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Listed Building record MDR6391 - St Michael's Church, Pleasley

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

The church of Pleasley is dedicated to St. Michael and has a Norman chancel arch. The walls are probably Early English and the tower Perpendicular. (1) In normal use [1966]. (2) Norman Chancel arch, the rest, a long aisleless nave is mainly 13th century. (3) The church at Pleasley, dedicated to St Michael, has a seating capacity of 200. A late Norman arch divides the nave from the chancel. This arch is handsomely moulded and ornamented with alternate billet pattern, and with jambs 12 ft apart. The windows are of the Early English period (1145-1272), which suggests that the church was built during the transitional period from Norman to Early English. The tower belongs to the Perpendicular period. A description of the church in c. 1815 records a 'double chancel', one beyond the other. However as part of extensive alterations in 1847 the inner arch of the chancel was removed. At the same time an external sepulchral recess on the south side of the church was opened but found to contain neither a stone coffin nor any other remains apart from a coffin-shaped slab. A medieval font was found in the rectory garden where it had served as a flower vase. It has been restored to its rightful place inside the church together with a newer font, at the base of which is incised the date 1662, suggesting that the medieval font was removed during the Civil War and that the church was without a font during the Commonwealth. (4) One of the bells of St Michael's is of historical significance. Dating to circa 1520, the bell was made by the Seliok family of Nottingham. (5)

Sources/Archives (5)

  • <1> Bibliographic reference: Cox, J. 1875. Notes on the Churches of Derbyshire, Vol. I. pp 313-4.
  • <2> Personal Observation: F1 JB 09-JUN-66.
  • <3> Index: NDAT. 1718. 1718.
  • <4> Unpublished document: Doncaster, R A (ed.). 1970. A History of Saint Michael's, Pleasley.
  • <5> Unpublished document: Church of England. 2007. Identification of bells and bell frames of historic significance.

Map

Location

Grid reference Centred SK 5042 6457 (36m by 12m) Centre
Civil Parish PLEASLEY, BOLSOVER, DERBYSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (1)

  • EDR923

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Record last edited

Jan 23 2024 9:07PM

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