St Michael at the North Gate

Last updated

St Michael at the North Gate
St Michael at the North Gate, Oxford
Cornmarket StMichael.jpg
The Saxon tower of St Michael at the North Gate
St Michael at the North Gate
Location Cornmarket Street, Oxford
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Church of England
Website www.smng.org.uk
History
Dedication St Michael
Associated people William Morris and Jane Burden married here in 1859.
Architecture
Style Saxon
Years built1000–1050
Administration
Diocese Oxford
Clergy
Vicar(s) Anthony Buckley

St Michael at the North Gate is a church in Cornmarket Street, at the junction with Ship Street, in central Oxford, England. The name derives from the church's location on the site of the north gate of Oxford when it was surrounded by a city wall.

Contents

Since 1971, it has served as the ceremonial City Church of Oxford, and has joined the parishes of the two earlier City Churches with its own.

Interior of the church Interior of St Michael at the North gate.jpg
Interior of the church
The cell door from the Bocardo Prison where Thomas Cranmer was held before his execution in 1556, now preserved in the Saxon bell tower of St Michael's Church. St Michael at the North Gate cell door.jpg
The cell door from the Bocardo Prison where Thomas Cranmer was held before his execution in 1556, now preserved in the Saxon bell tower of St Michael's Church.

The entire tower is accessible to the public, including the top which provides a view of the city as well as an original clockwork mechanism

History

Originally built around 1000–1050, with the tower from 1040 still in existence, the church is Oxford's oldest building. [1] [2] It was constructed of Coral Rag. [3] The church tower is Anglo-Saxon. [4] The architect John Plowman rebuilt the north aisle and transept in 1833. [4]

The Oxford Martyrs were imprisoned in the Bocardo Prison by the church before they were burnt at the stake in what is now Broad Street nearby, then immediately outside the city walls, in 1555 and 1556. Their cell door can be seen on display in the church's tower.

St Michael at the North Gate is the current City Church of Oxford, [5] which is the church where the Mayor and Corporation of Oxford are expected to worship. [6] The title was originally held by St Martin's Church at Carfax, and then by All Saints' Church in the High Street after St Martin's Church was demolished (except for its tower) in 1896. City Church status passed to St Michael's when All Saints' Church was declared redundant in 1971 and was subsequently converted into the library of Lincoln College. [7] The parishes of St Martin's and All Saints are now amalgamated with St Michael's.

A ceremony, called "beating the bounds", is held each year on Ascension Day to mark out the boundary of the parish. Led by the vicar, parishioners process around the old boundary stones of the parish; the vicar places a cross in chalk on each, and then church wardens hit the stones with wands made of willow, shouting "Mark, mark, mark!" as they do so. [8]

According to Margaret Murray (writing 1934), there was a sheela na gig figure at St Michael at the North Gate which had a tradition of being shown to brides on their wedding day. [9]

People

William Morris and Jane Burden (who lived off Holywell Street nearby) were married here on 25 April 1859. [10] The marriage certificate is on view in the Saxon tower. John Wesley's pulpit is also on view here.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carfax, Oxford</span> Crossroads; central area of Oxford in England

Carfax is the junction of St Aldate's (south), Cornmarket Street (north), Queen Street (west) and the High Street (east) in Oxford, England. It is considered to be the centre of the city. The name "Carfax" derives from the Latin quadrifurcus via the French carrefour, both of which mean "crossroads". The Carfax Tower, also known as St. Martin's Tower is a prominent landmark and provides a look-out over the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornmarket Street</span> Pedestrian street in Oxford, England

Cornmarket Street is a major shopping street and pedestrian precinct in Oxford, England that runs north to south between Magdalen Street and Carfax Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-Saxon architecture</span> Period of architecture in England from the mid-5th century until 1066

Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing. No universally accepted example survives above ground. Generally preferring not to settle within the old Roman cities, the Anglo-Saxons built small towns near their centres of agriculture, at fords in rivers or sited to serve as ports. In each town, a main hall was in the centre, provided with a central hearth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford Castle</span> Partly ruined castle in Oxford in Oxfordshire, England

Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined medieval castle on the western side of central Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. Most of the original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced in stone in the late 12th or early 13th century and the castle played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy. In the 14th century the military value of the castle diminished and the site became used primarily for county administration and as a prison. The surviving rectangular St George's Tower is now believed to pre-date the remainder of the castle and be a watch tower associated with the original Saxon west gate of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloxham</span> Human settlement in England

Bloxham is a village and civil parish in northern Oxfordshire several miles from the Cotswolds, about 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Banbury. It is on the edge of a valley and overlooked by Hobb Hill. The village is on the A361 road. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 3,374.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hook Norton</span> Human settlement in England

Hook Norton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It lies 4+1⁄2 miles (7 km) northeast of Chipping Norton, close to the Cotswold Hills. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,117. The village is formed of four neighbourhoods: East End, Scotland End, Down End and Southrop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorchester Abbey</span> Church in Oxfordshire , United Kingdom

The Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul, more usually called Dorchester Abbey, is a Church of England parish church in Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire, about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Oxford. It was formerly a Norman abbey church and was built on the site of a Saxon cathedral.

