An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Huntingdonshire. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1926.
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'Raveley, Little', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Huntingdonshire( London, 1926), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/hunts/pp211-212 [accessed 27 July 2024].
'Raveley, Little', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Huntingdonshire( London, 1926), British History Online, accessed July 27, 2024, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/hunts/pp211-212.
"Raveley, Little". An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Huntingdonshire. (London, 1926), , British History Online. Web. 27 July 2024. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/hunts/pp211-212.
In this section
67. RAVELEY, LITTLE (D.c.).
(O.S. 6 in. XIV S.W.)
Little Raveley is a small parish 5 m. N.N.E. of Huntingdon. The Church is the only monument.
Ecclesiastical
Parish Church of St. James stands in the middle of the parish. The walls of the chancel have a modern brick plinth above which they are plastered, and the nave is of stone and pebble-rubble with dressings of Ketton stone; the roofs are tiled. The Chancel is probably of c. 1230, but the Nave was re-built late in the 14th century, when it was widened towards the S. The chancel was restored in 1914.
The Church, Plan
Architectural Description—The Chancel (19¼ ft. by 14¾ ft.) has an E. window of c. 1350 of two cinque-foiled lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head with a 13th-century moulded label and uncarved square stops. In the N. wall is a 14th-century window of two trefoiled lights in a square head with an internal wood lintel. In the S. wall is a similar window and a 13th-century doorway with chamfered jambs and moulded brackets to the lintel; further W. is a square-headed 'low-side' window. The chancel-arch is of early 16th-century date and is two-centred and of two wave-moulded orders, the outer continuous and the inner carried on half-round shafts with moulded capitals and bases; the chancel-arch has cuttings for the fixing of the former screen.
The Nave (31 ft. by 16¾ ft.) has in the N. wall two slightly repaired late 14th-century windows, each of two cinque-foiled lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head; the western of these windows has a modern mullion and the jambs and head are much weathered; between the windows is a 14th-century blocked doorway with jambs and two-centred head of two chamfered orders. In the S. wall are two, considerably weathered and slightly repaired, early 16th-century windows, each of two cinque-foiled lights with vertical tracery in a four-centred head; the eastern has the splays carried down to form a seat. Between the windows is an early 16th-century S. doorway with much weathered moulded jambs and two-centred head with a moulded label. The W. wall is gabled and has in the gable a bell-cote with two semi-elliptical headed openings one of which is in the form of a recess and the other contains a bell; the lines of a lower and earlier gable are visible in the wall, showing that the bell-cote formerly stood free of the gable; there are diagonal buttresses at the angles and a central buttress in three stages which stops below the bell-cote.
The Roof of the chancel is probably of 15th- or early 16th-century date, and is in three bays with three king-post trusses of simple form with chamfered tie-beams. The nave-roof is in three bays and has four chamfered tie-beams with curved braces.
Fittings—Bracket: In chancel—on N. side of E. window, in form of foliated corbel-capital, c. 1230. Communion Table: of oak, with turned legs, square bottom rail and enriched top rail shaped at ends, early to mid 17th-century. Font (Plate 9): octagonal, with plain bowl having panelled underside with alternate panels carved with (a) a bishop, top of crozier broken off; (b) an eagle; (c) a tree or bush with some object superimposed; (d) a tree with side stems; plain stem and moulded base on square step, 15th-century. Glass: In nave—in eastern window of N. wall, fragments of ruby and ornamental tabernacle-work of white with yellow ornament, 15th-century. In eastern window in S. wall, lozenge with yellow foliated centre on black, early 16th-century. Piscinae: In chancel— with chamfered edge to jambs and trefoiled head with lobed cusps and quatre-foiled drain, 13th-century. In nave, in S. wall, with trefoiled head, sunk spandrels, round drain and slightly projecting shelf, 15th-century. Plate: includes a cup and cover-paten of late 16th-century date without date-letter, and a pewter dish dated 1702. Poor-box: In nave—of oak, hutch-type with shaped bottom rail, 17th-century, partly restored. Recess: In chancel—in S. wall, plain rectangular. Scratchings: On S. doorway—various graffiti, 16th-century and later.
Condition—Of chancel good, of nave, fair.
Ripton, see Abbots Ripton and Kings Ripton.