St Leonard's Church, Apethorpe

ringsSt Leonard’s church lies towards the east end of the village to the north-east of Apethorpe Hall, former seat of the Earls of Westmorland. The fabric dates largely from the late-fifteenth and early-seventeenth centuries. The Mildmay Chapel contains one of the finest and most imposing seventeenth century tombs in England: that of Sir Anthony Mildmay, attributed to the sculptor Maximilian Colt and known to have been built in 1621. It is believed that the nave and both aisle roofs are of the same date, both being generally associated with the early development of Apethorpe Hall in the late-fifteenth century. There is some possibility that St Leonard’s is a generation earlier than this, and that it may date to the early- to mid-fifteenth century. Whilst the roofs of the nave and aisle are similar throughout, that of the chancel shows greater variation, comprising trusses. Two of these trusses are of shallow pitched, king post form with straight tiebeams, whilst the third truss, at the chancel arch, is formed of a cranked tiebeam. Tree-ring dating is currently in progress.