A History of the County of Hertfordshire Volume 4 - Layston pages 77 to 88

In 1296 Robert de Gonewardby granted them 8d. rent there which was held of the Templars with suit at their court of Buntingford.(44) This holding passed with the Templars' other lands to the Knights Hospitallers in 1309.(45) After the Dissolution part of the Hospitallers' lands in Buntingford were granted with the preceptory of Shingay(46) and part was attached to the manor of Standon(47) in Braughing Hundred (q.v.).

CHURCHES

The church of ST. BARTHOLOMEW consists of chancel 30 ft. 3 in. by 17ft., nave 52 ft. by 27 ft., west tower 14 ft. square and south porch 10 ft. by 9 ft. 6 in.; all internal dimensions. The walls are of flint rubble, partly cemented ; the base-course of the tower has a chequer ornament of flint and stone in 9-in. squares. The nave roof is slated and the chancel roof tiled.

The chancel belongs to the early part of the 13th century; the nave and west tower appear to have been built in the 15th century—1400—20. The moulding on the base-course round the tower appears also at the north-east and north-west angles of the nave. The south porch probably dates from the early part of the 16th century ; it was formerly built of brick with stone dressings, but the church having fallen into a bad state of repair, from disuse, it was in 1906 thoroughly repaired. Much of the old stonework was renewed, the porch was faced with flint and the walling generally repaired.(48)

In the east wall of the chancel are three single lancets of the 13th century; underneath them, inside, is a moulded string-course of the same period. Under the string-course, at the north end of the communion table, is a small aumbry or niche with shouldered head, probably of 13th-century date. In the north wall are two blocked lancets; the stonework of the western one has been renewed. In the south wall are two 13th-century lancets ; below the westernmost is a narrow doorway with pointed splayed arch of 15th-century date. Near the western end of the wall is a 15th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights with tracery under a four-centred arch; the inner jambs have a wide casement moulding. At the east end of the south wall is a 13th-century piscina with rebated jambs, much broken, and shouldered head similar to the aumbry in the eastwall. Set in the south wall is a stone corbel carved with a grotesque face and with remains of colouring. It is of 15th-century date and probably supported an image ; it is not in its original position. The chancel arch is slightly four-centred and is of two moulded orders without a label; the jambs have round engaged shafts with moulded capitals and bases.

In the north wall of the nave are two three-light and one two-light window of the 15th century, having cinquefoiled lights under four-centred arches, with wide casement mouldings to the inner jambs; the outer stonework of the two three-light windows is modern. The north doorway is blocked ; it has a pointed arch and a moulded square label inside. In the south wall are three windows similar to those in the north wall; some of the external stonework has been renewed. The south doorway is of 15th-century date with moulded arch and jambs; over the doorway inside is a square moulded label, as on the north.

In the north-east angle of the nave is the doorway to the rood-stair turret; the stair is gone.

The south porch has an entrance archway of two moulded orders, the inner one forming a four-centred arch, the outer carried over square with moulded label; the spandrels are traceried and carved with foliage. Above the entrance is a niche with cinquefoiled ogee arch with carved crockets and finial and crocketed pilaster buttresses on either side; the niche is embattled above. On either side of the porch is a two-light cusped window, mostly of modern stonework. All the roofs throughout the church are modern.

The west tower is of three stages, with diagonal buttresses, embattled parapet and small leaded spire. The turret stair is in the south-east angle.

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