Building record 130/5/1 - Church of St Peter, Old Town

Medieval church of Late Norman origin with 13th century and later additions. Ornate late Norman south doorway, fine 13th century west tower and south aisle arcade, late 13th century chancel. Early 14th century north arcade. 14th century south chapel with ogee arched south doorway.

{1} Ornate late Norman south doorway. Fine C13 west tower. C13 south aisle arcade, later C13 chancel. Early C14 north arcade. C14 south chapel with ogee arched south doorway. C18 and C19 wall monuments. Early C16 nave clerestory. C18 royal hatchment in south aisle.

{2}Church dedicated to St Peter; has ornate late Norman south doorway; west tower is C13th; also C13th south aisle arcade; late C13th chancel; early C14th north arcade; C14th south chapel with ogee arched south doorway; early C16th nave clerestory; C18th royal hatchment in south aisle; C18th & C19th wall monuments;

{6}Ornate late Norman south doorway; fine C13th west tower; C13th south aisle arcade; late C13th chancel; early C14th north arcade; C14th south chapel with ogee arched south doorway; C18th & C19th wall monuments; early C16th nave clerestorey; C18th royal hatchment in south aisle;

{9}The church is described in detail by the RCHME {10} and so is only briefly discussed here. St Peter’ lies within an oval churchyard and was the mother church and almost certainly of Saxon origin. The earliest architectural features, the south door and north west transept arch, are however only of Norman date, though the 12th century features do suggest a nave of the present proportions. The remainder of the church is primarily of 13th century construction, with a fine tower, a south arcade of four bays, aisles, and chancel, while the north arcade, south and north aisle windows, and the chapel added to the chancel are all of early 14th century date. The church was depicted by Tillemans in 1719. It was restored it the late 19th century. The structure itself faces towards the Borough as the more important settlement for the imposing main entrance is set unusually in the west end facing the New Town.

The ecclesiastical organization would appear always to have been based on a mother church of Brackley St Peters in the Old Town. Although previously the Domesday Church has been placed in Halse, the exact wording could be interpreted as referring to Brackley, particularly in view of the later parochial organization, hence St Peters can probably be assumed to be of Saxon origin.

The Old Town had at is core the oval enclosures of Goldwell Close and the churchyard.

The RCHME claim that Brackley church was in origin a dependency of the church at Halse seems to be based on the pattern of manorial dependency mentioned by Bridges. The absence of architectural evidence earlier than the Norman period is no major problem judging by the lack of correlation between the two types of evidence elsewhere in the county. The St Peters dedication itself may also support an early origin for the church, but whether the approximately circular form of the churchyard is of similar significance is unclear. In this context the Legend of St Rumbold is probably relevant. St. Rumbold was according to legend, son of King Alenfrid of Northumbria and of St.Cyneburga, the daughter of Penda. He was said to have been born in Kings Sutton, to have died as a baby in the village and was then moved to Brackley to be buried and later moved again for re-burial in Buckingham. It has been suggested that this legendary link between the three settlements may reflect their early importance in the Saxon period as ecclesiastical centres. In Brackley St Rumbold’s Well lay a short distance to the west of St Peters Church.

The advowson of St. Peter’s was granted by Robert Mellent, 1st Earl of Leicester to the Abbey of St.Mary of Leicester. In the later 12th century charter St Andrews at Halse (now lost), and St James' Syresham were both recorded as chapelries of St Peters. In 1318 there was confirmation of the original grant to Leicester Abbey of the church at Brackley with the chapels of Halse and Syresham with the tithes of Brackley and the soke of Halse. Within Brackley itself St James' chapel and the hospitals of St John and St Leonard were all subsidiary to St Peters. In addition, when the vicarage of Brackley was instituted in 1223 it was endowed with two parts of the corn tithes of 8 yardlands in Evenley and the tithes of two yardlands in Little Whitfield. In 1150-58 there is also reference to the preservation of tithe in Whitfield to the mother church of Brackley. Finally one must note Dugdale's comment that Brackley was the mother church of the whole deanery. The secular and ecclesiastical patterns are similar in all but the apparent location of the administrative centre. With such a close correspondence one might perhaps have expected a single manorial and ecclesiastical centre.

{10} Description of Romanesque features in church including south nave doorway and, internally, north arcade wall of nave. The RCHME report dates both the south doorway and the fragment of stringcourse to c1175. The running scroll on the latter is almost identical to one on the font at Magdalene College Chapel, Brackley which also includes dogtooth ornament and probably dates from c 1190-1200.

{13} Various sketches and plans of St Peter's Church, also an engraving;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 2/48 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> Baker G., 1830, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.567-69 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77327.

<3> The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN10247.

<4> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.150-51 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<5> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), H17, p. 23 (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<6> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.115-16 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<7> 1980, CHURCH MAGAZINE, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN59243.

<8> Glynne S., 1859, Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne, 41 p.75-8 (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN39492.

<9> Ballinger J.; Foard G., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Brackley, Section 3.2.1 St Peter's Church (Digital archive). SNN100499.

<10> Richmond H., 1988, Survey of Northamptonshire Parish Churches, Site 730 (Unpublished Report). SNN1195.

<11> King's College, London, 2017, A corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, Site 730 (Website). SNN110894.

<12> Historic England, Undated, St Peter's Church, Brackley, BF107251 (Archive). SNN114110.

<13> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/36/1-12, 14-16, 18-49 (Archive). SNN115.

Record last edited

Dec 17 2024 4:32PM