Church of St Michael and All Angels

The church of St. Michael is a large cruciform embattled building of stone in the Early English and Decorated styles, and consists of chancel, nave of five bays, aisles, transepts, south porch and an embattled central tower with octagonal crocketed turrets, and containing a clock and 6 bells: the nave was rebuilt about 1350, and at the same time new windows were inserted; the transepts, however, retain some early quatrefoil-headed windows of two lights, probably quite unique, and there are still lancets in the north transept and chancel, but the east window is Decorated, and has good flowing tracery, and there is a similar window at the west end: each transept has a piscina: the south wall of the chancel is pierced by a Norman doorway and window belonging to the earlier fabric; and between the chancel and south transept stands a battlemented structure, connected with the church by a covered passage, and used as a vestry: in the chancel is an altar tomb erected to Margery, widow of Richard Bellassis, of Henknowle, ob, 1587, aet. 90: the brass formerly on the upper slab was some time since removed to the south transept, where also stands the massive altar tomb of the famous reformer, Bernard Gilpin, rector here from about 1556, who died 4th March, 1583; the sides of the tomb are ornamented with panelled work, and at one end is a shield of arms and inscription: near this tomb lies the mutilated recumbent effigy of a knight in mail armour, variously assigned to Sir Roland Belasyse, knighted at the battle of Lewes, 14th May, 1264, and to Sir John le Spring, lord of this place 1332-3, who was murdered in the manor house: there is also a memorial to George Davenport, rector, ob. 1677: nearly all the windows are stained: the church was restored about 1860, under the direction of the late Mr. Philip Hardwick, and has 800 sittings: the churchyard contains a curious small tomb with arcaded sides and a divided upper slab, each portion having a floriated cross at the head. The communion plate includes a new Set of silver, provided in 1889, at a cost of £100, from a bequest by the late Robert H. Allan esq. of Blackwell Hall, and consisting of a flagon, two chalices, two patens, and an alms dish. The register dates from the year 1563: there are also two volumes of churchwardens’ accounts, I. from 1592 to 1669; II. 1671 to 1704. The living is a rectory, tithe rent-charge £950, gross yearly value £1,600, including 343 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Durham, and held since 1847 by the Rev. the Hon. John Grey M.A. of Trinity College, Cambridge, hon. canon of Durham, rural dean of Soughton-le-Spring, and chaplain to the Bishop of Durham.

Extract from: Kelly's Directory of Durham, 1890