Church of St Peter, Great Berkhamsted
Encyclopedia
The Parish Church of St Peter, Great Berkhamsted is a Church of England
, Grade II* listed church in the town of Berkhamsted
, Hertfordshire
, in the United Kingdom
. It stands on the main High Street of the town and is recognisable by its 85 feet (25.9 m) clock tower.
The building is medieval in origin, the earliest part dating from c.1200, and the architecture spans at least five architectural periods, mostly 14th and 15th Centuries. The church was altered greatly during the Victorian
era, most notably undergoing a restoration
by William Butterfield
. It is one of the largest churches in Hertfordshire.
Because of its proximity to Berkhamsted Castle
, St Peter's has had a long association with Royalty, with the reigning monarch acting as patron
to Berkhamsted rectors for several centuries. Many members of the congregation also worked in important positions for the Royal household. The church has counted among its worshippers such notable figures as the poet William Cowper
and John Incent
, who went on to become Dean of St Paul's Cathedral 1540-1545.
The church today has lost it direct royal ties and functions as the main parish church of the town of Berkhamsted. The feast of St Peter is celebrated annually with the Petertide fair.
, about 1.4 miles (2.3 km) north-west of St Peter's, is estimated to be Saxon
in origin and was mentioned in the Domesday Book
(1086). The advowson
of a church of Berkhamsted - probably that of St Mary's - along with the advowson of the chapel of the castle, was granted to the monastery of Grestein Abbey in Normandy sometime between 1087 and 1104 by William, Count of Mortain
. It was about this time that the Parish of Great Berkhampstead was created. St Mary's church was originally known as Berkhampstead St Mary and it is thought that it was the original main church in the area until it was superseded by the larger St Peter's after the Norman Conquest, when the focus of political and ecclesiastical power moved south to the area around Berkhamsted Castle
. By the Fourteenth Century, the town had acquired the name of le Northcherche or Northchurch to distinguish it from St Peter's.
. The possibility exists of another town chapel dedicated to St James; this is supported by the fact that for many centuries, the Berkhamsted town fair was held on the feast day of St James rather than at Petertide
, suggesting an ancient celebration of the patron saint. It is thought that this chapel of St James stood on the present site of the town Post Office.
The foundation date of St Peter's is also uncertain, but historians assume it to be around 1222, the year that Robert de Tuardo, the first known rector, was instituted by the Bishop of Lincoln
, Hugh of Wells. The Parish of Berkhampstead St Peter was originally part of the huge Diocese of Lincoln
(Archdeaconry of Huntingdon), until it was transferred in 1843 to Rochester
(Archdeaconry of St Albans) and then again in 1877 to the newly formed Diocese of St Albans.
; between 1369 and 1386, St Peter's had eight successive rectors, the shortest being Thomas Payne, whose tenure lasted only nine days. John de Waltham
, was rector of St Peter's from 1379 along with a large number of other parishes, as was common at the time. He left after 16 months in office, and was later ordained Bishop of Salisbury
in 1388. Waltham enjoyed an especially close relationship with King Richard II
such that, after his death, Richard honoured him with a tomb in Westminster Abbey
in the Chapel of Edward the Confessor, the only person not of royal blood to be buried in the royal chapel.
, was Dean of St Paul's Cathedral 1540-1545, and in 1541 he founded the Berkhamsted School. The Incent family house, which still stands on the High Street opposite the church, is today known as "Dean Incent's House".
One rector noted for his long tenure was Thomas Newman, who was rector for over 40 years from 1598 to 1639.
during the English Civil War
and was replaced by a series of "intruder" priests installed by Parliament: George Phippon, William Harrison, David Bramley (or Bramble) and Richard Lee. After 18 years living in Buckinghamshire, Napier had his own restoration as rector of Great Berkhamsted in 1670 and remained in office until 1681. During his absence, Napier continued to record the baptisms of his own children in the Berkhamsted parish register, signing himself as rector. Although no battles were fought in the area during the Civil War, Berkhamsted lay on the lines of communication between London and Aylesbury
and Royalist
forces sometimes passed through the parish and soldiers were billeted in local cottages. St Peter's Church was itself caught up in the conflict when, in 1648, it was requisitioned by General Fairfax
as a Military prison
to hold captured soldiers from the Siege of Colchester
. Because the church was full of maimed, hungry soldiers, Fairfax ordered that the church windows be taken out. When the church was eventually returned to parish control, the vestry levied a special tax of twopence an acre on local landowners to pay for replacement windows.
Another long-standing rector was Napier's successor, Rev Robert Brabant, whose ministry also lasted over 40 years (1681 to 1722). He was also the vicar of Hemel Hempstead
and chaplain to Queen Anne.
After the Restoration of the English monarchy in 1660, John Sayer, a member St Peter's congregation was appointed chief cook to King Charles II
. Sayer was a wealthy man and lived in Berkhamsted Place
and benefactor of the town. He was known to Samuel Pepys
, who wrote of him in his Diary. In 1661, Pepys wrote "...I went with Captain Morrice at his desire into the King’s Privy Kitchen to Mr. Sayres, the Master Cook, and there we had a good slice of beef or two to our breakfast, and from thence he took us into the wine cellar where, by my troth, we were very merry, and I drank too much wine, and all along had great and particular kindness from Mr. Sayres, but I drank so much wine that I was not fit for business." Upon his death in 1682, John Sayer left £1000 in his will for the construction of a row of almshouse
s on Berkhamsted High Street, containing twelve rooms for the habitation of six poor widows. The endowment also provided for a weekly allowance of two shillings and a fuel allowance for each widow. The almshouses, which are still in existence today, were completed in 1684 and bear an inscription on the front, "A gift of John Sayer, 1684". Sayer's elaborate marble tomb stands in the Lady Chapel of St Peter's.
