Rossington St Michael

Features and Fittings

Chancel

Altar and panelling

Panelling and
reader's desk
Altar in the middle
of the crossing

Altar - at the east end of the chancel, but largely supplanted by a modern table in the middle of the crossing with the 15th century pulpit on the south side and a reading desk (ornate wooden, not dated) on the north side (with the font next to it).

Panelling - around the chancel altar was made using timber from the original box pews. The lectern is of a similar design to the panelling and may have been made at the same time.

Modern altar rail raised two steps.

Nave

Pulpit – ornate, wooden, octagonal with sides having two cusped lights beneath Perpendicular tracery, the whole dating from 15th century, with fine carved faces; the foot is later. Brought to Rossington during the restoration of 1844 from the now demolished church of St Mary Magdalene in Doncaster market place. The donor was Sir James Brown. Round the top is the raised inscription 'Orate pro aia Ricardi Stansall et uxoris ejus' (pray for the soul of Richard Stansall and his wife).

Font

Font – a cylindrical 12th century tub font of limestone on an original chamfered base. There is a cable pattern with well-rounded segments on the angle of the rim. On the rim are inserts in place of the original medieval lock and hasps. The font was repositioned in 2008 on the north side of the crossing and was originally at the west end of the nave. According to the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture, it is comparable in proportion and size with numerous cylindrical fonts in the region; however, a smoothly-rounded bowl is not very common, where internally the sides are straight and bottom almost flat. The cable pattern on the angle of the rim, and with this standard accomplished form, can possibly be dated to 1140-50s in the East Riding, but could be earlier here near the limestone, where more information on correct style would be available.

Wooden pews – the oak pews in the nave and south transept were given by Mr and Mrs John Carr in 1956. They were made by Robert Thompson, ‘The Mouseman of Kilburn’, whose signature mouse carving is to be seen at the end of some of the pews.

The remaining pews and the choir stalls are 19th century in origin.

Royal Coat of Arms Ten commandments The Creed

The Lord's
Prayer

Two wooden hymn number boards either side of the chancel arch.

Royal Coat of Arms - over the Romanesque chancel arch on the west side, Hanoverian. The names of the churchwardens R. Ramsey and J Innocent feature on it.

Boards - on the walls at the foot of the tower display the Ten Commandments, the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. They date from 1844 and bear the name of the painter, Wood.