Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Breedon Church |
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| The Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill | |
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 Breedon Church
Location in Leicestershire
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| 52°48′22″N 1°24′0″W / 52.80611°N 1.40000°W | |
| OS grid reference | SK 406 234 |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary and St Hardulph |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed building |
| Architectural type | English Gothic |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Breedon on the Hill |
| Diocese | Diocese of Leicester |
| Province | Canterbury |
The Priory Church of St Mary and St Hardulph is a very old and special Church of England parish church in Breedon on the Hill, Leicestershire, England. People sometimes call it Breedon Priory.
This church stands on top of Breedon Hill. Before this church, there was an even older Anglo-Saxon monastery here from the 600s. The church is famous for having the largest and best collection of Anglo-Saxon sculptures in England. It also has amazing old tombs from the Renaissance period. These tombs belong to the Shirley family, who bought the land in 1539. The biggest tomb is for Sir George Shirley. It even has a life-sized skeleton carved from alabaster!
The church is inside the remains of an Iron Age hill fort called The Bulwarks. The village of Breedon on the Hill is next to the hill, and a quarry is on the other side. Breedon church is a really important building in the country. It is a Grade I listed building, which means it's considered exceptionally important and protected.
Contents
History of Breedon Church
Early Beginnings: Breedon Minster
Around the year 675, an Anglo-Saxon monastery, called a minster, was built on this hill. It was on the site of an even older Iron Age hill fort. King Æthelred of Mercia gave his permission for it to be built. A powerful person named Frithuric gave the land. He said that Hædda should be the leader, called an abbot. Some historians think Frithuric might be one of the four saints buried here.
We don't know exactly where the Anglo-Saxon church and its cemetery were. It's possible that quarrying in the 1900s might have destroyed some of these old sites. Records from the Peterborough Chronicle say that four saints were buried at Breedon-on-the-Hill. These were St Ærdulf (who was said to be a king) and three monks: St Cotta, St Benna, and St Fretheric.
Hædda, the first abbot, later became a Bishop of Lichfield. Another famous person from the minster was Tatwine. He was known for his rhyming riddles and later became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 731. Over time, the minster lost most of its land. By 1086, after William the Conqueror took over England, the land around Breedon was given to the de Ferrers family.
Breedon Priory: A New Chapter
Around 1120, a new religious house, called a priory, was founded on the same hill. This priory belonged to the Augustinians, a group of canons. It was like a smaller branch of Nostell Priory in Yorkshire. Usually, there were only about three to five canons living here.
In 1441, a bishop visited the priory and found it was falling apart and owed money. By 1535, there was only one canon living there. The priory was officially closed down in November 1539. This happened during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when King Henry VIII closed many religious houses in England.
After the priory closed, the eastern part of the building, which included the main tower, was kept to be used as the local parish church. The other parts, like the nave (the main part of the church where people sit), were pulled down. The land was then sold to Francis Shirley, whose family lived nearby.
Modern History of the Church
Since 1962, Breedon church has been a Grade I listed building. This means it's considered a building of very special importance and is protected for future generations.
Exploring the Church
Ancient Anglo-Saxon Carvings
The church is home to many important Saxon carvings. Some of these might be among the oldest surviving carvings in England! These sculptures came from the first Saxon abbey church that stood here. They are even older than the church building we see today.
You can see many of these old carvings built into the interior walls of the church. They are often wrapped in lead sheets, which suggests they were added later and not meant to be part of the main structure. These carvings are from the 800s. They show beautiful Celtic patterns, lions, people, and birds pecking at vines.
Shirley Family Tombs
Inside the church, you'll find many tombs from the 1500s and 1600s. These belong to the Shirley family, who bought the monastery land. There are two large tomb chests made from a special stone called Chellaston alabaster. The oldest tomb is for Francis Shirley and his wife, made in 1571. It has carved figures of mourners around the sides. The other similar tomb is for John Shirley and his wife, made in 1585. Both of these were created by skilled stonemasons named Richard and Gabriel Royley.
The most impressive tomb is for Sir George Shirley. It's the largest monument inside the church. What's amazing is that it was made over 20 years before Sir George Shirley died in 1622! It was finished in 1598 and has three levels. On the bottom level, there's a very realistic skeleton carved from alabaster. This skeleton is there to remind everyone that life is short and we all die.
The middle level is supported by six pillars. It has two arched spaces. On the right, you see Sir George Shirley and his two sons praying. They are dressed in colorful clothes from that time, with gold details. On the left, in the other arch, are his wife (who died in 1595), his daughter, and two babies. A Latin message on the tomb says his wife died at age 29.
The top level is a stone canopy, also held up by six pillars. It has a large, carved family crest in the middle. This huge monument was built from big blocks of alabaster. It was repaired in the 1800s by a stonemason named Thomas Allt, who even signed his work.
Old Church Seating: The Pews
The Shirley family had their own special pew, carved in 1627. A pew is a long bench in a church where people sit. The other box pews (pews with high sides) in the church are from the 1700s. The Shirley family pew is now in the north aisle, which is a side section of the church. This whole aisle used to be owned by the Shirley family until the 1950s.
Churchyard
The churchyard is the area around the church. It contains one war grave for a soldier from World War I.
Who Was St Hardulf?
St Hardulf is one of the saints the church is named after. Some historians believe he might have been King Eardwulf of Northumbria. This idea comes from a list of saints' burial places from the 1100s, which calls him "Ærdulf the king" and says he was buried at Breedon.
However, others think he was a holy man from Breedon, but not a king. They connect him with St Modwenna from nearby Burton on Trent. It's a bit of a mystery, especially since King Eardwulf was said to have killed another saint, St Alkmund, near Derby. So, it seems unlikely a Northumbrian king would be buried and made a saint in Mercia (another kingdom). The exact identity of St Hardulf is still debated by historians.
Church Organisation
Breedon parish is part of the Church of England. It belongs to the Deanery of North West Leicestershire, the Diocese of Leicester, and the Province of Canterbury. It is also part of a group of churches called the Flagstaff Family of Churches. These churches include:
- St Mary the Virgin, Coleorton
- St John's Chapel, Coleorton
- St Matthew's Church, Worthington
- St Helen's Church, Ashby-de-la-Zouch
- Holy Trinity, Ashby-de-la-Zouch
- All Saints Church, Isley Walton
See also