From 1722 to 1756, Rev John Cowper served as rector of St Peter's; he is noted because he was the father of the poet and hymnodist William Cowper
who was born in Berkhamsted in 1731 and baptised in the church. William Cowper went on to write a number of hymns which became popular in the Evangelical movement
and were included in Anglican hymn books such as the English Hymnal
, was a reader to Queen Caroline
and a popular figure of fun who featured in the humorous journal The Diary of Fanny Burney as the character "Mr Turbulent".
In the 19th Century, the Rev John Wolstenholme Cobb documented much of Berkhamsted's past when he wrote his History and Antiquities of Berkhamsted during his time as curate of St Peter's (1853–55). He then went on to become rector of the parish from 1871 to 1883.
St Peter's has also counted among its congregation members of the Dorrien-Smith family who are commemorated by various memorials around the church. Augustus John Smith
became the first Lord Proprietor of the Scilly Islands in 1834, and was succeeded by Dorrien-Smiths; George Dorrien was Governor of the Bank of England
1818–1820; and several members of the Dorrien-Smith family saw active service in the Second Boer War
of 1899-1902.
s of the Church of St Peter, Great Berkhamsted were presented by the abbot of Grestein until 1381, when Peter de Burton was presented by King Richard II. This tradition of the reigning monarch acting as patron to each new rector continued more or less unbroken until the 18th Century. The last reigning monarch to act in this role for Great Berkhamsted was Charles II
in 1681, for the installation of Robert Brabant. At the installation of the next rector in 1722, John Cowper, the duty of patronage was taken on by George
, Prince of Wales
. From this time, rectors were presented by princes of Wales until Rev James Hutchinson (installed in 1851 with Prince Albert Edward
as patron). After the local Duchy of Cornwall estates were sold to the Ashridge
Estate in 1862, rectors of Great Berkhamsted were presented by Earls of Brownlow
; Hutchinson's successor, Rev Thomas Leigh, was presented by Earl Brownlow
in 1871.
layout, and measures 168 feet (51.2 m) from the west door to the east window and the width across the transept
s is 90 feet (27.4 m). The oldest part of the church is the chancel
which is dated at c.1200, the foundation of the church, and it is in the Early English style common in that period. The transepts, erected during the reign of Edward II
are from the Decorated Period.
s have changed the fabric of the church substantially.
was built onto the south aisle for worship by the boys and masters of Berkhamsted School. In 1450 a clerestory
was added to the nave, raising its height, and a large timber pillar added to the middle of the St John Chantry. Expansion of the church culminated in 1545-6 when the tower was raised to its current height of 85 feet (25.9 m), and the church reached its present size.
and Saint George and the Dragon
. Salmon noted that they had "but lately come to light, having, by the zeal of the last generation, been whited over", in reference to the efforts of Puritan
iconoclasts
of the English Civil War during the previous century.
, architect of Ashridge House
, was controversial and has been criticised for the destruction of many original features of the building. During the works, churchwardens were involved in removing ancient monuments from the church, and Wyattville covered the outer walls with stucco
. The font
was moved from the west end to the south porch, and the door was walled up, the Torrington tomb was moved from the nave into the transept, and many old inscriptions were obliterated. The peal of six bells was recast into eight, and a gallery which stood between the tower arches was removed and a new gallery erected at the west end.
programme was carried out by William Butterfield
, a Gothic Revival architect
whose works included churches such as All Saints, Margaret Street
in London as well as an array of church restorations. Butterfield's restoration of St Peter's Church is more positively assessed, although his work also involved the removal of some original features, including the obliteration of the paintings on the pillars. The most substantial structural changes involved raising both the roof and the floor of the chancel, raising the roof of the south transept to its original pitch, removing the vestry, incorporating the south porch into the south aisle and removing the door, re-flooring the nave, installing new oak benches and replacing Wyattville's gallery. Butterfield also installed clear windows in the clerestory, allowing more light to enter the nave. He extended the aisles by knocking down the dividing walls of two chambers at the west end; one of these chambers, in the south-west corner of the nave, was used to house the town fire engine. A door to the right of the great west door had "Engine House" painted above it on the outside; Butterfield blocked up this door. The flint from these alterations was kept in storage and was later used in the construction of Sunnyside Parish Church in 1909. On the exterior of the church, Butterfield removed Wyattville's crumbling plaster and re-faced the church walls with flint
flushwork
.
which separated the nave from the crossing was painted and gilded in a mediæval style, and a set of twelve carved figures which had been added in the early 19th century were also painted and mounted higher up the screen. The screen was backed with oak and re-mounted on the back of the new sanctuary area to form a reredos
behind the altar, also serving as a dividing wall with the old chancel area which was converted into a vestry area.
dates from 1910 and is decorated with figures of angels, carved by Harry Hems.
In the north aisle stands the Parish Chest, a finely carved 17th century wooden chest which contained parish documents. By the corner of the north transept stands the marble tomb of Sir John Cornwallis, a member of the Council of King Edward VI
.
