St Sampson's, Cricklade | |
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Church of St Sampson | |
51°38′26″N1°51′29″W / 51.6406°N 1.8580°W Coordinates: 51°38′26″N1°51′29″W / 51.6406°N 1.8580°W | |
OS grid reference | SU09929354 |
Location | Cricklade, Wiltshire |
Country | England |
Denomination | Anglican |
Website | www |
History | |
Status | Parish church |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Years built | Late 12th century, restored 1863–4 |
Administration | |
Province | Canterbury |
Diocese | Bristol |
Archdeaconry | Malmesbury |
Deanery | North Wiltshire |
Parish | Cricklade |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Reference no. | 1023081 [1] |
St Sampson's is the Church of England parish church of the town of Cricklade, Wiltshire, England. A large aisled church with a central tower, the present building dates from the late 12th century but has fragments of Anglo-Saxon work. The church is a Grade I listed building.
The dedication is to Saint Samson of Dol, born in Wales in the late 5th century, who was one of the founders of Christianity in Brittany.
A stone church was mentioned as standing on this site in c. 973. [2] The 1086 Domesday Book recorded the church, on land held by Westminster Abbey. [3]
Small amounts of Anglo-Saxon stonework survive in the present building, in particular in the south wall of the nave. [4] The north arcade was added in the late 12th century, while the south arcade is from a remodelling in the 13th. The chancel is 13th century, remodelled in the 14th and 15th. To the north is the Hungerford chapel, probably built for Sir Edmund Hungerford (d. 1484). [2]
The tower was begun in the early 16th century and completed in the 1550s at the expense of the Duke of Northumberland and the Hungerford family. Nikolaus Pevsner wrote: "The distinguishing feature of the church is its proud and self-certain, somewhat heavy and certainly not elegant, crossing tower", [5] while Simon Jenkins describes it in England's Thousand Best Churches as "massive rather than graceful". [6]
The owners of Widhill manor (a tithing south of the town, later transferred to Blunsdon parish) claimed sole use of the north aisle. From 1624 this was the Jenner family, following the purchase of the manor by Robert Jenner (c.1584–1651), a North Wiltshire man who had prospered as a silver merchant in the City of London. [7] His chest tomb, in limestone with a black marble top, is in the north aisle; [1] his charitable bequests included money to build Jenner's School, next to the churchyard.
Restoration in 1863–4 was by Ewan Christian. Stained glass in the west window is by Kempe, 1888. [1] In 1930 Martin Travers designed two windows and the decoration of the two altars. [8] The church was designated as Grade I listed in 1955. [1]
A broken shaft of a medieval limestone cross, on a crude octagonal base, can be seen against the gable of a gatehouse at the northern perimeter of the churchyard. [9]
A 14th-century limestone cross stands in the northeast of the churchyard, complete with a carved head. This was the town cross which stood at the High Street crossroads until c. 1817-20 when the town hall was demolished. It is a Grade II* listed structure. [10]
Until 1952, Cricklade's two churches – St Sampson's and St Mary's – had separate parishes. A united parish of Cricklade was created, and at the same time the benefice became 'The United Benefice of Cricklade with Latton' [11] which included St John the Baptist at Latton and the redundant St Mary's at Eysey, near Latton (demolished 1953). [12]
In 1981 St Mary's was declared redundant, [13] making St Sampson's the sole church of the parish. Since 2007 the parishes have formed part of the Upper Thames Group, together with Holy Cross at Ashton Keynes, All Saints at Leigh, and St John at Latton. [14]
Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in east Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Dun about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) southwest of Hungerford, 14 miles (23 km) southeast of Swindon and 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Marlborough.
Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227.
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Ashton Keynes is a village and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England which borders with Gloucestershire. The village is about 5 miles (8 km) south of Cirencester and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Cricklade. At the 2011 census the population of the parish, which includes the hamlet of North End, was 1,400.
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Steeple Ashton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Trowbridge.
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Market Lavington is a civil parish and large village with a population of about 2,200 on the northern edge of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the market town of Devizes. The village lies on the B3098 Westbury–Urchfont road which skirts the edge of the Plain. The parish includes the hamlets of Northbrook, Lavington Sands and Fiddington Sands.
St Mary's Church is an Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Chadkirk. It is on a hill overlooking the village of Disley, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. Its benefice is combined with that of St John, Furness Vale.
St Peter's Church is in the village of Heysham, Lancashire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Lancaster, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn.
Lancaster Priory, formally the Priory Church of St Mary, is the Church of England parish church of the city of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It is located near Lancaster Castle and since 1953 has been designated a Grade I listed building. It is in the deanery of Lancaster, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the Diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is combined with that of St John and St Anne.
Latton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Cricklade, on the county border with Gloucestershire. The village is bypassed by the A419 road from Swindon to Cirencester. The parish includes the hamlet of Eysey, formerly a village with its own church and parish.
Shrewton is a village and civil parish on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, around 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Amesbury and 14 miles (23 km) north of Salisbury. It lies on the A360 road between Stonehenge and Tilshead. It is close to the source of the River Till, which flows south to Stapleford.
Castle Eaton is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England, on the River Thames about 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Highworth. It was historically in the area governed by the (former) Wiltshire County Council, but since 1997 has been part of the Swindon unitary authority. The Thames at Castle Eaton forms both the northern boundary of the parish and the county boundary with Gloucestershire.
The Church of St Mary and All Saints is an Anglican church in the village of Whalley, Lancashire, England. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn. A church probably existed on the site in Anglo-Saxon times and the current building dates from the 13th century. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.
Teffont Evias is a small village and former civil parish in the Nadder valley in the south of Wiltshire, England. Edric Holmes described the village as "most delightfully situated", and Maurice Hewlett included Teffont in his list of the half dozen most beautiful villages in England. The present buildings are mostly of local stone, and several are thatched.
Robert Jenner was an English merchant in the City of London, who acquired land in north Wiltshire and sat in the House of Commons variously between 1628 and 1648.
St Wilfrid's Church is an Anglican church in Halton-on-Lune, a village in the English county of Lancashire. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Lancaster. Halton may have been the site of an ancient Anglo-Saxon minster. Of the current structure, the tower dates from the 16th century and the remainder was built 1876–77 by Paley and Austin. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
St Mary's Church is on Church Street, Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Ludlow, the archdeaconry of Ludlow, and the diocese of Hereford. Its benefice is united with those of six local parishes to form the Cleobury Benefice. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is notable for its shingled twisted spire.
Jenner's School is a Grade II* listed former school in Bath Road, Cricklade, Wiltshire, England. It was built in 1652 and then became a workhouse. It became a school again in the 19th century and is now a community hall.
Media related to St Sampson's Church, Cricklade at Wikimedia Commons