light ovolo
moulded mullion windows.

INTERIOR: two-bay nave arcades. The
south arcade C12, with a circular pier, scalloped capital and
unmoulded arches. The north arcade has a circular pier and
elementary moulded capitals. Double-chamfered chancel arch on
semi-octagonal responds with moulded capitals. The chancel has
an unequal two-bay north arcade with four-centred arches and
octagonal piers. Concave moulded capitals. The north aisle was
added in 1380. South chapel added in 1453, with irregular
arcade. Corbelled out piscina. A second piscina with cusped and
trefoiled arch. Double-chamfered tower arch, the inner order on
corbels.

Monuments: in the north chapel, Brass to John Statham
died 1453 and his wife. Brass to Thomas Statham died 1470 and
his two wives (on a tomb chest in the south aisle). Henry
Statham, died 1480, and three wives and children. Brasses on a
tomb chest under a cusped depressed arch between the chancel and
the south chapel. John Sacheverell, died 1485, and wife, and
children (south chapel). Henry Sacheverell, died 1558, and
wife, brasses on a tomb chest (between chancel and north
chapel). Katherine Babington, died 1453, tomb chest with
recumbent effigy (north chapel), the best monument in the
church. Four incised slabs to Sacheverell children (north
chapel floor) 1625, 1626, 1638, 1639. Jacynth Sacheverell, died
1656, recumbent alabaster effigies (north chapel). Henry
Sacheverell, died 1662, a big tomb chest without effigies (north
chapel). Jonathan Sacheverell, died 1662, a wall monument with
two frontal demi-figures (south chapel). William Sacheverell,
died 1691, a big tomb chest with polished marble top and no
effigies (north chapel). Robert Sacheverell, died 1714, a
Baroque pedestal with free-standing urn (north chapel). Tablets
to Jane Sacheverell, died 1746 and Elizabeth Sitwell, died 1769
(north aisle). Several early C19 Grecian tablets by Hall of
Derby. Sculpture to Jacynth Sacheverell Wilmot-Sitwell, died
1916.

In the north chapel, medieval tiles from Dale Abbey.
Stained glass. Extensive medieval glass in the easternmost
windows of the north chapel, from Dale Abbey and dating from
1482. Repaired and added to in 1847 by William Warrington.
Windows at west end of north aisle early C20. Other windows by
Hardman and by Burlison & Grylls, a good collection. C19 pews
and choir stalls. C17 (?) octagonal font and cover. Three
benefaction boards at the west end of the south aisle. Re-used
box pews as panelling around the baptistry.

Listing NGR: SK3966440934

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17525652

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)