The chantry is now used for the choir stalls and organ. The present organ was built by Peter Collins
or Redbourne
in 1986, and replaces an earlier instrument built by Walker
. Some of the Walker pipework was incorporated into the modern instrument. The organ has two manuals
, the brightly-coloured casing is in English oak and decorations are in sycamore
wood.
The chantry contains monumental brass
es commemorating Robert and Katherine Incent, the parents of John Incent. Another brass commemorates John Raven, squire to the Edward, the Black Prince
at Berkhamsted Castle.
The Lady Chapel also contains some notable memorials, including the marble tomb of John Sayer, inscribed with the date 1682. Next to the old chancel (now the wooden steps into the vestry) lies a stone tomb which is thought to be that of Henry of Berkhamsted and his wife; the tomb has lost its inscription and the identity of the persons interred within has been in dispute for many years. The tomb has two stone supine
effigies
on top with hands together in prayer, Henry wearing medieval armour
. Henry was Constable to the Black Prince at Berkhamsted Castle in the mid-14th Century.
, lies to the south of the old chancel adjoining the south transept. Dating from around 1320, it contains two recessed medieval tomb
s in the south wall, one of which contains a tomb slab decorated with a carved floriated cross. The 16th-Century wall monuments commemorate Waterhouse family. The chapel was restored around 1900 and the alabaster reredos - a copy of high altar screen in Winchester Cathedral
- and the stained glass windows date from this period.
with a painted crucifixion
scene by Burrows. There also several memorials to past worshippers, including one to Ann Cowper, wife of the Rector John Cowper and mother of William Cowper; valedictory lines by the poet in tribute to his mother are engraved on the memorial, ending "These lines, though weak, are as herself sincere".
of eight bells with a combined weight of 3.5 LT. The bells were re-cast in 1837 from the bells dating from 1553 with additional metal by Mears and Stainbrook of Whitechapel
. At the same time, a new clock was installed.
, Clayton and Bell
, Charles Eamer Kempe
, Nathaniel Westlake
and James Powell and Sons
.
in the Hertfordshire Militia, and mother of Horace Smith-Dorrien. St Peter's churchyard was originally used for town burials, mostly on the north side of the church, but like many burial grounds in England at the time, it had become overcrowded by the mid-19th Century. Some burials were made on the south side of the church, but the widening of the High Street limited the amount of space available.
A new cemetery was opened in 1842 on a ground behind the Elizabethan manor, Egerton House
(now the site of the Rex Cinema), by Carlotte Catherine Anne, Countess of Bridgewater and widow of John Egerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater
. The cemetery, situated between Three Close Lane and the old St Peter's rectory, was extended in 1921. There are several Commonwealth War Graves
in the cemetery from both World War I
and World War II
, and among the notable burials is the grave of General
Horace Smith-Dorrien
, a veteran of the Second Boer War
and World War I and former Governor of Gibraltar
. By the late 1940s the cemetery was filling up and a new civic cemetery was opened at nearby Kingshill.
, and the church choir
sings on Sundays during the Eucharist
and in a monthly service of choral evensong. The church is also frequently used as a venue for classical music
concerts performed by local music groups. The church publishes a monthly magazine, Your Berkhamsted (known until 2010 as The Berkhamsted Review), which has been in existence since 1874.
St Peter's is affiliated with two Church of England school
s in Berkhamsted, Victoria First School and the Thomas Coram Middle School.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, Grade II* listed church in the town of Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It stands on the main High Street of the town and is recognisable by its 85 feet (25.9 m) clock tower.
The building is medieval in origin, the earliest part dating from c.1200, and the architecture spans at least five architectural periods, mostly 14th and 15th Centuries. The church was altered greatly during the Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
era, most notably undergoing a restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
by William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
. It is one of the largest churches in Hertfordshire.
Because of its proximity to Berkhamsted Castle
Berkhamsted Castle
Berkhamsted Castle is a ruined Norman motte-and-bailey castle at Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, England.The original fortification dates from Saxon times. Work on the Norman structure was started in 1066 by William the Conqueror who later passed the castle to his half-brother, Robert, Count of...
, St Peter's has had a long association with Royalty, with the reigning monarch acting as patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
to Berkhamsted rectors for several centuries. Many members of the congregation also worked in important positions for the Royal household. The church has counted among its worshippers such notable figures as the poet William Cowper
William Cowper
William Cowper was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In many ways, he was one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry...
and John Incent
John Incent
John Incent was an English clergyman in the early 16th Century, during the early years of the English Reformation. Originating from the town of Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, he studied at the University of Cambridge and later at All Souls College, Oxford, and served as Dean of St Paul's Cathedral...
, who went on to become Dean of St Paul's Cathedral 1540-1545.
The church today has lost it direct royal ties and functions as the main parish church of the town of Berkhamsted. The feast of St Peter is celebrated annually with the Petertide fair.
History
It is not known exactly when the first church was built on the site of St Peter's, but it is not the oldest church in the area; the church of St Mary in NorthchurchNorthchurch
Northchurch is a village and civil parish in the Bulbourne valley in Hertfordshire lying between Berkhamsted and Tring.Situated on the Roman road Akeman Street, a major Roman villa dating from about AD 60 was discovered in the village in the 1970s. The settlement predates the neighbouring larger...
