All Saints Laughton - The Saxon Church

The Anglo-Saxon doorway at All Saints church

When preparing an itinerary to visit various mediaeval churches set on or near to the Rotherham Red sandstone - having fully investigated St. Helen's church in Treeton - I was interested to discover that those at Todwick, Wales and Aston possess certain features that suggest that they could pre-date the Norman Conquest of Britain and All Saints church in Laughton-en-le-Morthen clearly has an Anglo-Saxon origin.

Anglo-Saxon and Perpendicular Gothic style architecture

Although set on an outlier of the Cadeby Formation, with various limestone quarries indicated on old maps and with the main outcrop of the Magnesian Limestone nearby, the Anglo-Saxon north doorway is constructed in what I always assumed to be Rotherham Red sandstone - the nearest source of which is more than 3 km away; however, looking more closely, the flame red stone used for a pilaster would not be considered typical of this distinctive variety of the Mexborough Rock.

Details of the masonry to the north doorway

Compared to ancient doorways that I have seen all around England, its construction is extremely crude - with little attention paid to the shaping of the individual stones – and its style strongly contrasts with the Norman doorway that has been built within it.

A general view of the north elevation of All Saints church

A stone's throw away from All Saints church, there are also the remains of a motte and bailey castle built by Roger de Busli - who was given this manor after the Norman conquest in 1066 - and which is believed to have been built on land previously owned by Earl Edwin of Mercia, the brother in law of King Harold Godwineson.

A view of the old motte and bailey and All Saints church