In the gable of the porch is a blank shield with the date 1592 to the left, the initials HC on the right and VK (for Valentine Knightley) above. In the west front of the church are lancet windows on each side of the tower, and a canted stair turret. There is a mass dial (a form of sundial) to the east of the priest's door, another in the west wall, and a third in the porch. Interior Internally there is no division between the nave and the chancel. The reredos, choir stalls, desks and pulpit are all made from Riga oak and were designed in 1899 by M. H. Holding. In the church is a 17th-century parish chest. The vestry contains a 17th-century communion table which was replaced by a new altar in 1907. In the south wall of the chancel is a recess that probably formerly contained a piscina. There are aumbries in the north and east walls. The stained glass in the east window dates from 1870. On the walls are four hatchments. There are a number of tombs and memorials in the church, many commemorating the Samwell family. These include a wall monument to Sir Thomas Samwell, 2nd Baronet who died in 1757. Also in the church is a tomb chest with alabaster effigies of Richard Knightley, who died in 1537, and his wife. In addition there is a slate wall memorial to James Harrington, the author of The Commonwealth of Oceana, who died in 1677 and is buried in St Margaret's, Westminster. External features The churchyard contains a number of old graves. One of these designated as a Grade II listed building; it is a headstone dated 1672, and is made from ironstone. In the area around the churchyard are mounds which are the remains of a deserted medieval village. Recent history and present day St Michael's continued to be a chapel of ease to St Peter's Church, Northampton, until 1966. It was closed for regular worship in 1980. The churchyard is maintained by a group of local people known as the Friends of St Michael's, and seasonal services continue to be held in the church. Quinton House School now occupies Upton Hall; the school helps with the upkeep of the church, and holds occasional services for the pupils. See also List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the English Midlands References