, about 1.4 miles (2.3 km) north-west of St Peter's, is estimated to be Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, 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...
in origin and was mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
(1086). The advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
of a church of Berkhamsted - probably that of St Mary's - along with the advowson of the chapel of the castle, was granted to the monastery of Grestein Abbey in Normandy sometime between 1087 and 1104 by William, Count of Mortain
William, Count of Mortain
William de Mortaigne, Count of Mortain, Earl of Cornwall was the son of Robert, Count of Mortain, the half-brother of William I of England...
. It was about this time that the Parish of Great Berkhampstead was created. St Mary's church was originally known as Berkhampstead St Mary and it is thought that it was the original main church in the area until it was superseded by the larger St Peter's after the Norman Conquest, when the focus of political and ecclesiastical power moved south to the area around Berkhamsted Castle
Berkhamsted Castle
Berkhamsted Castle is a ruined Norman motte-and-bailey castle at Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, England.The original fortification dates from Saxon times. Work on the Norman structure was started in 1066 by William the Conqueror who later passed the castle to his half-brother, Robert, Count of...
. By the Fourteenth Century, the town had acquired the name of le Northcherche or Northchurch to distinguish it from St Peter's.
Foundation
The date of foundation of a church in Berkhamsted town is uncertain; a chapel certainly existed within the walls of Berkhamsted Castle from the 11th Century, rebuilt around 1250 by Richard of CornwallRichard, 1st Earl of Cornwall
Richard of Cornwall was Count of Poitou , 1st Earl of Cornwall and German King...
. The possibility exists of another town chapel dedicated to St James; this is supported by the fact that for many centuries, the Berkhamsted town fair was held on the feast day of St James rather than at Petertide
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, suggesting an ancient celebration of the patron saint. It is thought that this chapel of St James stood on the present site of the town Post Office.
The foundation date of St Peter's is also uncertain, but historians assume it to be around 1222, the year that Robert de Tuardo, the first known rector, was instituted by the Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
, Hugh of Wells. The Parish of Berkhampstead St Peter was originally part of the huge Diocese of Lincoln
Diocese of Lincoln
The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.- History :...
(Archdeaconry of Huntingdon), until it was transferred in 1843 to Rochester
Diocese of Rochester
The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in South-East England and forms part of the Province of Canterbury. It is an ancient diocese, having been established in 604; only the neighbouring Diocese of Canterbury is older in the Church of England....
(Archdeaconry of St Albans) and then again in 1877 to the newly formed Diocese of St Albans.
Mediæval St Peter's
A brass plaque can be seen inside the church today which lists all the rectors from the 13th Century to the present day. The turnover of rectors was especially high in the Fourteenth Century, probably due to their lives being cut short by the bubonic plagueBubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
; between 1369 and 1386, St Peter's had eight successive rectors, the shortest being Thomas Payne, whose tenure lasted only nine days. John de Waltham
John Waltham
John Waltham , Bishop of Salisbury was Lord High Treasurer and Lord Privy Seal of England, in the reign of Richard II.-Life:...
, was rector of St Peter's from 1379 along with a large number of other parishes, as was common at the time. He left after 16 months in office, and was later ordained Bishop of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
in 1388. Waltham enjoyed an especially close relationship with King Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
such that, after his death, Richard honoured him with a tomb in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
in the Chapel of Edward the Confessor, the only person not of royal blood to be buried in the royal chapel.
16th Century
Brass memorials in the church commemorate Katherine and Robert Incent, two 16th-Century parishioners. Robert was the Secretary to Cicely, Duchess of York at Berkhamsted Castle. Their son, John IncentJohn Incent
John Incent was an English clergyman in the early 16th Century, during the early years of the English Reformation. Originating from the town of Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, he studied at the University of Cambridge and later at All Souls College, Oxford, and served as Dean of St Paul's Cathedral...
, was Dean of St Paul's Cathedral 1540-1545, and in 1541 he founded the Berkhamsted School. The Incent family house, which still stands on the High Street opposite the church, is today known as "Dean Incent's House".
One rector noted for his long tenure was Thomas Newman, who was rector for over 40 years from 1598 to 1639.
The Civil War
Newman's successor, Rev John Napier, was instituted as rector of St Peter's in 1639 but ejected by ParliamentLong Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and was replaced by a series of "intruder" priests installed by Parliament: George Phippon, William Harrison, David Bramley (or Bramble) and Richard Lee. After 18 years living in Buckinghamshire, Napier had his own restoration as rector of Great Berkhamsted in 1670 and remained in office until 1681. During his absence, Napier continued to record the baptisms of his own children in the Berkhamsted parish register, signing himself as rector. Although no battles were fought in the area during the Civil War, Berkhamsted lay on the lines of communication between London and Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
and Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
forces sometimes passed through the parish and soldiers were billeted in local cottages. St Peter's Church was itself caught up in the conflict when, in 1648, it was requisitioned by General Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron was a general and parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War...
as a Military prison
Military prison
A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, enemy combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime...
to hold captured soldiers from the Siege of Colchester
Siege of Colchester
The siege of Colchester occurred in the summer of 1648 when the English Civil War reignited in several areas of Britain. Colchester found itself in the thick of the unrest when a Royalist army on its way through East Anglia to raise support for the King, was attacked by Lord-General Thomas Fairfax...
. Because the church was full of maimed, hungry soldiers, Fairfax ordered that the church windows be taken out. When the church was eventually returned to parish control, the vestry levied a special tax of twopence an acre on local landowners to pay for replacement windows.
Another long-standing rector was Napier's successor, Rev Robert Brabant, whose ministry also lasted over 40 years (1681 to 1722). He was also the vicar of Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
and chaplain to Queen Anne.
