Church of Saint Oswald, King and Martyr, Oswaldkirk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Oswald's Church, Oswaldkirk
The church, viewed from the south
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OS grid reference	SE 620 789
Location	Oswaldkirk, North Yorkshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	11th century
Dedication	Saint Oswald
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	4 January 1955
Architectural type	Church
Administration
Parish	Oswaldkirk
Deanery	Northern Ryedale
Archdeaconry	Cleveland
Diocese	Diocese of York
Province	Province of York

The Church of Saint Oswald, King and Martyr is an Anglican church. It serves the village of Oswaldkirk in North Yorkshire, England. You can find it on the main road through the village. It's about 1.5 miles east of Ampleforth Abbey.

This church is dedicated to Saint Oswald, a Christian king. It is more than 900 years old! The Church of England looks after it. It's part of a group of four churches, including those in Ampleforth, Gilling East, and Stonegrave. Since 1955, the church has been a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a very important historical building. It is also the oldest building in the village by many centuries.

What's in a Name?

The word "kirk" means church. So, "Oswaldkirk" literally means "Oswald's church." The village got its name from this church. The church itself is named after Saint Oswald. He was a Christian king who helped spread Christianity in Northumbria in the 600s AD.

A Look at History and How It Was Built

Almost nothing is left of the very first church here. That first church was made of wood by the Saxons. But you can still see some special Celtic stonework. This includes a cool woven pattern and a carving of the Virgin and Child. This carving was made around the year 1000 AD.

The current building still has a special corner stone called a quoin. This stone was probably part of an old Anglo-Saxon cross. The stone entrance on the south side of the church is still standing. It was built in the 1100s. It's a great example of Norman stonework from that time.

The church was blessed again in 1287. This happened under the direction of John le Romeyn, who was the Archbishop of York. The tall windows on the north and south sides of the main part of the church (the nave) were added around 1320 to 1330. You can still find tiny pieces of old medieval glass in the top parts of two of these windows.

Under a low arch on the inside of the southern wall, there's a tombstone. It's believed to belong to Sir Richard Pickering, who died in 1441. His family, the Pickerings, were important in Oswaldkirk from the 1300s to the 1500s.

The church has a list of all its rectors (the main priests) going all the way back to 1302. This was during the time of King Edward I. One interesting rector was John Dee. He served from 1568 to 1574. He was a famous mathematician, astrologer, and astronomer. John Dee was friends with Queen Elizabeth I and even gave her advice for her coronation date!

Another famous person linked to the church is John Tillotson. He later became the Archbishop of Canterbury and a chaplain to King Charles II. He gave his first sermon at St Oswald's Church in 1661. This was because he was friends with John Denton, who was the rector there.

A big event in the 1600s was getting two new bells. One bell, from 1684, says "Come, let us rejoice in the Lord." The other, from 1683, says "Glory to God in the highest." These bells are still used today! Ropes connect them to a clock mechanism from 1898. This old clock powers two clock faces on the bell tower.

The church had a major repair and update in 1886. Much of the wooden work in the chancel (the area around the altar) is from this time. During this work, the east window was also replaced. It now shows Saint Oswald, with Saint Aidan and Saint Cuthbert on either side. These saints helped Oswald with his work in Northumbria.

Opposite this, at the other end of the church, is the western window. It shows Queen Victoria, who was queen at the time. Newer parts of the church include the bell turret and the organ room. The south porch is now the main entrance for people coming to services. The church uses an electric organ during its services.

The church has been a Grade II* listed building since January 4, 1955. This means it's a very important historical building.

St Oswald's Today

St Oswald's is part of a group of four churches. This group includes churches in Oswaldkirk, Ampleforth, Gilling, and Stonegrave. As of 2017, the main priest, called the vicar, is the Reverend Dr Catherine Elizabeth Reid. She serves all four parishes.

Church services happen every Sunday. There are also other services during the week. Volunteers from the local community help out a lot. The church also has a "tea time club." This club teaches young people about Christian morals and stories from the Bible. They also do Bible role-plays and "mini-pilgrimages."

Every Christmas Eve, the church hosts a carol service. Both the Anglican church members and the Roman Catholic church of Saint Aidan in Oswaldkirk join in. The churches in Oswaldkirk also have a harvest festival each year. They take turns hosting it, one year at Saint Aidan's and the next at St Oswald's.

Gallery

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  Porch

• St Oswalds Church, Oswaldkirk - Interior - geograph.uk - 496221.jpg

  Interior

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  Font

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  Stained glass window