All Saints, Houghton Conquest, Bedfordshire

Description

The church of All Saints is a spacious and elegant structure, in the Decorated and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, south porch and an embattled tower, erected in 1393 and containing 6 bells: it was restored in 1870 by the late Sir G. Gilbert Scott R.A.: the stained east window, erected in 1880 by the late Very Rev. John Burgon M.A. Dean of Chichester (d. 1888), is a memorial to three benefactors, Eliza Hargrave and Mary and Sarah Windle: the walls of the aisles bear traces of frescoes, the designs of which are in some parts sufficiently distinct to be distinguished: over the north doorway is a huge painting of St. Christopher, of the 15th century: on the north wall of the chancel is a monument of carved alabaster consisting of 8 species of framework in which is set the figure of Dr. Archer, rector (1589-1631), in the act of exhortation, with book in hand, and partially resting upon a cushion; attached is a partially effaced inscription in Latin; he died in 1631: there is also an altar slab to Dame Ann Clearke, 1644, and two brasses to members of the Conquest family, dated respectively 1493 and 1500.

Church Records

The parish register dates from the year 1595. The parish registers of Houghton Conquest, 1539-1594, are in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, having been purchased by the curators in 1884.