After the Restoration of the English monarchy in 1660, John Sayer, a member St Peter's congregation was appointed chief cook to King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. Sayer was a wealthy man and lived in Berkhamsted Place
Berkhamsted Place
Berkhamsted Place was an English country house which was erected sometime around 1580 in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England. It was built by Sir Edward Carey, the keeper of the Jewels to Queen Elizabeth I from stones removed from Berkhamsted Castle...
and benefactor of the town. He was known to Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
, who wrote of him in his Diary. In 1661, Pepys wrote "...I went with Captain Morrice at his desire into the King’s Privy Kitchen to Mr. Sayres, the Master Cook, and there we had a good slice of beef or two to our breakfast, and from thence he took us into the wine cellar where, by my troth, we were very merry, and I drank too much wine, and all along had great and particular kindness from Mr. Sayres, but I drank so much wine that I was not fit for business." Upon his death in 1682, John Sayer left £1000 in his will for the construction of a row of almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s on Berkhamsted High Street, containing twelve rooms for the habitation of six poor widows. The endowment also provided for a weekly allowance of two shillings and a fuel allowance for each widow. The almshouses, which are still in existence today, were completed in 1684 and bear an inscription on the front, "A gift of John Sayer, 1684". Sayer's elaborate marble tomb stands in the Lady Chapel of St Peter's.
William Cowper
William Cowper
William Cowper was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In many ways, he was one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry...
who was born in Berkhamsted in 1731 and baptised in the church. William Cowper went on to write a number of hymns which became popular in the Evangelical movement
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
and were included in Anglican hymn books such as the English Hymnal
English Hymnal
The English Hymnal was published in 1906 for the Church of England under the editorship of Percy Dearmer and Ralph Vaughan Williams. The preface to the hymnal began with the statement, "A collection of the best hymns in the English language." Much of the contents was used for the first time at St...
19th Century
Charles de Guiffadière, who was rector from 1798 to 1810 and also served as vicar of Stoke NewingtonStoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
, was a reader to Queen Caroline
Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the Queen consort of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 29 January 1820 until her death...
and a popular figure of fun who featured in the humorous journal The Diary of Fanny Burney as the character "Mr Turbulent".
In the 19th Century, the Rev John Wolstenholme Cobb documented much of Berkhamsted's past when he wrote his History and Antiquities of Berkhamsted during his time as curate of St Peter's (1853–55). He then went on to become rector of the parish from 1871 to 1883.
St Peter's has also counted among its congregation members of the Dorrien-Smith family who are commemorated by various memorials around the church. Augustus John Smith
Augustus Smith
Augustus John Smith was governor of the Isles of Scilly for over thirty years, and was largely responsible for the economy of the islands as it is today.-Biography:...
became the first Lord Proprietor of the Scilly Islands in 1834, and was succeeded by Dorrien-Smiths; George Dorrien was Governor of the Bank of England
Governor of the Bank of England
The Governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the Bank, with the incumbent grooming his or her successor...
1818–1820; and several members of the Dorrien-Smith family saw active service in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
of 1899-1902.
Royal patronage
From the installation of Robert de Tuardo, the rectorRector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
s of the Church of St Peter, Great Berkhamsted were presented by the abbot of Grestein until 1381, when Peter de Burton was presented by King Richard II. This tradition of the reigning monarch acting as patron to each new rector continued more or less unbroken until the 18th Century. The last reigning monarch to act in this role for Great Berkhamsted was Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in 1681, for the installation of Robert Brabant. At the installation of the next rector in 1722, John Cowper, the duty of patronage was taken on by George
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
, Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
. From this time, rectors were presented by princes of Wales until Rev James Hutchinson (installed in 1851 with Prince Albert Edward
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
as patron). After the local Duchy of Cornwall estates were sold to the Ashridge
Ashridge
Ashridge is an estate and house in Hertfordshire, England; part of the land stretches into Buckinghamshire and it is close to the Bedfordshire border. It is situated in the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, about two miles north of Berkhamsted and twenty miles north west of...
Estate in 1862, rectors of Great Berkhamsted were presented by Earls of Brownlow
Baron Brownlow
Baron Brownlow, of Belton in the County of Lincoln, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1776 for Sir Brownlow Cust, 4th Baronet. The Cust family descends from Richard Cust who represented Lincolnshire and Stamford in Parliament. In 1677 he was created a Baronet, of...
; Hutchinson's successor, Rev Thomas Leigh, was presented by Earl Brownlow
Adelbert Brownlow-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow
Adelbert Wellington Brownlow-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow GCVO, PC, VD, DL, JP , was a British soldier, courtier and Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
in 1871.
Architecture
The church is in a cruciformCruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
layout, and measures 168 feet (51.2 m) from the west door to the east window and the width across the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s is 90 feet (27.4 m). The oldest part of the church is the 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...
which is dated at c.1200, the foundation of the church, and it is in the Early English style common in that period. The transepts, erected during the reign of Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
are from the Decorated Period.
Additions and alterations
The architecture of St Peter's belongs to no single period, but extends over about 350 years. Many additions have made to the church over the centuries and subsequent Victorian restorationVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
s have changed the fabric of the church substantially.