York had around 45 parish churches in 1300. Twenty survive, in whole or in part, a number surpassed in England only by Norwich, and 12 are used for worship. This article consists of a list of medieval churches which still exist in whole or in part, and a list of medieval churches which are known to have existed in the past but have been completely demolished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Church of St Mary the Virgin</span> Church in Oxford, England

The University Church of St Mary the Virgin is an Oxford church situated on the north side of the High Street. It is the centre from which the University of Oxford grew and its parish consists almost exclusively of university and college buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford Martyrs</span> Three Anglican bishops burnt at the stake (1555)

The Oxford Martyrs were Protestants tried for heresy in 1555 and burnt at the stake in Oxford, England, for their religious beliefs and teachings, during the Marian persecution in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary Magdalen's Church, Oxford</span> Church in Oxford, England

St Mary Magdalen is a Church of England parish church in Magdalen Street, Oxford, England, dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene. It is one of the city's ancient parish churches and is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Giles' Church, Oxford</span> Church in Oxford, United Kingdom

St. Giles' Church is a church in North Oxford, England. It is at the northern end of the wide thoroughfare of St Giles', at the point where it meets Woodstock Road and Banbury Road. It stands between where Little Clarendon Street joins Woodstock Road and Keble Road joins Banbury Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodeaton</span> Human settlement in England

Woodeaton or Wood Eaton is a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Oxford, England. It also has a special needs school called Woodeaton Manor School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke Lyne</span> Human settlement in England

Stoke Lyne is a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Bicester, Oxfordshire in southern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints Church, Oxford</span> Church in Oxford, United Kingdom

All Saints Church is a former church on the north side of the High Street in central Oxford, England, on the corner of Turl Street. It is now the library of Lincoln College. This former church is Grade I listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, North Leigh</span> Church in Oxfordshire , United Kingdom

The Parish Church of Saint Mary, North Leigh is the Church of England parish church of North Leigh, a village about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Witney in Oxfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Matthew's Church, Langford</span> Church in Oxfordshire , United Kingdom

The Parish Church of Saint Matthew, Langford is the Church of England parish church of Langford, a village in West Oxfordshire about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Lechlade in neighbouring Gloucestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westcott Barton</span> Human settlement in England

Westcott Barton, also spelt Wescot Barton or Wescote Barton, is a village and civil parish on the River Dorn in West Oxfordshire about 7 miles (11 km) east of Chipping Norton and about 9+1⁄2 miles (15 km) south of Banbury. The parish is bounded to the north by Cockley Brook, a tributary of the River Dorn. A minor road to Kiddington forms part of the eastern boundary, another minor road forms part of the western boundary and the remainder of the parish boundaries are field boundaries. Westcott Barton's main area of housing is on the eastern boundary of the parish and contiguous with the village of Middle Barton in the neighbouring parish of Steeple Barton. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 244.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Over Worton</span> Human settlement in England

Over Worton is a hamlet in Oxfordshire, about 7 miles (11 km) south of Banbury and 7+1⁄2 miles (12 km) east of Chipping Norton. Over Worton was a separate civil parish until 1932, when it was merged with Nether Worton to form the current civil parish of Worton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Bampton</span> Church in Oxfordshire, England

The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin is the Church of England parish church of Bampton, West Oxfordshire. It is in the Archdeaconry of Dorchester in the Diocese of Oxford.

References

  1. ↑ Our History Archived 2 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine ,St Michael at the North Gate Church website. Retrieved (and link updated) 12 November 2011.
  2. ↑ St Michael at the North Gate, Oxford, Sacred Destinations.
  3. ↑ "Strategic Stone Study: A Building Stone Atlas of Oxfordshire". English Heritage. March 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  4. 1 2 Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 295. ISBN   0-14-071045-0.
  5. ↑ St Michael at the Northgate: City Church of Oxford 1971–present, Oxford History.
  6. ↑ The City Church, Oxford, Mayors of Oxford.
  7. ↑ All Saints' Church. Oxford History.
  8. ↑ Clayton, Indya (31 May 2019). "Beating of the bounds still going strong in Oxford city centre". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  9. ↑ Murray, Margaret (1934). "Female Fertility Figures". Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. LXIV.
  10. ↑ Morris, Jan (1988). "In Art". Oxford. Oxford University Press. p. 219. ISBN   978-0192820655.

Coordinates: 51°45′13″N1°15′30″W / 51.75361°N 1.25833°W / 51.75361; -1.25833

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.