A Perpendicular clerestory adorns the aisles with three-light windows; it dates to the early 15th

century, possibly c. 1430. The north aisle was extended in 1853, but the architects, Kirk and Parry,
reused the windows.[19][40]
Inside, the tower ceiling has a tierceron vault and is connected to the nave and aisles by arches. The
nave's arcading spans four bays, the last of which on the north side acts as an entrance to the
transept. The north aisle was extended in 1853 by Kirk and Parry, who added a strainer arch to
support the tower and join it with the north aisle. [41] The reredos and altar were built in 1922 by L.T.
Moore;[n 1] the rood screen was restored by Ninian Comper in 1918 and the Communion rail was
taken from Lincoln Cathedral during a restoration;[41] it has been attributed to Sir Christopher Wren,
but Pevsner makes no mention of this.[41][42] The rood loft is also by Comper, who is described by
Simon Jenkins as "inventive as ever. His wood is unusually dark and unpainted, as are the rood
figures and angels. The loft blooms out over the crossing." [3] The screen and altar rails in St Hugh's
Chapel are the work of C.H. Fowler; E. Stanley Watkins completed the reredos in 1906. [41] In the
1640s, the stained glass included the armorial bearings of Sir William Hussey impaling his wife's
Barkley arms, and the arms of Markham and John Russell, Bishop of Lincoln. These have not
survived,[44] but the current stained glass includes a "very Gothic" window by Hardman dating to c.
1853, three by Holland of Warwick from the late 1880s, one of Ward and Hughes (1885) and one
by Morris & Co. from 1900.[41] In 2006 Glenn Carter completed a stained glass window dedicated to
Yvonne Double which had been commissioned by her widower, Eddy Double. [45][46][n 2]
The earliest peal recorded at St Denys' had six bells: three dating from 1600, one from 1707 and two
undated. In 1796 a new peal of eight bells were cast by Thomas Osborn of Downham, Norfolk; the
tenor is in the E key and weighs 19 long cwt 3 qr 6 lb (2,218 lb or 1,006 kg).[48][49] Samuel Green's
organ of 1772 was rebuilt by Holdich in 1852 [50] and replaced by the present organ in 1891, which
was built by Forster and Andrews of Hull; rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison in 1966, it was restored by
A. Carter in 1999 and has three manuals and a pedalboard.[51][52] St Hugh's Chapel has its own organ,
with one manual, installed by Cousans and Sons in 1912. [52][53] The church also houses a collection of
fifteen antique, chained books in an oak reading desk; the oldest items date to the early 17th century
and include tracts on divinity. Other items of furniture include two old chests and a dole cupboard,
while a 16th-century tapestry is in the church's possession. [41][54] The octagonal font is in a Decorated
Gothic style, but has been altered considerably. [41]
The churchyard around St Denys' has been expanded several times: first in 1391, when the Bishop
of Lincoln, John Bokingham, was granted a piece of land 150 by 8 feet (45.7 m × 2.4 m) to one side
of the church. Land to the north was also added in 1796. The grounds were enclosed by a dwarf
wall, which was replaced by a more substantial stone wall and iron fence in 1837; the railings were
removed during the First World War.[8][55] In a report on the town's health in 1850, William Ranger
criticised the overcrowding of the churchyard; in 1855, burials in the grounds ceased and the vestry
elected a burial board to produce a solution. [n 3] They purchased 2 acres, 3 roods and 31 poles (0.92
ha) of land to the north of Eastgate at a cost of £1,500; this was converted into a cemetery and a
further 2 roods and 17 poles (0.063 ha) were bought for an access road. These grounds were
extended in 1862 by an acquisition of 3 acres and 39 poles (1.51 ha) of land to the west of the
cemetery; they are now managed by Sleaford Town Council. [56][57]
 

The doorway in the tower of the church, showing three orders of shafts and zigzag mouldings
in the arch
 


The five-light window with reticulated ogee arches above the doorway of the north aisle
 