Expansion 1230-1546
In the 13th Century, construction progressed rapidly westwards, with the nave, transepts and crossing being added in the first few years after the construction of the chancel. In 1230, north and south aisles were added to the nave and the north transept was extended on the eastern side; this extension was later used partly as a vestry, and today serves as the Lady Chapel. On the south side of the Chancel, the chapel of St Catherine was added in 1320, and in 1350 the irregularly-angled St John's ChantryChantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
was built onto the south aisle for worship by the boys and masters of Berkhamsted School. In 1450 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...
was added to the nave, raising its height, and a large timber pillar added to the middle of the St John Chantry. Expansion of the church culminated in 1545-6 when the tower was raised to its current height of 85 feet (25.9 m), and the church reached its present size.
Decay
Over the years the fabric of the building decayed. On one occasion in the 1700s, the boys and masters had a narrow escape when, moments after they had left the chantry to go into the main body of the church, the main beam gave way and the ceiling collapsed. The event was recorded by one Nathaniel Salmon, who also reported that the disaster had uncovered a set of painted figures on the pillars, possibly medieval in origin, of the Eleven ApostlesApostle (Christian)
The term apostle is derived from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος , meaning one who is sent away, from στέλλω + από . The literal meaning in English is therefore an "emissary", from the Latin mitto + ex...
and Saint George and the Dragon
Saint George and the Dragon
The episode of Saint George and the Dragon appended to the hagiography of Saint George was Eastern in origin, brought back with the Crusaders and retold with the courtly appurtenances belonging to the genre of Romance...
. Salmon noted that they had "but lately come to light, having, by the zeal of the last generation, been whited over", in reference to the efforts of Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
iconoclasts
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
of the English Civil War during the previous century.
Wyattville's restoration
The structure of the church continued to evolve; doors were added and blocked up, fittings were installed and moved around and monuments resited and removed. In the 19th Century there were major restorations of St Peter's church; the first in 1820, led by Jeffry WyattvilleJeffry Wyattville
Sir Jeffry Wyattville was an English architect and garden designer. His original surname was Wyatt, and his name is sometimes also written as Jeffrey and his surname as Wyatville; he changed his name in 1824.He was trained by his uncles Samuel Wyatt and James Wyatt, who were both leading architects...
, architect of Ashridge House
Ashridge
Ashridge is an estate and house in Hertfordshire, England; part of the land stretches into Buckinghamshire and it is close to the Bedfordshire border. It is situated in the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, about two miles north of Berkhamsted and twenty miles north west of...
, was controversial and has been criticised for the destruction of many original features of the building. During the works, churchwardens were involved in removing ancient monuments from the church, and Wyattville covered the outer walls with stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
was moved from the west end to the south porch, and the door was walled up, the Torrington tomb was moved from the nave into the transept, and many old inscriptions were obliterated. The peal of six bells was recast into eight, and a gallery which stood between the tower arches was removed and a new gallery erected at the west end.
Butterfield's restoration
In 1870-71 another restorationVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
programme was carried out by William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
, a Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
whose works included churches such as All Saints, Margaret Street
All Saints, Margaret Street
All Saints, Margaret Street is an Anglican church in London built in the High Victorian Gothic style by the architect William Butterfield and completed in 1859....
in London as well as an array of church restorations. Butterfield's restoration of St Peter's Church is more positively assessed, although his work also involved the removal of some original features, including the obliteration of the paintings on the pillars. The most substantial structural changes involved raising both the roof and the floor of the chancel, raising the roof of the south transept to its original pitch, removing the vestry, incorporating the south porch into the south aisle and removing the door, re-flooring the nave, installing new oak benches and replacing Wyattville's gallery. Butterfield also installed clear windows in the clerestory, allowing more light to enter the nave. He extended the aisles by knocking down the dividing walls of two chambers at the west end; one of these chambers, in the south-west corner of the nave, was used to house the town fire engine. A door to the right of the great west door had "Engine House" painted above it on the outside; Butterfield blocked up this door. The flint from these alterations was kept in storage and was later used in the construction of Sunnyside Parish Church in 1909. On the exterior of the church, Butterfield removed Wyattville's crumbling plaster and re-faced the church walls with flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
flushwork
Flushwork
-Description:In architecture, flushwork is the decorative combination on the same flat plane of flint and ashlar stone. It is characteristic of the external walls of medieval buildings, most of the survivors being churches, in parts of Southern England, but especially East Anglia...
.
20th-Century re-ordering
Between 1956 and 1960 St Peter's underwent further restoration in which the tower and nave were re-roofed. St Catherine's Chapel and the nave were refurbished and a large mural of the Ascension by Burrows which covered the wall over the tower arch was painted over. The church was also substantially re-ordered, and the high altar and sanctuary area brought forward under the tower crossing. The wooden 15th-Century rood screenRood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
which separated the nave from the crossing was painted and gilded in a mediæval style, and a set of twelve carved figures which had been added in the early 19th century were also painted and mounted higher up the screen. The screen was backed with oak and re-mounted on the back of the new sanctuary area to form a reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
behind the altar, also serving as a dividing wall with the old chancel area which was converted into a vestry area.
Nave
The late Gothic Revival pulpitPulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
dates from 1910 and is decorated with figures of angels, carved by Harry Hems.
In the north aisle stands the Parish Chest, a finely carved 17th century wooden chest which contained parish documents. By the corner of the north transept stands the marble tomb of Sir John Cornwallis, a member of the Council of King Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
.
