St Edith's Church, Shocklach
Encyclopedia
St Edith's Church, Shocklach, stands at the end of an isolated lane running toward the River Dee
about 1 miles (2 km) to the north of the village of Shocklach
, Cheshire
, England. It is a small Norman
church, and is one of the oldest ecclesiastical buildings in Cheshire. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building and its simple Norman work is considered to be unique in Cheshire. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice
is combined with that of St Mary, Tilston
.
saint, it is thought that an earlier church may have stood on the site. The chancel
and chancel arch date from the early 14th century. In the 17th century the west wall of the nave
was restored and altered to provide a small baptistry between two buttress
es. The ceiling was added in 1813 and the belfry
was built in 1815. Victorian restoration
was carried out in 1878 when a new wooden floor was inserted, raising its level by some 12 inches (30 cm) to 18 inches (46 cm). The churchyard was extended in 1905, and again in 1922. In 1926 the vestry
was rebuilt to the north of the chancel. During a restoration in 1974 a semicircular window was added to the west wall. To celebrate the 2000 Millennium, a new stained glass window designed by the pupils of Shocklach Primary School was installed in the north wall of the nave.
with a grey slate
roof. Its plan is simple and consists of a nave with a small baptistry at the west end, and a chancel with a vestry to its north. On the south side is a Norman
doorway in fine condition. It has a round arch of three orders, the outer and inner ones being decorated with chevrons, the middle one with cables. It rests on square piers with weathered corbel
heads. Raymond Richards considered the doorway to be one of the best Norman examples in the county. The door is of oak with iron studs. A north door has been blocked and converted into a window. The east window has three lights and contains simple tracery
. It is thought that this may have been moved from another church or re-fitted because its top has been truncated. At the west end of the church is a simple open bellcote
containing two bells, and on the gable
at the east end is a cross finial
. On the outside of the north wall is a weathered carving. It is not known what this represents, but "it is typical of restoration after the Civil War
".
. The chancel has an arch-braced wooden roof. The pews are dated 1697, the altar rails are from the late 18th century and the two sanctuary chairs are also early. The font
is unusual in that it has seven sides. The communion rail is from the 18th century. The oak pulpit
is plain and is dated 1687 with brass nails. On the west wall of the nave are the royal arms
of George III
dated 1760 and a hatchment
to the Purleston family. A pane of glass, formerly from the east window is preserved in a frame to the left of the organ. On it is scratched "I, Robert Aldersey, was here on 1st day of October 1756 along with John Massie and Mr Derbyshire. The roads were so bad that we were in danger of our lives". The parish register
s date from 1538 and the churchwarden
s' accounts from 1725.
Incorporated into the north wall at its west end is a carved stone, measuring about 12 inches (30 cm) square. It is weathered
but shows the figure of a person on horseback. The date of the carving and what is depicted has been a subject of speculation. The parish leaflet states it "seems to show a military figure on horseback", although it has been suggested that it shows the Flight into Egypt
. The citation in the grading citation identifies it as a "mounted knight" and dates it possibly to the 17th century. A very different but possible explanation has been given by Dan Robinson, curator of the Grosvenor Museum
, Chester
. He notes that the carving depicts a single rider on a single horse, but that the horse appears to have more than four legs, possibly depicting Sleipnir
, the eight-legged mount of Odin
. If so, the carving would be of Viking
origin.
. Outside the churchyard is a restored stable dating from about 1700.
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
about 1 miles (2 km) to the north of the village of Shocklach
Shocklach
Shocklach is a village in the civil parishes of Church Shocklach and Shocklach Oviatt, Cheshire, England.St Edith's Church, Shocklach is a Grade I listed building.-External links:...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. It is a small Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
church, and is one of the oldest ecclesiastical buildings in Cheshire. The church has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building and its simple Norman work is considered to be unique in Cheshire. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
is combined with that of St Mary, Tilston
St Mary's Church, Tilston
St Mary's Church, Tilston stands in an isolated position to the south of the village of Tilston, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester...
.
