Sitting just inside Rutland on its northern border with Leicestershire, the village of Teigh possesses one of the most interesting churches in the county, Holy Trinity. The church tower dates from the 13th and 14th centuries but the rest of the original building was swept away in 1782 by the fourth Earl of Harborough (1719-1799). The body of the church consists of a three bay nave with no separate chancel. The pointed windows are original but the tracery in them dates from 1893.

The interior, with its pale pink walls and gently curving duck egg blue plaster ceiling, is dominated by three tiers of pews on each side. These are arranged college-wise, that is, facing each other across the body of the church with a central aisle running east to west. At the west end is a pulpit situated high up and flanked lower down by two reading desks. Framing the pulpit is a mock window painted to look like glazing bars with trees behind them.

The interior is devoid of monuments apart from two slate ledger stones on the west wall. The original 18th century font, an elegant vase of mahogany, was originally fixed to the altar rails (the fixing points are still visible). It was later moved to the interior of a pew on the north side. On my most recent visit it had disappeared; theft or conservation? Left behind is an ugly stone font of 1845 made by the incumbent of that time.

The church was probably designed by George Richardson (?-c.1813). He was originally a draughtsman in the offices of Robert and James Adam and, from 1760 to 1763, went of a Grand Tour with the latter gaining first-hand knowledge of the styles used by Adam. In his later years he published various works but was responsible for few complete buildings. The fourth Earl employed him as the designer for Stapleford church (Leicestershire) in 1783 and he exhibited the design in the same year at the Royal Academy under the title Elevation of a church building at Stapleford, in Leicestershire, for the Earl of Harborough. There is little doubt the Earl also employed him at his two other churches at Teigh and at Saxby (Leicestershire).

The church of St Peter and St Paul at Exton (Rutland) contains some outstanding monuments. The largest and most spectacular of them is to be found on the east wall of the north transept. This is the monument to Baptist Noel, Third Viscount Campden (c.1612-1683). This formidable structure, squeezed in to a space too small to adequately display it, is of white and black marbles and shows the Viscount and his fourth wife, Elizabeth daughter of Montague Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey and his wife Martha. Reliefs on various parts of the monument depict his three other wives and their nineteen children. It was made by Grinling Gibbons, perhaps better known for his carvings in wood.

The massive white marble base features a relief showing six of the children, two sons and four daughters along with his third wife Hester Wotton, flanked by inscription plates of black marble. The inscription on the left gives brief biographical information on Baptist, while that on the right gives the names of his children by his four wives.

Centrally placed on the base is a sarcophagus with a relief of nine children, three sons, three daughters, and three babies, along with his fourth wife Elizabeth, all surrounded by an oval wreath. Upon this is a pedestal surmounted by an urn and flanked by large standing statues of the Viscount and his fourth wife. On the pedestal is a black marble inscription plate recording that the monument was erected by order of Elizabeth and carried out by her third son, John Noel, in 1686.

Flanking the figures are two large truncated pyramids on balled feet surmounted by wreathed urns of black marble and decorated with garlands and two oval wreaths depicting the remaining wives and children. That on the left shows his first wife, Ann Fielding,with three babies while that on the right shows his second wife, Ann Lovet, and one baby.

Above the ensemble is an arch supporting an open pediment upon which are draperies and a shield in a cartouche with the arms of the Third Viscount.

As was the fashion for the age, all of the figures are depicted in Roman dress.

The monument is well-balanced given its size and level of fine detail. The reliefs and garlands are excellent – not surprising given that they are by Gibbons – but the figures, to my mind, are not particularly successful. No doubt it cost a pretty penny.

Baptist Noel was a Member of Parliament for Rutland between 1640 and 1643. He succeeded to the title of 3rd Viscount Campden, 3rd Baron Hicks of Ilmington and 2nd Baron Noel of Ridlington in March 1642/3. During the Civil War he sided with the King and it was during this time that he ordered his house at Chipping Campden (Glos) to be burnt down so as not to be of use to Parliamentary forces. He was subsequently fined £9000 for his support of the King. Baptist Noel died on the 29th of October 1683.

The monuments in Exton church were restored by the Exton Monuments Restoration Fund between 2000 and 2002. The Viscount’s monument apparently cost £49,000 to restore. The work was carried out by the Skillington Workshop of Grantham (Lincs).