Sanctuary
The high altar, located under the tower crossing since 1960, is on a raised white marble floor. The gilded reredos, a reworking of the 15th-Century rood screen presents the figures of twelve saints. To the left of the sanctuary is the long brass plaque listing the rectors of Great Berkhamsted from 1222 to the present day. Brass memorials on the walls commemorate Rev JW Cobb and his wife.St John's Chantry
This chantry chapel was used for worship by the boys and masters of Berkhamsted School until the 19th Century, when the school built its own chapel, and was physically separated from the nave by a dividing wall.The chantry is now used for the choir stalls and organ. The present organ was built by Peter Collins
Peter Collins (organ builder)
Peter Collins is an English pipe organ builder based in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He specialises in tracker action organs typically with clean, modernist light wood casework and well-balanced classical voicing...
or Redbourne
Redbourne
Redbourne is a village and civil parish in the North Lincolnshire district of Lincolnshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 386...
in 1986, and replaces an earlier instrument built by Walker
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd is a British firm of organ builders established in 1828 by Joseph William Walker in London. Walker organs were popular additions to churches during the Gothic Revival era of church building and restoration in Victorian Britain, and instruments built by Walker are found in...
. Some of the Walker pipework was incorporated into the modern instrument. The organ has two manuals
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
, the brightly-coloured casing is in English oak and decorations are in sycamore
Sycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
wood.
The chantry contains monumental brass
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
es commemorating Robert and Katherine Incent, the parents of John Incent. Another brass commemorates John Raven, squire to the Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
at Berkhamsted Castle.
Lady Chapel
This bright, spacious part of the church dates from the 13th Century and is an extension of the north transept. The interior carving around the windows and arches features ball-flower motif of the Decorated Period. The present windows and the windows of the north transept are good examples of curvilinear tracery, typical of the first half of the 14th century, although the glass is from a later period. Traces of the original window arches are still visible.The Lady Chapel also contains some notable memorials, including the marble tomb of John Sayer, inscribed with the date 1682. Next to the old chancel (now the wooden steps into the vestry) lies a stone tomb which is thought to be that of Henry of Berkhamsted and his wife; the tomb has lost its inscription and the identity of the persons interred within has been in dispute for many years. The tomb has two stone supine
Supine position
The supine position is a position of the body: lying down with the face up, as opposed to the prone position, which is face down, sometimes with the hands behind the head or neck. When used in surgical procedures, it allows access to the peritoneal, thoracic and pericardial regions; as well as the...
effigies
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
on top with hands together in prayer, Henry wearing medieval armour
Components of medieval armour
Following is a table that concisely identifies various pieces of medieval armour, mostly plate but some mail, arranged by the part of body that is protected and roughly by date...
. Henry was Constable to the Black Prince at Berkhamsted Castle in the mid-14th Century.
St Catherine's Chapel
St Catherine's Chapel, dedicated to Catherine of AlexandriaCatherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...
, lies to the south of the old chancel adjoining the south transept. Dating from around 1320, it contains two recessed medieval tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
s in the south wall, one of which contains a tomb slab decorated with a carved floriated cross. The 16th-Century wall monuments commemorate Waterhouse family. The chapel was restored around 1900 and the alabaster reredos - a copy of high altar screen in Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
- and the stained glass windows date from this period.
Chancel
The old chancel is used today as a vestry for the choir and clergy. The area still contains fixtures from its days as the sanctuary before the church was re-ordered in 1960, including a large mosaic reredos by Alfred Hoare PowellAlfred Hoare Powell
Alfred Hoare Powell was an English Arts and Crafts architect, and designer and painter of pottery.-Career:Alfred Powell was born in Reading, Berkshire, on 14 April 1865 , the son of Thomas Edward Powell by Emma Corrie.He was the architectural pupil of John Dando Sedding, working in the 'crafted...
with a painted crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
scene by Burrows. There also several memorials to past worshippers, including one to Ann Cowper, wife of the Rector John Cowper and mother of William Cowper; valedictory lines by the poet in tribute to his mother are engraved on the memorial, ending "These lines, though weak, are as herself sincere".
Tower
The 85 feet (25.9 m) clock tower was finished in 1546 and contains a pealRing of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
of eight bells with a combined weight of 3.5 LT. The bells were re-cast in 1837 from the bells dating from 1553 with additional metal by Mears and Stainbrook of Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
. At the same time, a new clock was installed.
Windows
The windows in St Peter's include some lancets surviving from the 14th Century, along with much notable stained glass from renowned Victorian glass makers Heaton and ButlerHeaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne is the name of an English firm who produced stained glass windows from 1855 onwards.-History:Clement Heaton originally founded his own stained glass firm in 1852, joined by James Butler in 1855. Between 1859-61 they worked alongside Clayton and Bell and were joined by...
, Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient workshops of English stained glass during the latter half of the 19th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell . The company was founded in 1855 and continued until 1993...
, Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
, Nathaniel Westlake
Nathaniel Westlake
Nathaniel Hubert John Westlake was a 19th-century British artist specializing in stained glass.-Career:Westlake began to design for the firm of Lavers & Barraud, Ecclesiastical Designers, in 1858, and became a partner ten years later, making the firm Lavers, Barraud and Westlake, of which he...
and James Powell and Sons
James Powell and Sons
The firm of James Powell and Sons, also known as Whitefriars Glass, were English glassmakers, leadlighters and stained glass window manufacturers...
.
