St John's Church, Peasedown St John
Encyclopedia
St John's Church, Peasedown St John (or more formally the Church of St John the Baptist, Peasedown) is the Anglican
parish
church for the village of Peasedown St John
in North East Somerset
. The Parish was founded in 1874 and the current building dates from 1893. It is home to a growing congregation drawn largely from the village of Peasedown St John
and the surrounding area. The Church now forms part of the ‘St J’s’ Group of Churches, a single benefice
also including the parishes of Wellow
and Foxcote with Shoscombe
.
Traditional Service 09.00 every Sunday (Holy Communion on 1st, 2nd and 5th Sundays).
Informal Service 16.30 every Sunday (also known as Soul Food Service, Holy Communion 3rd Sunday only) with a Childrens' Church known as 'Sundayz Cool' and a weekly family tea.
The Church also hosts is also a regular pattern of mid-week events.
was formed in 1874 by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
from adjacent portions of the three Parishes of Camerton
, Dunkerton
and Wellow
and formally approved by Queen Victoria in Council at Osborne House
on 6 August 1874.
A temporary Iron Church was funded by the Miss Anna Mary Jarrett and Miss Emily Elizabeth Jarrett of Camerton Court who became Patrons
of the Living
and the endowment
was provided by them, with assistance from the Vicar of Wellow, the Revd George William Horton. Added to this was an annual grant of £50 from the Church Building Commissioners. It consisted of a chancel
, nave
and a central turret containing one bell. There was seating for 250 and the Church registers date from 1874. In 1880 the Church was enlarged to cater for the growing population of the village which at this time was around 1400. Anna and Emily Jarrett also funded schools built near the Church and provided a parsonage house which was erected in 1878 (later demolished to make way for Vicarage Gardens in 1964 with only the original Coach House remaining). The Church was dismantled in 1893 and re-erected as the Church of St John in Fishponds, Bristol
.
The present Church was built in 1892-93 at a cost of £2000 by Bodley
and Garner
, Church architects of London. The organ, which was made in 1875 by W C Vowles, was transferred from the original Church. The ground for the Church and Churchyard was granted by the Jarretts who also contributed to the building fund. The new Church was consecrated on Saturday 24 June, 1893 by Bishop Charles Bromby
, Assistant Bishop of Bath and Wells
. The village was decorated in honour of the occasion, with several arches spanning the road and a large attendance of parishioners. The Church was extended about 1905 when the north aisle
was added to increase capacity.
The Font
dates from around 1912, erected in memory of the Rev Gamlen, who was Vicar when the Church was built. The Churchyard was extended in 1918 and consecrated on Easter
Monday. Always involved in village life, there was a Church Poor Fund in being for many years to help in alleviating distress during the hard times of the miners' stoppages. In 1928 the memorial was erected in the Church to the fallen of the First World War. There are two war graves from this conflict in the Churchyard. The memorial to the fallen of the Second World War was unveiled on Sunday 5 July 1953 by Brigadier Cazenove and dedicated by the Bishop of Taunton
, the Rt Revd Harry Thomas
.
In 1959 the Patronage
of the Church was transferred from the Executors of the late Sir Frank Beauchamp of Woodborough House to the Bishop of Bath and Wells
.
The Church was refurbished during the winter of 1989-1990 during which time Services were held in the adjacent Church Hall. The Centenary of the current church building was marked in 1993 with visits from the Bishop of Bath and Wells
(the Rt Revd Jim Thompson
) and a Solemn Evensong at which the Archdeacon
of Bath preached.
In 2007, at the invitation of the Vicar of St John's, a group of thirty adults from Holy Trinity Church Combe Down
, Bath joined St John's Church on a temporary basis to launch 'Soul Food' - a new informal afternoon congregation to complement the existing traditional service. Although much of the original team has now returned to Holy Trinity Church following Soul Food's launch, St John's Church retains strong links with Holy Trinity Church and Bath City Church in Bath, and with the Methodist and Catholic Churches in Peasedown St John.
