St Peter’s Church Felkirk
St Peter’s is a wonderful, Grade I listed building. However, it is in many ways, a very enigmatic building and to write an account of the history of this 900-year-old structure is something akin to plaiting fog. Unlike many other historic buildings such as York Minster or St Paul’s Cathedral, detailed information on St Peter’s is relatively sparse and the church’s history has been left open to much debate and speculation. Perhaps, as one parishioner once said, this element of mystery simply adds to the character and appeal of the building.
The first record found, to date, is in the Charters of Nostell Priory where, in the year 1120, it is written that the church of Hodroyd was given to the monks there by Swein, the son of Ailric, a Saxon noble. It is worthy of note here that Hodroyd does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1068 and that book contains no mention of a church in this locality but South Hiendley, Shafton and Brierley are recorded.
A Stange Place to build a Church?
Normally, you would expect to find a parish church in the centre of a community that it is built to serve but the founder of St Peter’s, Swein, chose a location apparently ‘in the middle of nowhere’. It would be reasonable to assume that Swein had a good reason for his choice, but that decision has led to more speculation and debate; one theory being that it is located in the middle of the parish that it serves. That parish initially included the villages of Cold and South Hiendley, Havercroft, Shafton, Brierley, Grimethorpe and Ferrymoor. It would have been quite a journey from Grimethorpe to St Peter’s on a wintery Sunday in the Middle Ages. Why was such a collection of relatively widespread habitats attached to one church situated in Hodroyd?
How did the ecclesiastic parish get the name Felkirk? Two main theories have been put forward:
- The name derives from the old Norse word fjol (or variations thereof) meaning wooden plank and kirk meaning church. The argument goes that there was a wooden church on this site before the current structure hence the adoption of the name Fjolkirk etc.
- Church in the field or field church as in the German (Saxon) Feldkirche.
The Church Building
As previously stated, details of the evolution of the actual building are scarce and it is not possible to say which parts were constructed when with any certainty. However, it is obvious that the structure has undergone plenty of work and repair/alteration over the centuries. For example, in 1285 a Sir Walter Burton, Knight of Kinsley, was called by the monarch to join his battles with the Scots. Being a religious man, Sir Walter caused a chantry chapel to be built onto the south wall of the church. This was subsequently extended by the authorities of Nostell Priory and a new south aisle was formed and the ‘old’ now internal wall, re-built to form an arcade of three arches.
Much further work was carried out over the centuries and in 1875, the church was closed for a year whilst major work was undertaken. This included the removal of the gallery (effectively the upstairs seating area) and associated two staircases, sealing the Monckton’s private entrance in the north wall, the closing of the Monckton’s family crypt and a total refurbishment of the badly deteriorated roof. A much more detailed account of the actual building and its development over the years was compiled in 2007 by the late John Steele of this parish. This can be read by following this link link to John Steele’s article!
The West Door
Viewed from the outside of the church, the West door (at the base of the tower) is clearly a very old and impressive piece of work. This door was apparently sealed up about 1251 following a dispute between the monks of Nostell Priory and the Archbishop of York. It was not seen again until another major repair of the building was conducted in 1932. This begs the question of how such a doorway could remain unknown for almost 700 years – another part of the mystery surrounding Felkirk!
The next steps
No amount of words can give the reader the full sense and feel of this marvellous building. From its foundation in 1120 (as a Catholic institution under the Pope in Rome), through the period of change under Henry VIII (the change to the Church of England), Felkirk has been a focal point of this district. Since the building of other churches in the area (Brierley, Grimethorpe, Ryhill) the parish of Felkirk has been reduced to the villages of South Hiendley and Shafton – one in West Yorkshire and one in South Yorkshire! Despite all the change, there are a number of parishioners still active in the life of the church and volunteers working to preserve this invaluable building for future generations.
Whether you have any particular religious beliefs or none at all, only a visit and good look around the building and its environs can give a true appreciation of its value. Take a look at the small windows in both north and south walls just below the roof line and try to work out how one is supposed to use the opening panes! See how many mason’s marks are in the stonework and how many faces they carved around the interior. Find out about the local myth of the ‘pirate’ graves that generations of children have searched for (and found!)
Work will continue in researching the church and its long history and who knows, perhaps one day we can fill in some of the many gaps
