All Saints Church, Normanton
Encyclopedia
All Saints Church is the parish church in Normanton
, West Yorkshire
, England
.
of 1086. It is likely that the current church stands on the lines of the original.
In 1256, Le Peytevin, a Norman Baron, granted the church to the Hospital of St. John, of the Knights Hospitallers, at Newland.
The building is in the perpendicular
style, being built mainly of coursed dressed sandstone blocks under a stone slate roof and consists of a three-bay Chancel
with a south chapel adjacent, a four-bay Nave
with north and south aisles and a clerestory
. A tower was added to the western end in the fifteenth century. In the nineteenth century, clergy and choir vestries were added as well as an organ chamber. The building was granted Grade II* listing in 1965. The church was internally re-ordered in 1991.
of Altofts
(d 1594), who by his will provided for an almshouse at Kirkthorpe and a grammar school for Normanton and Warmfield. His benefice still provides funding for the current secondary school in Normanton, the Freeston Business and Enterprise College
.
In 1906, a medieval altar slab bearing five incised crosses was found under the sanctuary floor, where it had probably lain since the reformation. It now stands in the Lady Chapel and is used for weekly Eucharist.
There is low octagonal stone Font, now standing within the modern dais toward the north-eastern end of the Nave.
The window at the east end of the Lady Chapel depicting the fall of the Walls of Jericho
, is a war memorial to the fallen of the Great War.
The window to the left of the porch was an addition in the late 1970s as a memorial to the explorer, Martin Frobisher of nearby Altofts.
All Saints possesses two ancient silver cups, now housed in a collection at York Minster
. The oldest was made in London in 1655 and is inscribed "Normanton cupp 1674". The second is two-handled porringer
inscribed "The Gift of Mrs Henry Favell of Pontefract to the Church of Normanton for ever 1699"
In "Normanton, Past and Present," author Walter Hampson
(1928) noted the monuments within the church: "The chapel is the burial place of the Bunnys of Newland, Torres of Snydale, Favells of Normanton, Smiths (now Bosworths) late of Newland, and the Mallets and Levett
s of Normanton. The Favells were an important Normanton family and were resident here in the early part of the seventeenth century. On the south chancel floor are memorial slabs of the Favells bearing the dates 1698, 1714, 1777 and others in the eighteenth century. Here also is a large altar tomb of the Malletts and Levetts. The Mallets it would seem were a very ancient family, as we are told their ancestors flourished here in the middle of the thirteenth century. The tomb on the top bears the arms of the Levetts together with the arms of the Mallets. On the wall above the tomb is an undated tablet recording that 'Mrs. Elizabeth Levett made benefaction for the poor of Normanton and Snydale, and for teaching poor children.' There also are tombs of the Torres mentioned under Snydale."
The Mallets and the Levetts had lived in Normanton for centuries. (The first High Sheriff of Yorkshire
in 1069 was William Malet
; Speaker of the House of Commons, and High Sheriff of Yorkshire
Sir Thomas Gargrave
had married Elizabeth, daughter of William Levett of Normanton).
There are several monuments in All Saints Church to the well-regarded Yorkshire antiquarian James Torre, who having graduated from the Inner Temple in London gave up the law, sold his properties and retired to do historical research at York, later purchasing the manor of Snydale. Torre died in 1699.
Normanton, West Yorkshire
Normanton is a town and civil parish within the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is northeast of Wakefield and southwest of Castleford, and at the time of the 2001 Census, the population was 19,949.-History:...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
The current Church is believed to have existed since at least 1256, and thought to have been commissioned by Roger Le Peytevin of Altofts Hall. However, a prior church is mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086. It is likely that the current church stands on the lines of the original.
In 1256, Le Peytevin, a Norman Baron, granted the church to the Hospital of St. John, of the Knights Hospitallers, at Newland.
The building is in the perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
style, being built mainly of coursed dressed sandstone blocks under a stone slate roof and consists of a three-bay Chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
with a south chapel adjacent, a four-bay Nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with north and south aisles and a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
. A tower was added to the western end in the fifteenth century. In the nineteenth century, clergy and choir vestries were added as well as an organ chamber. The building was granted Grade II* listing in 1965. The church was internally re-ordered in 1991.