The rood screen, restored by Sir Ninian Comper in 1918 [41]

 


View into the north transept and the chantry chapel

  


East window of the chancel

 


Yvonne Double memorial window, by Glenn Carter, 2006 [45][46]

 


The pulpit
 


15th-century window removed from the tower during restoration work in c. 1884
Memorials[edit]

Altar tomb of Sir Edward Carre

According to Edward Trollope, the oldest tombstone in the church was from the 13th century; it was
faded and illegible when he recorded it in or before 1872. A 14th-century slab, originally for a now-
lost effigy, is in the church, and brass plate from the same period was discovered during the 1853
restoration. Richard Dokke, along with his wife Joanna and son John, are commemorated in a
plaque dating to the 1430s, and a plaque to William Harebeter and his wife Elizabeth also dates to
the 15th century.[58]
Although Gervase Holles recorded many 16th-century monuments when he visited Sleaford, most
have disappeared.[59] Amongst those which remain are the tombs and plaques commemorating the
first members of the Carre family to settle in Sleaford. The Carres hailed from Northumberland, but
George Carre (d. 1521), a wool merchant, established himself in the town and is commemorated in
St Denys' by a brass. On the northern side of the chancel is an alabaster monument dedicated to
George's eldest surviving son Robert Carre (d. 1590), his three wives and some of their children; he
became lord of the manors of Old and New Sleaford. Opposite, on the southern side, is an alabaster
altar tomb by Maximilian Colt dedicated to Robert's fourth son and eventual heir, Sir Edward Carre,
1st Baronet (d. 1618), which carries the effigies of Edward and one of his two wives, probably his
second, Anne Dyer; according to Trollope, it was "said to have been mutilated during the Civil War".
[60][61]
 Further plaques commemorate Sir Edward Carre's grandson, Sir Robert Carre, 3rd Baronet (d.
1682), and his son, Sir Edward (d. 1683), who is also commemorated by a bust in the church. [62]
There are numerous other memorials to prominent Sleafordians. Early examples are plaques to
John Walpoole (d. 1591, monument dated 1631), the draper Richard Warsope (d. 1609, erected by
Robert Camock), and Rev. Theophilus Brittaine (d. 1696). [63] Later monuments include those of
Richard Moore (d. 1771) and Elizabeth Cooper (d. 1792), as well as a slab for Eleanor (d. 1725),
wife of John Peart.[61][64] The novelist Frances Brooke (d. 1789) is buried in the church.[65] Clergymen
include William Seller, Joseph Francis (d. 1749) and Anthony Skepper (d. 1773). A window is
dedicated to a local solicitor, Henry Snow (d. 1905), and memorials on the north wall include George
Jeudwine (d. 1952), another solicitor, and the local historian William Hosford (d. 1987). [66] The
monument to Ann Bankes (d. 1834) incorporates a statue of a woman sinking into the ground, which
Pevsner called "remarkably tender", while the tablet to Ann Moore (d. 1830) in the transept is noted
as "good Grecian".[61]

Music[edit]
From 1 January 2019 Lee Rooke is the new organist and choirmaster. [67]

References[edit]
Notes[edit]
1. ^ An earlier reredos, designed in "fine Gothic" style by Charles Kirk, was erected in memory of
M.P. Moore (d. 1866).[42][43]
2. ^ Other windows have been dedicated to prominent parishioners, including Dr Richard
Yerburgh, Charles Kirk, Francis and Benjamin Handley, Caroline E. Moore, Robert George
Bankes, John Bissill, John Caparn, Mrs. Lucy Ashington, Henrietta Bankes, John Pearson,
and William Hoster. Thomas Parry, C. Drake Newton and Mrs. Warwick. [47]
3. ^ The first members were M.P. Moore, John Warwick, Edward Newbatt, William Foster,
Thomas Simpson, Edward Allen, J.T. Marston, Charles Kirk and Thomas Parry. Newbatt and
Kirk declined the offer and so W.H. Holdich and Rev. Richard Yerburgh were elected in their
place.[56]