History
The church was built probably about 1150 by Thomas de Shocklach. As the church is dedicated to an Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
saint, it is thought that an earlier church may have stood on the site. 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...
and chancel arch date from the early 14th century. In the 17th century the west wall of the 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...
was restored and altered to provide a small baptistry between two buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. The ceiling was added in 1813 and the belfry
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
was built in 1815. Victorian 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...
was carried out in 1878 when a new wooden floor was inserted, raising its level by some 12 inches (30 cm) to 18 inches (46 cm). The churchyard was extended in 1905, and again in 1922. In 1926 the vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
was rebuilt to the north of the chancel. During a restoration in 1974 a semicircular window was added to the west wall. To celebrate the 2000 Millennium, a new stained glass window designed by the pupils of Shocklach Primary School was installed in the north wall of the nave.
Exterior
St Edith's is constructed in blocks of red sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with a grey slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. Its plan is simple and consists of a nave with a small baptistry at the west end, and a chancel with a vestry to its north. On the south side is a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
doorway in fine condition. It has a round arch of three orders, the outer and inner ones being decorated with chevrons, the middle one with cables. It rests on square piers with weathered corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
heads. Raymond Richards considered the doorway to be one of the best Norman examples in the county. The door is of oak with iron studs. A north door has been blocked and converted into a window. The east window has three lights and contains simple tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
. It is thought that this may have been moved from another church or re-fitted because its top has been truncated. At the west end of the church is a simple open bellcote
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
containing two bells, and on the gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
at the east end is a cross finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. On the outside of the north wall is a weathered carving. It is not known what this represents, but "it is typical of restoration after the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
".
Interior
The nave has a curved plaster ceiling with plaster rosettes. The round chancel arch is medievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. The chancel has an arch-braced wooden roof. The pews are dated 1697, the altar rails are from the late 18th century and the two sanctuary chairs are also early. 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:...
is unusual in that it has seven sides. The communion rail is from the 18th century. The oak pulpit
Pulpit
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...
is plain and is dated 1687 with brass nails. On the west wall of the nave are the royal arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
of George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
dated 1760 and a hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...
to the Purleston family. A pane of glass, formerly from the east window is preserved in a frame to the left of the organ. On it is scratched "I, Robert Aldersey, was here on 1st day of October 1756 along with John Massie and Mr Derbyshire. The roads were so bad that we were in danger of our lives". The parish register
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
s date from 1538 and the churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s' accounts from 1725.
Incorporated into the north wall at its west end is a carved stone, measuring about 12 inches (30 cm) square. It is weathered
Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
but shows the figure of a person on horseback. The date of the carving and what is depicted has been a subject of speculation. The parish leaflet states it "seems to show a military figure on horseback", although it has been suggested that it shows the Flight into Egypt
Flight into Egypt
The flight into Egypt is a biblical event described in the Gospel of Matthew , in which Joseph fled to Egypt with his wife Mary and infant son Jesus after a visit by Magi because they learn that King Herod intends to kill the infants of that area...
. The citation in the grading citation identifies it as a "mounted knight" and dates it possibly to the 17th century. A very different but possible explanation has been given by Dan Robinson, curator of the Grosvenor Museum
Grosvenor Museum
Grosvenor Museum is in Grosvenor Street, Chester, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. Its full title is The Grosvenor Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, with Schools of Science and Art, for Chester, Cheshire and North Wales...
, Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. He notes that the carving depicts a single rider on a single horse, but that the horse appears to have more than four legs, possibly depicting Sleipnir
Sleipnir
In Norse mythology, Sleipnir is an eight-legged horse. Sleipnir is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
, the eight-legged mount of Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
. If so, the carving would be of Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
origin.
External features
In the church yard is part of a medieval red sandstone cross. The square base has four steps and on it rests an octagonal shaft which was replaced or recut in 1896. The head of the cross is missing. It is a Grade II listed building, and a scheduled monument. The hay meadows belonging to the church are a Site of Biological ImportanceSite of Biological Importance
A Site of Biological Importance is one of the non-statutory designations used locally by the Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire County Councils in England to protect locally valued sites of biological diversity which are described generally as Local Wildlife Sites by the UK Government...
. Outside the churchyard is a restored stable dating from about 1700.