- West window: Perpendicular style tracery, thought to date from the reign of James IJames I of EnglandJames VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, although the glass was replaced after General Faifrax's intrusion during the Civil War. The present stained glass dates from 1866, designed by Heaton and Butler, for which they were awarded a bronze medal at the Paris Exhibition of 1867Exposition Universelle (1867)The Exposition Universelle of 1867 was a World Exposition held in Paris, France, in 1867.-Conception:In 1864, Emperor Napoleon III decreed that an international exposition should be held in Paris in 1867. A commission was appointed with Prince Jerome Napoleon as president, under whose direction...
. - East Window: stained glass in memory of William Cowper, Clayton and Bell, 1872.
- Chancel Windows: date from c.1420, featuring coats of arms of the See of Canterbury impalingImpalement (heraldry)In heraldry, impalement is the combination of two coats of arms side-by-side in one shield or escutcheon to denote union, most often that of a husband and wife, but also for ecclesiastical use...
ChicheleHenry ChicheleHenry Chichele , English archbishop, founder of All Souls College, Oxford, was born at Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, in 1363 or 1364...
, royal arms of France quarteredQuartering (heraldry)Quartering in heraldry is a method of joining several different coats of arms together in one shield by dividing the shield into equal parts and placing different coats of arms in each division....
with England. - St John's Chantry windows: arms of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of YorkRichard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of YorkRichard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
, 15th Century; other windows are 1865-69 by Heaton and Butler. - St Catherine's Chapel: one of the windows is signed by TF Curtis of Curtis, Ward and Hughes; windows date from the 1900 restoration work on the chapel.
- North transept windows: Dorrien Memorial, Powell, 1852.
- South transept windows: Curtis Memorial (1872) and Mary window (1874), both Clayton and Bell.
- North aisle windows: the windows in the north aisle were 14th Century in origin, and the tracery typifies the transitional style between the Decorated and Perpendicular styles. They now contain Victorian stained glass, including the ubiquitous stained glass copy by Heaton & Butler of William Holman HuntWilliam Holman HuntWilliam Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:...
's painting The Light of the World which now hangs in St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, London. A window by Alexander GibbsAlexander GibbsAlexander Gibbs was the name of a British firm of several generations of the Gibbs family, who commenced business in 1813 and in 1848 began producing stained glass windows.- See also :* Stained glass* Stained glass - British glass, 1811-1918* Victorian Era...
was installed in 1872 at the west end of the aisle in memory of Rev F. Bullock who drowned in that year; this was replaced in 2000 with a window by David Peace and Sally Scott marking the Christian MillenniumAnno Dominiand Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
and the bicentenary of William Cowper's death. The clear glass is etched with quotes from Cowper's poetry, images of Berkhamsted and scenes of nature.
Churchyard and cemetery
The graveyard around St Peter's Church contains many old gravestones, most of which were laid flat in the late 19th Century, and it now serves as a green. One remaining memorial is a large stone cross at the north-east corner of the church, the Smith-Dorrien Monument, which was erected in 1909 in memory of Mary Ann Smith-Dorrien, wife of Robert Algernon Smith-Dorrien of Haresfoot, a ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the Hertfordshire Militia, and mother of Horace Smith-Dorrien. St Peter's churchyard was originally used for town burials, mostly on the north side of the church, but like many burial grounds in England at the time, it had become overcrowded by the mid-19th Century. Some burials were made on the south side of the church, but the widening of the High Street limited the amount of space available.
A new cemetery was opened in 1842 on a ground behind the Elizabethan manor, Egerton House
Egerton House, Berkhamsted
Egerton House was a small Elizabethan mansion which stood on the High Street in the town of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire in England. Built during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, it was demolished in 1937 and the site is now occupied by the Art Deco Rex Cinema. As well as its architectural merit,...
(now the site of the Rex Cinema), by Carlotte Catherine Anne, Countess of Bridgewater and widow of John Egerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater
John Egerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater
John William Egerton, 7th Earl of Bridgewater FRS , known as John Egerton until 1803, was a British soldier and Tory politician....
. The cemetery, situated between Three Close Lane and the old St Peter's rectory, was extended in 1921. There are several Commonwealth War Graves
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
in the cemetery from both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and among the notable burials is the grave of General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Horace Smith-Dorrien
Horace Smith-Dorrien
General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien GCB, GCMG, DSO, ADC was a British soldier and commander of the British II Corps and Second Army of the BEF during World War I.-Early life and career:...
, a veteran of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and World War I and former Governor of Gibraltar
Governor of Gibraltar
The Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The Governor is appointed by the British Monarch on the advice of the British Government...
. By the late 1940s the cemetery was filling up and a new civic cemetery was opened at nearby Kingshill.
The Church today
The Parish of St Peter, Great Berkhamsted continues today as an active parish church. The church holds regular services of Christian worshipChristian worship
In Christianity, worship is adoration and contemplation of God.-Overview:Throughout most of Christianity's history, corporate Christian worship has been primarily liturgical, characterized by prayers and hymns, with texts rooted in, or closely related to, the Scripture, particularly the Psalter;...
, and the church choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
sings on Sundays during the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
and in a monthly service of choral evensong. The church is also frequently used as a venue for classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
concerts performed by local music groups. The church publishes a monthly magazine, Your Berkhamsted (known until 2010 as The Berkhamsted Review), which has been in existence since 1874.
St Peter's is affiliated with two Church of England school
Christian school
A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization.The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures...
s in Berkhamsted, Victoria First School and the Thomas Coram Middle School.
External links
- St Peter's website
- St Peter, Berkhamsted (Church of England listing)
- St Peter's (Parish of Great Berkhamsted) (Find a Church website)