Citations[edit]
1. ^ "Listed buildings".  Historic England. Retrieved 7 July  2015.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Pevsner & Harris 1973, p. 634.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c Jenkins 2012, pp. 450–451.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Sleaford Parish Church – St Denys', Sleaford". A Church Near You. Church of
England. Retrieved  6 July 2015.
5. ^ "Contact us".  St Denys' Church, Sleaford. Archived from the original  on 5 October 2015.
Retrieved 3 October 2015.
6. ^ "New vicar at St Denys' Church". Sleaford Standard. 23 October 2013. Retrieved  6
July  2015.
7. ^ Trollope 1872, p. 147.
8. ^ Jump up to:    Hoare 1988, p. 12.
a b

9. ^ Jump up to:    Mahany & Roffe 1979, p. 6.

a b

10. ^ Mahany & Roffe 1979, pp. 8–10.

11. ^ Mahany & Roffe 1979, p. 10.
12. ^ Ekwall 1977, p. 462.
13. ^ "Settlement of Old Sleaford (Reference Name MLI91636)". Lincs to the Past. Lincolnshire
Archives. Retrieved  29 November  2014.
14. ^ Mahany & Roffe 1979, pp. 11–16.
15. ^ Pawley 1996, pp. 15–16.
16. ^ Mahany & Roffe 1979, p. 11.
17. ^ Mahany & Roffe 1979, pp. 13–14.
18. ^ Pawley 1996, p. 25.
19. ^ Jump up to:              Historic England.  "Parish Church of St Denys (1062157)". National Heritage
a b c d e f g

List for England. Retrieved 18 February 2015.

20. ^ Trollope 1872, pp. 140–141.
21. ^ Jump up to:    Trollope 1872, p. 152.
a b

22. ^ Pawley 1996, p. 33.

23. ^ Trollope 1872, pp. 147–148.
24. ^ "General Settlement Record for New Sleaford" Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 1 December
2015.
25. ^ Whiteman & Clapinson 1987, pp. 363.
26. ^ Pawley 1996, p. 42.
27. ^ Trollope 1872, p. 164.
28. ^ Trollope 1872, p. 151.
29. ^ Jump up to:          Hoare 1988, p. 1.
a b c d e

30. ^ Jump up to:    Pawley 1996, p. 88.

a b

31. ^ Ellis 1981, p. 101.

32. ^ Pawley 1996, pp. 88–89.
33. ^ Ellis 1981, p. 98.
34. ^ Trollope 1872, p. 149.
35. ^ Jump up to:      Pevsner, Harris & Antram 2002, p. 650.
a b c

36. ^ "Dedication of a Chapel".  Grantham Journal. 14 April 1906. p.  6. Retrieved  6 July 2015 –
via British Newspaper Archive.
37. ^ "Profit for St Denys' solar panel project in Sleaford". BBC News. 26 October 2011.
Retrieved 6 July  2015.
38. ^ Pevsner & Harris 1973, p. 38.
39. ^ Jump up to:    Pevsner, Harris & Antram 2002, pp. 650–651.
a b

40. ^ Jump up to:    Pevsner, Harris & Antram 2002, p. 651.

a b

41. ^ Jump up to:                Pevsner, Harris & Antram 2002, p. 652.

a b c d e f g h

42. ^ Jump up to:    Trollope 1872, p. 154.

a b

43. ^ "Chronicle for the Year 1866".  Lincolnshire Chronicle. 5 January 1867. p.  8. Retrieved  26
March  2015  – via  British Newspaper Archive.
44. ^ Trollope 1872, p. 163.
45. ^ Jump up to:    "BEM honour for services to the community".  Sleaford Standard. 13 June 2014.
a b

Retrieved 7 July  2015.

46. ^ Jump up to:    "Commissions".  Glenn Carter Glass. Retrieved  7 July 2015.
a b

47. ^ Trollope 1872, pp. 163–164.