Notable Monuments and Contents
The Church houses the Freeston Tomb, the burial place of Sir John FreestonJohn Freeston
John Freeston is known by the locals of Altofts and Normanton, West Yorkshire. Admitted in 1544 to Gray's Inn in London as a barrister, Freeston is best known for the founding of the Normanton Grammar School, forerunner of the Freeston Business & Enterprise College in 1592...
of Altofts
Altofts
Altofts is a village near Normanton, West Yorkshire, England. The village is usually quiet, having a mixed population of young and old. There are four pubs, two Working Men's Clubs, a handful of small shops, one post office and a few farms. Lower Altofts is the area at the lower end of the village...
(d 1594), who by his will provided for an almshouse at Kirkthorpe and a grammar school for Normanton and Warmfield. His benefice still provides funding for the current secondary school in Normanton, the Freeston Business and Enterprise College
Freeston Business and Enterprise College
Freeston Business and Enterprise College is a state run, coeducational high school situated in Normanton, West Yorkshire near the city of Wakefield...
.
In 1906, a medieval altar slab bearing five incised crosses was found under the sanctuary floor, where it had probably lain since the reformation. It now stands in the Lady Chapel and is used for weekly Eucharist.
There is low octagonal stone Font, now standing within the modern dais toward the north-eastern end of the Nave.
The window at the east end of the Lady Chapel depicting the fall of the Walls of Jericho
Walls of Jericho
Walls of Jericho is an American metalcore band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1998.-Early career :Walls of Jericho were formed following the demise of two Detroit based bands. The first being the influential Earthmover, featuring members Mike Hasty and Wes Keely . The second was a band called...
, is a war memorial to the fallen of the Great War.
The window to the left of the porch was an addition in the late 1970s as a memorial to the explorer, Martin Frobisher of nearby Altofts.
All Saints possesses two ancient silver cups, now housed in a collection at York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
. The oldest was made in London in 1655 and is inscribed "Normanton cupp 1674". The second is two-handled porringer
Porringer
A porringer is a small dish from which Europeans and colonial Americans ate their gruel or porridge, or other soft foods.Porringers were shallow bowls, between 4" to 6" in diameter, and 1½" to 3" deep; the form originates in the medieval period in Europe and they were made in wood, ceramic, pewter...
inscribed "The Gift of Mrs Henry Favell of Pontefract to the Church of Normanton for ever 1699"
In "Normanton, Past and Present," author Walter Hampson
Walter Hampson
Walter Hampson was a self-educated railway engine driver, who in his spare time wrote poetry, a published volume about a fictional trip abroad by three Yorkshiremen, edited a local journal devoted to the Yorkshire dialect, and authored a history of his hometown Normanton, West Yorkshire, that...
(1928) noted the monuments within the church: "The chapel is the burial place of the Bunnys of Newland, Torres of Snydale, Favells of Normanton, Smiths (now Bosworths) late of Newland, and the Mallets and Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
s of Normanton. The Favells were an important Normanton family and were resident here in the early part of the seventeenth century. On the south chancel floor are memorial slabs of the Favells bearing the dates 1698, 1714, 1777 and others in the eighteenth century. Here also is a large altar tomb of the Malletts and Levetts. The Mallets it would seem were a very ancient family, as we are told their ancestors flourished here in the middle of the thirteenth century. The tomb on the top bears the arms of the Levetts together with the arms of the Mallets. On the wall above the tomb is an undated tablet recording that 'Mrs. Elizabeth Levett made benefaction for the poor of Normanton and Snydale, and for teaching poor children.' There also are tombs of the Torres mentioned under Snydale."
The Mallets and the Levetts had lived in Normanton for centuries. (The first High Sheriff of Yorkshire
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...
in 1069 was William Malet
William Malet
William Malet may refer to:* William Malet , Norman lord who fought in the Battle of Hastings* William Malet , Norman lord who forfeited his English lands and was banished from England...
; Speaker of the House of Commons, and High Sheriff of Yorkshire
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...
Sir Thomas Gargrave
Thomas Gargrave
Sir Thomas Gargrave was a Yorkshire Knight who served as High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1565 and 1569. His principal residence was at Nostell Priory, one of many grants of land that Gargrave secured during his lifetime...
had married Elizabeth, daughter of William Levett of Normanton).
There are several monuments in All Saints Church to the well-regarded Yorkshire antiquarian James Torre, who having graduated from the Inner Temple in London gave up the law, sold his properties and retired to do historical research at York, later purchasing the manor of Snydale. Torre died in 1699.