|
A church in the area of St Peter’s is first mentioned in a charter of 969 referring to a church outside the southern wall of the burh within a property or haga in the Battenhall (Sidbury) area leased by Bishop Oswald to a priest called Wulfgar: “Oswald, bishop [of Worcester], to the clerk Wulfgar, with the consent of King Edgar and of Ælfhere, ealdorman of Mercia, for three lives, with reversion to the bishopric. 1 ‘mansa’ at Batenhale [Battenhall in St Peter’s-without-Worcester]; the messuage by the south wall of St Peter’s Church; also the church, the church-place, the enclosure at the burn, the croft south of the burn, and 6 acres of meadow in the reeve’s mead”. Finburg There can be little doubt that this quote is referring to the Church of St Peter the Great. It is described as being on the south side of the city outside the Saxon defences (assumed to have been re-used for the castle ditch) and in rural surroundings. It cannot be the old cathedral church of St Peter because in the charter this is stated as being part of the Battenhall property (Hooke). If the Battenhall manor lay outside the Saxon wall then so would the church and parts of the present Royal Worcester Porcelain site. If ever there was a Saxon church on the site it was probably timber-framed, however successive builds and rebuilds of the later churches may have entirely removed it from the archaeological record. The church was first dedicated to Saints Perpetua and Felicitas but in 1420 the parishioners obtained a faculty to alter the name. It became the Church of St Peter the Great, called this to distinguish it from St Peter the Less which is thought to have been the chapel associated with the castle. It is possible that parts of the medieval building demolished in 1838 may date from this time. The earlier medieval church, which was likely to have been much smaller, may have been rebuilt when it was dedicated in 1420. The rebuilt church consisted of chancel and nave with north and south aisles and a tower. The church is described by Beardsmore who interpreted sketches by Green (1764) and Lines (early 18th century). The sketches show three roof spans and gables and windows in geometric style of the 13th or early 14th century. A blocked Norman door is also described from the sketch. Green’s sketch shows the church to be of two builds, with a break in the roofline just south of the tower. There is a record dated between 1204 and 1234 giving the patronage of the church (which became St Peter the Great) to Pershore Abbey during the time of Abbot Gervase and the earliest recorded incumbent was Peter de Piriton in 1287. Beardsmore suggests that the Norman features recorded in the sketches by Green and Lines may be related to the building of a church on the site around this date.
|
St Peter's from the south-west by Lines 1835
St Peter's from King Street Lines 1835 |
|
In 1817 the graveyard was extended to the west by about 30 metres over the site of the old city ditch. The graveyard (in 1817) was described as disproportionately small compared to the number of inhabitants. 916 yards were purchased from Elizabeth Field which enclosed it on all sides. The land was consecrated and used as a burial ground until 1858 when it was closed to any further burials. In 1838 the medieval building of St Peter’s was demolished and replaced with a new church. The new church was built in the perpendicular style of brown Broseley brick with stucco buttresses arranged as a nave, two aisles, and north-west tower. The church was similar to the old one and seated 900 people. The price of the rebuild was around £4,000 and John Mills, the architect, was paid £234 for his trouble. Internally the church was arranged with a nave and two aisles, the choir and the sanctuary separated by a 19th century stone screen. The entrance to the ‘new’ church was through the west wall, where steps led up to the church. Another set of steps led down to the spacious crypt. The crypt is believed to have been built on the original ground floor of the medieval church. When the church was finally demolished in 1976 a number of the tombstones and memorials, some of which had been made at the neighbouring porcelain factory, were taken to the Dyson Perrins Museum. The names on the graves were recorded. Trenches 10 and 12 were opened in the area of the church. |
St Peter's from King Street (1890's) |
