Wigginton

146. WIGGINTON.

(O.S. 6 in. ^(a)xxv. S.E. ^(b)xxxii. N.E.)

Roman

^a(1). Dwelling House, reputed, no remains above ground.

Ecclesiastical

^a(2). Parish Church of St. Bartholomew, stands at the top of a steep hill, about 1¼ miles S.E. of Tring. It is built of flint with stone dressings; the roofs are tiled. In 1881 the church was completely restored, and there is not enough old detail remaining to determine the date of the original building. It consisted of a Chancel and an aisleless Nave, of which the plan has remained unaltered, and a West Chamber, added in the 15th century, now forming an extension to the nave. The North Organ Chamber and Vestry, the North Aisle, the South Porch and a Bell Turret over the W. end of the nave, are modern.

Architectural Description—The Chancel (18½ ft. by 12½ ft.) has a modern E. window, a late 14th-century N. window, restored, of two lights under a square head; in the S. wall is a similar window, also much restored; W. of it is a blocked doorway and a low side window with a square head. The chancel arch is modern. The Nave (35 ft. by 15 ft.) has a modern N. arcade; in the S. wall are two modern windows, and a doorway, with a plain pointed arch and moulded label, possibly of late 13th-century date, re-tooled when the church was restored. The West Chamber (19½ ft. by 12½ ft.) has a modern E. arch and W. doorway, the original S. entrance being blocked. Over the W. doorway is an original window of three uncusped lights under a square head. The only traces of a window in the N. wall are a few stones of a relieving arch. In the S. wall is a 15th-century window of two trefoiled lights under a square head, and a small square-headed window of one light, set low in the wall. Most of the woodwork in the Roof of the W. chamber is original; the tie-beams, with arched braces, and pierced tracery in the spandrels, rest on carved stone corbels, some of which are also of the 15th century.

Fittings—Niches: one on each side of the E. window, with bracket for image. Piscina: in the chancel, with a square basin, probably 13th-century, a shelf and a modern or re-tooled head. Plate: includes a cup and cover paten of 1569.

Condition—Structurally good, but some of the external stonework is crumbling away.

Unclassified

^b(3). Grim's Ditch (see also Great Berkhampstead, Northchurch, and Tring), enters the parish a little S. of Wigginton Bottom, and continues to Clayhill in the same straight line as in Tring parish. A little beyond Clayhill it vanishes, reappearing at the S.E. corner of Harding's Wood. From this point the line takes a new direction E.S.E. to the parish boundary beyond Smart's Wood. The western part of this second line is much levelled and obliterated, but a fairly good section is to be seen S.E. of the road past Harding's Wood, the bank being 4 ft. and the counter-scarp 6 ft. above the ditch, which lies to the S.W. and is 40 ft. wide from crest to crest; beyond this the work degenerates into a field bank, but on nearing Smart's Wood it reappears, and in the wood the bank is 5 ft., and the counter-scarp 2 ft. above the ditch, which is 30 ft. across. The levels on the whole are downhill, from 640 ft. above O.D. at the W. end to 580 ft. at the E. end.

Dimensions—Total length, including gaps, 1,060 yds.

Condition—Fairly good in parts; much denuded.