Revd Charles Gamlen 1883 - 1908
Revd J M Morson 1908 - 1914
Revd F L Sheppard 1914 - 1927
Revd O P Revely 1927 - 1928
Revd R B C Carson 1928 - 1933
Revd E B Rothwell 1933 - 1954
Revd Cyril W Hollinshead 1954 - 1976
Revd R H Peter Hazelton 1976 - 1989
Revd Hugh R L Bonsey 1990 - 2004
Revd Matthew G Street 2005–present
The PCC
now also employs on a part-time basis a Childrens' Worker, a Worship Leader and a Church Administrator. The Revd Richard Fothergill is Licensed to the Benefice as Associate Priest.
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...
parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
church for the village of Peasedown St John
Peasedown St John
Peasedown St John is one of the largest villages in Somerset, England. Located on a hilltop roughly south-southwest of the city of Bath, Peasedown used to be a coal mining village. When the last of the mines was shut in the 1950s it became a dormitory village for both Bath and, to a lesser...
in North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset...
. The Parish was founded in 1874 and the current building dates from 1893. It is home to a growing congregation drawn largely from the village of Peasedown St John
Peasedown St John
Peasedown St John is one of the largest villages in Somerset, England. Located on a hilltop roughly south-southwest of the city of Bath, Peasedown used to be a coal mining village. When the last of the mines was shut in the 1950s it became a dormitory village for both Bath and, to a lesser...
and the surrounding area. The Church now forms part of the ‘St J’s’ Group of Churches, a single 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:...
also including the parishes of Wellow
Wellow, Somerset
Wellow is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, about south of Bath. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Twinhoe has a population of 511...
and Foxcote with Shoscombe
Shoscombe
Shoscombe is a small village and civil parish in the valley of the Wellow Brook in north-east Somerset, about south of Bath. The parish has a population of 462....
.
Sunday Services and Regular Activities
Sunday Services show an emphasis on Bible teaching and on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The morning service features traditional organ-led worship, and the afternoon service features band-led worship. The current weekly pattern of worship consists of:Traditional Service 09.00 every Sunday (Holy Communion on 1st, 2nd and 5th Sundays).
Informal Service 16.30 every Sunday (also known as Soul Food Service, Holy Communion 3rd Sunday only) with a Childrens' Church known as 'Sundayz Cool' and a weekly family tea.
The Church also hosts is also a regular pattern of mid-week events.
History
The district of St John the Baptist, Peasedown St JohnPeasedown St John
Peasedown St John is one of the largest villages in Somerset, England. Located on a hilltop roughly south-southwest of the city of Bath, Peasedown used to be a coal mining village. When the last of the mines was shut in the 1950s it became a dormitory village for both Bath and, to a lesser...
was formed in 1874 by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners
Ecclesiastical Commissioners were, in England and Wales, a body corporate, whose full title is Ecclesiastical and Church Estates Commissioners for England. The commissioners were authorized to determine the distribution of revenues of the Church of England, and they made extensive changes in how...
from adjacent portions of the three Parishes of Camerton
Camerton, Somerset
Camerton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, south west of Bath, lying on the Cam Brook. The parish has a population of 660.-History:...
, Dunkerton
Dunkerton, Somerset
Dunkerton is a small village and civil parish north east of Radstock, and south west of Bath, in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 479.-History:...
and Wellow
Wellow, Somerset
Wellow is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, about south of Bath. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Twinhoe has a population of 511...
and formally approved by Queen Victoria in Council at Osborne House
Osborne House
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....
on 6 August 1874.
A temporary Iron Church was funded by the Miss Anna Mary Jarrett and Miss Emily Elizabeth Jarrett of Camerton Court who became Patrons
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 the Living
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:...
and the endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
was provided by them, with assistance from the Vicar of Wellow, the Revd George William Horton. Added to this was an annual grant of £50 from the Church Building Commissioners. It consisted of a 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...
, 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...
and a central turret containing one bell. There was seating for 250 and the Church registers date from 1874. In 1880 the Church was enlarged to cater for the growing population of the village which at this time was around 1400. Anna and Emily Jarrett also funded schools built near the Church and provided a parsonage house which was erected in 1878 (later demolished to make way for Vicarage Gardens in 1964 with only the original Coach House remaining). The Church was dismantled in 1893 and re-erected as the Church of St John in Fishponds, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
The present Church was built in 1892-93 at a cost of £2000 by Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
and Garner
Thomas Garner
Thomas Garner was one of the leading English Gothic revival architects of the Victorian era. His name is usually mentioned in relation to his almost 30-year partnership with George Frederick Bodley...
