Listed Building record MDR4735 - St Matthew's Church, Church Lane, Morley

St Matthew's Church, Church Lane, Morley, originally a 12th century building. 'St Matthew's Church, Morley, "…consists of nave, north and south aisles, which are continued eastwards and chancel chapels, chancel, south porch, and tower surmounted by a spire, at the west end … When the church was restored in 1850, it was found that the Norman arcades of the nave, … had been formed by cutting through the original nave walls, which were of an earlier date. This masonry must have been of Saxon or very early Norman times, as the present arcades are of the time of Stephen, or the beginning of the reign of Henry II…. The three-light window of the chancel … and other details .. Especially the south window of two lights .. Are all of the Decorated period.. Up to the time of this extension … of the chancel, the fabric of the church would seem to have remained untouched, as the Norman style left it, ; The style of architecture of the tower, and… the older work of the aisles, is … that which prevailed about the close of the Decorated and beginning of the Perpendicular period … [The] north aisle was enlarged and rebuilt in the sixteenth century, .. Within the porch is a Decorated doorway…The porch…is also Decorated work… The tower is of incipient Perpendicular character …" Five windows, of Perpendicular style, from Dale Abbey are inserted in the north aisle of the church.' (1) 'The church was in normal use in 1966.' (2) 'The Church of St. Matthew is a largely 14th century parish church, consisting of a nave with aisles, a chancel with chapels, and a west tower. It also has a 15th century clerestory, and some 13th century parts. It has a rich collection of medieval and later monuments to the Sacheverell and other families. There are fine, but restored, 15th century painted glass windows from Dale Abbey; and many other features.' (3) 'St Matthew's Church, Morley, is important in several ways, for its architecture, its monuments and its stained glass. It stands away from the village, but close to the large stone Tithe Barn and dovecote of the former Hall. The oldest part of the church is the Norman south arcade of two bays with circular pier with scalloped capital and unmoulded arch. The north arcade has the same piers but very elementary moulded capitals, probably of the early 13th century. The chancel seems to be early 14th century, as does the south porch with its handsome external doorway. The rest of the building history is exceptionally well documented by brass inscriptions. There are many original floor tiles in the north chancel chapel, which was built c.1370. The stained glass came to Morley from Dale Abbey at the time of the Dissolution.' (4) 'The bells in St Matthew's Church are historically significance. Dated to c1450, the bells were made by the York Foundary.' (6) From the National Heritage List for England: '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.' (7)