Church (in Ruins), Grave Yard — Fennor

On top of high ground with good views in all directions. A castle (TS043-003001-) and holy well (TS043-002----) are located 130m and 820m to the NE respectively. The church at Fennor is mentioned in the Papal Taxation of 1291 and there are references to several vicars in the late 13th century (McCormack, 1989, 12). In the Civil Survey (1654-6) Pierce Butler is listed as proprietor of the lands of Fennor and it mentions the church which had four acres of glebeland with a cabin and a garden belonging to the vicar (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 120). The church (ext. dims N-S 26.9m ; E-W 8.9m; wall T 0.8m-1.2m) consists of a nave (int. dims. N-S 7.2m; E-W 8.2m) and chancel (int. dims E-W 9m; N-S 5.3m) with a tower, perhaps a belfry, over the E end of the chancel. There is a two-storey house at the W end of the nave with the remains of a structure at the E end of its N wall which may have been a two-storey porch (ext. dims. 3.3m; possible int. dims. 1.9m N-S; 1.7m E-W). All are composed of roughly coursed limestone rubble. The church was entered by two opposing doorways in the N and S walls at the W end of the nave. Both doorways are now missing though the original draw-bar slots are still visible. One of the doorways (TS043-050----) may have been removed and inserted as an entrance into the walled garden of nearby Glebe House. The chancel arch (Wth 2.75m) consists of a cut limestone pointed arch. There are two pairs of opposing shallow, pointed embrasures (Wth 2.45m; D 0.8m) in the N and S walls of the chancel, the embrasures 1.4m apart in both pairs, which may have been sedilia for the choir. There is evidence of a blocked-up ope in the W embrasure of the S wall and good evidence for internal whitewash render in the chancel. A mural stairs accessed from the E splay of the E embrasure in the S wall gives access to a tower located over the E window. The tower is supported on a vault which springs over the destroyed E window. Two corbels in the SE angle of the chancel may have supported a timber shelf or functioned as a support for statues. There is a flat-headed aumbry in the centre of the E embrasure in the N wall of the chancel and a second aumbry in the NE angle of the chancel. The E window is completely broken out, only the outer splay of both sides of its embrasure survives. A 15th-century graveslab (TS043-003005-), which is no longer visible, had been recorded in the chancel (Healy 1874-9, vol. 1, 49). The ground floor of the priest's house consists of two parallel barrel-vaulted chambers which are interconnected by a doorway E of centre in the dividing spine wall. There is a probable window in the centre of the W wall of both chambers and good evidence of wicker-centring under each of the vaults. The W gable of the larger N chamber (int. dims. N-S 3.6m x E-W 6.2m) has been repointed, widened and converted into a pointed arched opening. This chamber was originally accessed from the W end of the nave by a doorway, now blocked up. Directly inside this doorway there was a small lobby from which a stairs accessed the upper chamber, now blocked up. This upper chamber had a window in the W gable and two windows in the N and S walls, both of which are now broken out. The chamber to the S is inaccessible due to the blocked-up door from the larger N chamber. The upper floor of the house could also have been accessed from the porch. There is a cut limestone window jamb in the E wall at first-floor level of the porch. Only the E and W wall returns (wall T 0.8m) survive, projecting out for a distance of 0.2m. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011