, Church architects of London. The organ, which was made in 1875 by W C Vowles, was transferred from the original Church. The ground for the Church and Churchyard was granted by the Jarretts who also contributed to the building fund. The new Church was consecrated on Saturday 24 June, 1893 by Bishop Charles Bromby
Charles Henry Bromby
Charles Henry Bromby was an Anglican bishop of Tasmania.-Early life:Bromby was the second son of the Rev. John Healey Bromby and brother of Dr John Edward Bromby, and was born at Hull, England. He was educated at Hull Grammar School, Uppingham School and St John's College, Cambridge, where he...
, Assistant Bishop of Bath and Wells
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
. The village was decorated in honour of the occasion, with several arches spanning the road and a large attendance of parishioners. The Church was extended about 1905 when the north aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
was added to increase capacity.
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:...
dates from around 1912, erected in memory of the Rev Gamlen, who was Vicar when the Church was built. The Churchyard was extended in 1918 and consecrated on Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
Monday. Always involved in village life, there was a Church Poor Fund in being for many years to help in alleviating distress during the hard times of the miners' stoppages. In 1928 the memorial was erected in the Church to the fallen of the First World War. There are two war graves from this conflict in the Churchyard. The memorial to the fallen of the Second World War was unveiled on Sunday 5 July 1953 by Brigadier Cazenove and dedicated by the Bishop of Taunton
Bishop of Taunton
The Bishop of Taunton is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title was first created under the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 and takes its name after Taunton, the county town of Somerset.The...
, the Rt Revd Harry Thomas
Harry Thomas (bishop)
Harry Thomas was the Bishop of Taunton from 1945 until his death a decade later. Born in 1897 and educated at Oriel College, Oxford he was ordained in 1924. He was a Lecturer at Ely Theological College and then Archdeacon of Brisbane. An Anglo Catholic he was taken ill in the summer of 1955...
.
In 1959 the Patronage
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 the Church was transferred from the Executors of the late Sir Frank Beauchamp of Woodborough House to the Bishop of Bath and Wells
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
.
The Church was refurbished during the winter of 1989-1990 during which time Services were held in the adjacent Church Hall. The Centenary of the current church building was marked in 1993 with visits from the Bishop of Bath and Wells
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
(the Rt Revd Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson (bishop)
James Lawton "Jim" Thompson was an Anglican bishop. He was firstly the area Bishop of Stepney from 1978 to 1991 and later the diocesan Bishop of Bath & Wells in succession to George Carey who had become Archbishop of Canterbury...
) and a Solemn Evensong at which the Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Bath preached.
In 2007, at the invitation of the Vicar of St John's, a group of thirty adults from Holy Trinity Church Combe Down
Combe Down
Combe Down is a village suburb of Bath, England in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Somerset. Combe Down sits on a ridge above and about 1.5 miles to the south of Bath city centre. "Combe" or "coombe" is a West Country word meaning a steep-sided...
, Bath joined St John's Church on a temporary basis to launch 'Soul Food' - a new informal afternoon congregation to complement the existing traditional service. Although much of the original team has now returned to Holy Trinity Church following Soul Food's launch, St John's Church retains strong links with Holy Trinity Church and Bath City Church in Bath, and with the Methodist and Catholic Churches in Peasedown St John.
Vicars and Staff of the Parish of Peasedown St John
Revd C H Little 1874 - 1883Revd Charles Gamlen 1883 - 1908
Revd J M Morson 1908 - 1914
Revd F L Sheppard 1914 - 1927
Revd O P Revely 1927 - 1928
Revd R B C Carson 1928 - 1933
Revd E B Rothwell 1933 - 1954
Revd Cyril W Hollinshead 1954 - 1976
Revd R H Peter Hazelton 1976 - 1989
Revd Hugh R L Bonsey 1990 - 2004
Revd Matthew G Street 2005–present
The PCC
Parochial Church Council
The parochial church council , is the executive body of a Church of England parish.-Powers and duties:Two Acts of Parliament define the powers and duties of PCCs...
now also employs on a part-time basis a Childrens' Worker, a Worship Leader and a Church Administrator. The Revd Richard Fothergill is Licensed to the Benefice as Associate Priest.