St Peter's Church, Barnburgh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Barnburgh |
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| 53°31′24″N 1°16′16″W / 53.5234°N 1.2712°W | |
| OS grid reference | SE 48413 03211 |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| Website | www.barnburghandharlington.co.uk |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Peter |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 5 June 1968 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Barnburgh |
| Deanery | Wath |
| Archdeaconry | Doncaster |
| Diocese | Sheffield |
| Province | York |
St Peter's Church in Barnburgh is a very old and important Church of England church. It stands right in the middle of Barnburgh village, close to Doncaster in South Yorkshire. This church is well-known for a cool story called the 'Cat and Man' legend. It serves the communities of Barnburgh and Harlington.
Building St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church is made up of several parts. It has a tall tower with four levels, topped by a small, short spire. The main part of the church, called the nave, has walkways on its north and south sides, known as aisles. There's also a special area near the altar called the chancel, which has another walkway or chapel on its north side. Finally, there's a porch at the entrance.
The church is built using two types of stone: sandstone and magnesium limestone. It's a mix of these materials.
Even though there has been a church on this spot since around 1150 AD, none of the very first building remains today. The church you see now was built later.
The Cresacre Family Chapel
On the north side of the chancel, there's a private chantry chapel. This was a special place for the Cresacre family to pray. The men of this family were important lords of Barnburgh from the 1200s to the 1500s.
Most of this chapel is taken up by a large tomb. It belongs to Sir Percival Cresacre, who passed away in 1477, and his wife, Alice, who died in 1450.
The Cat and Man Legend
The Cat and Man Legend is an exciting story about events that supposedly happened before the 1400s. Long ago, there was a large house, or hall, in Barnburgh that belonged to the Cresacre family.
The legend says that a knight from the Cresacre family was riding home late one night. People often say it was Sir Percival Cresacre, but some disagree. He was on a path from Doncaster that went through Sprotborough and High Melton. This path was surrounded by thick woods.
As the knight got closer to Barnburgh, a wildcat (or maybe a lynx) suddenly jumped out of a tree. It landed right on the back of his horse! The horse got scared and threw the knight to the ground, then ran away.
The wildcat then turned its attention to the knight. A long and very dangerous fight began between them. This struggle continued for a whole mile, all the way from a place called Ludwell Hill to Barnburgh village.
After fighting the cat for such a long distance, the knight headed for the porch of St Peter's Church. He probably wanted to get inside the church and close the door to escape the animal. However, the fight had been so fierce that Sir Percival fell down, dying, right there in the church porch. In his very last struggle, he stretched out his feet and crushed the wildcat against the wall of the porch.
So, the legend tells us, the cat killed the man, and the man killed the cat. They were found later by a group of people who went looking for the knight after his horse returned home without him.
If you visit the church, you might notice some stones in the floor of the porch that look stained with red. Also, there is a carving of a cat at the feet of the Cresacre statue inside the church, in the north aisle. These are said to be reminders of the famous legend.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in South Yorkshire
- Listed buildings in Barnburgh
