Boltongate Church of All Saints (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Boltons.
In the historic county of Cumberland.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Cumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY22964076
Latitude 54.75592° Longitude -3.19857°

Boltongate Church of All Saints has been described as a Fortified Ecclesiastical site although is doubtful that it was such.

There are major building remains.

This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Mostly late C14 incorporating part of the plinth of the earlier church. Squared and coursed limestone with nave parapet, all on chamfered plinth. Steeply-pitched red sandstone slate nave roof and graduated greenslate chancel roof with coped gable and cross finial. 2-bay nave with north and south porches, transept chapels and west twin bellcote, moved to its present position in 1812; 3-bay chancel with north lean-to vestry. Pointed-arched lean-to stone porches. 3-light panel-tracery windows, that in west wall under 3-light cusped flat-headed windows; similar 2-light windows in transepts, all under hoodmoulds with carved-head label stops. Flattened hexagonal north-east stair turret under stone slate spire gives access to parapet walk which goes completely around nave, the bellcote set back to allow for the walkway. Chancel has south priest's doorway in pointed arch and 2-light cusped and panel-tracery windows, all under hoodmoulds with carved label stops. Similar east window. 2-light south window and vestry window with flat heads, the vestry window with cusps, both with hoods. Interior of nave has pointed stone barrel-vaulted roof with half-vaulted transepts. Projecting corbel stones were perhaps to support the centering over which the vault was built. West wall has upper corbelling to support parapet walk. Door beside chancel arch gives access to spiral stone staircase up to parapet walk and also gave access to rood screen; one of the supporting corbel stones for this is above the doorway. Piscinae in both transepts, that in south transept with ogee arch and also aumbry recesses. Receut C14 font of which only the carving under the bowl is original. Chancel has C19 open timber roof on C14 corbels. Late C18 and early C19 wall plaques. Piscina in south wall. Pointed-arched doorway to vestry. (Listed Building Report)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1312157
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 9999.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 4519.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Visit Cumbria
  Wikipedia entry
  Old Cumbria Gazetteer
Books
- Harrison, Peter, 2004, Castles of God (Woodbridge; Boydell Press) p. 67
  Brooke, C.J., 2000, Safe Sanctuaries (Edinburgh; John Donald) p. 304-7
  Salter, Mike, 1998, The Old Parish Churches of Cumbria (Malvern: Folly Publications)
  Pevsner, N., 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth: Penguin) p. 70

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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