48. ^ Trollope 1872, pp. 150–151.
49. ^ "Sleaford, S. Denys".  Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved  3 September 2015.
50. ^ "Lincolnshire Sleaford, St. Denys, Market Place [N14356]".  National Pipe Organ Register.
British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved  3 September 2015.
51. ^ "Lincolnshire Sleaford, St. Denys, Market Place [N14357]".  National Pipe Organ Register.
British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved  3 September 2015.
52. ^ Jump up to:    "Lincolnshire Sleaford, St. Denys, Market Place [N14358]".  National Pipe Organ
a b

Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 3 September  2015.

53. ^ "Lincolnshire Sleaford, St. Denys, Market Place [D00199]".  National Pipe Organ Register.
British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved  3 September 2015.
54. ^ Trollope 1872, pp. 165–166.
55. ^ Trollope 1872, pp. 166–167.
56. ^ Jump up to:    Ellis 1981, p. 77.
a b

57. ^ "Sleaford Cemetery".  Sleaford Town Council. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July  2015.
58. ^ Trollope 1872, p. 155.
59. ^ Trollope 1872, pp. 155–156.
60. ^ Trollope 1872, pp. 131, 135, 156–158.
61. ^ Jump up to:      Pevsner, Harris & Antram 2002, p. 653.
a b c
 62. ^ Trollope 1872, pp. 159–160.
63. ^ Trollope 1872, pp. 161–162.
64. ^ Trollope 1872, p. 162.
65. ^ Edwards, Mary Jane (2008). "Brooke [née Moore], Frances (bap. 1724, d. 1789)".  Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.
66. ^ Hoare 1988, p. 8.
67. ^ https://www.sleafordparishchurch.co.uk/STB%20Dec%202018.pdf
Bibliography[edit]
 Ekwall, Eilert (1977) [1960], The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-
names (4th ed.), Oxford: Clarendon Press, ISBN 978-0-19-869103-7
 Ellis, Charles (1981), Mid-Victorian Sleaford: 1851 – 1871, Lincoln: Lincolnshire Library
Service, ISBN 978-0-86111-102-2
 Hoare, Douglas (1988), St Denys' Church, Sleaford, Sleaford: St Denys', Sleaford,
Parochial Church Council, OCLC 877129833
 Jenkins, Simon (2012), England's Thousand Best Churches, London: Penguin
Books, ISBN 978-1-84614-664-0
 Mahany, Christine; Roffe, David (1979), Sleaford, Stamford: South Lincolnshire
Archaeological Unit, ISBN 978-0-906295-02-1
 Pawley, Simon (1996), The Book of Sleaford, Finmere: Baron Birch for Quotes
Ltd., ISBN 978-0-86023-559-0
 Pevsner, Nikolaus; Harris, John (1973) [1964], Lincolnshire, The Buildings of England
(1st ed.), Harmondsworth: Penguin
 Pevsner, Nikolaus; Harris, John; Antram, Nicholas (2002) [1989], Lincolnshire, The
Buildings of England (2nd ed.), New Haven and London: Yale University
Press, ISBN 978-0-300-09620-0
 Trollope, Edward (1872), Sleaford, and the wapentakes of Flaxwell and Aswardhurn,
London: W. Kent & Co., OCLC 228661584
 Whiteman, A.; Clapinson, M. (1987), The Compton Census of 1676: A Critical Edition,
Oxford University Press, ISBN 0197260411
Further reading[edit]
 Bowers, Rev. Peter W. A. (October 1967). "The Organs of St. Denys' Church,
Sleaford". The Organ. London: Musical Opinion. 47 (186). ISSN 0030-4883.
 Hoare, Douglas C. (1978). The Cult of St Denys in England in the Middle Ages (MPhil
thesis). University of Nottingham.
 Howe, Canon W. Norton; Mann (rev.), Rev. P. E. (1961), St. Denys' Church, Sleaford:
Guide Book, Sleaford: W. K. Morton & Sons, OCLC 12299346

External links[edit]