St Peter's Church, Petersham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Petersham Parish Church
St Peter's, Petersham
St Peter's parish church, Petersham in 2008
Petersham Parish Church Location in London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
51°26′48″N 0°18′05″W / 51.44672°N 0.30125°W / 51.44672; -0.30125
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Central
History
Founded	Saxon times. Part of the chancel in the present building dates from 1266; the main body of the church was rebuilt in 1505
Administration
Parish	St Peter's, Petersham
Deanery	Richmond & Barnes
Archdeaconry	Wandsworth
Diocese	Southwark

St Peter's Church is a historic church located in the village of Petersham, which is part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It belongs to the Church of England. This charming church has a long history. Parts of it date back to the 13th century, and the main building was rebuilt in 1505. There might have even been a church here in Saxon times, which is a very long time ago!

Experts have called St Peter's a "church of uncommon charm" because its inside looks much like it did before the Victorian era. It has special old-fashioned box pews from the Georgian period and a unique two-level pulpit built in 1796. You can also see a display of the royal arms of the House of Hanover from 1810. A beautiful organ was added in 2009. The church is so special that it is a Grade II* listed building. Many important people are buried in its churchyard, some in tombs that are also listed as historic.

Famous Weddings at St Peter's

St Peter's Church has been the setting for some interesting historical weddings.

Royal Connections

• In 1664, Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who was a cousin of King Charles II, is believed to have married Lady Francesca Bard here.
• Elizabeth Murray, Countess of Dysart, who lived nearby at Ham House, married her second husband, John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale, in 1672.
• In 1881, Claude Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis, and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck got married at the church. Their daughter, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later married the Duke of York in 1923. She became Queen Elizabeth in 1936 when her husband became King George VI. This means she was the mother of Queen Elizabeth II!

Other Notable Weddings

• Lady Jane Hyde, daughter of the Earl of Rochester, married William Capell, 3rd Earl of Essex, at the church on November 27, 1718. A portrait of her by Sir Godfrey Kneller is now in the Watford Museum.

Important People Buried Inside the Church

Many notable people are remembered with memorials or are buried within St Peter's Church.

Early Figures

• Sir George Cole (died 1624) and his family are honored with a monument from 1624. He was a barrister, which is a type of lawyer. He married his wife Frances at St Peter's in 1585.
• Sir Thomas Jenner (1637–1707) has a plaque on the chancel wall. He was also a barrister and a judge.
• Elizabeth Maitland, Duchess of Lauderdale (1626–1698), who owned Ham House, is buried in a vault under the chancel with other members of her family.

Later Memorials

• A memorial tablet inside the church honors the famous explorer George Vancouver (1757–1798).
• There is also a memorial for Rear-Admiral Sir George Scott (1770–1841).
• A memorial for the Petersham Boy Scouts who died in the First World War was moved here in 2007 from another church.
• Captain John Niel Randle (1917–1944), who was awarded the VC for bravery, is also remembered here. He was killed in action during the Battle of Kohima.

Important People Buried in the Churchyard

The churchyard of St Peter's is a resting place for many interesting people from different centuries.

17th Century Burials

• Lodowick Carlell (1602–1675), a playwright, and his wife Joan Carlile (around 1606–1679), a portrait painter, are buried here. They lived at Petersham Lodge in Richmond Park.
• The oldest headstone in the churchyard belongs to Mary Karze (died 1686). It is a Grade II listed monument.

18th Century Burials

• Mary Burdekin (died 1772) was a pastry chef. She is believed to have been the first to bake the famous Maids of Honour pastries.
• William Duckett (1685–1749) was a British Army officer and politician.
• Nicholas Sprimont (1716–1771) was a silversmith who ran the Chelsea porcelain factory, which was the first important porcelain factory in England.
• The explorer Captain George Vancouver (1757–1798) wrote his famous book A Voyage Of Discovery while living in Petersham. His grave is Grade II listed.

19th Century Burials

• Henry Lidgbird Ball (1756–1818), a Royal Navy officer who discovered Lord Howe Island, is buried here. A plaque was added to his wife's family tomb in 2013.
• Mary Berry (1763–1852), an author, and her sister Agnes Berry (1764–1852) are buried together.
• Major General Sir Jeremiah Bryant (1783–1845) was a British Army officer.
• Edward James Mortimer Collins (1827–1876) was an English novelist and poet.
• Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe (1764–1839), a politician and writer on music, is buried in a Grade II-listed tomb.
• General Gordon Forbes (1738–1828), a senior British Army officer.
• Nathaniel Brassey Halhed (1751–1830), an expert in Eastern studies and languages, is buried in his family tomb.
• Lieutenant-General Sir William George Moore (1795–1862) fought in the Peninsular War and was at the Battle of Waterloo.
• Albert Henry Scott (1844–1865), a photographer, has a tomb designed by his father, the famous architect George Gilbert Scott. This tomb is Grade II listed.
• Lord Charles Spencer (1740–1820), a courtier and politician, died in Petersham while visiting his son.
• Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Stuart (1753–1801), a soldier who captured Minorca from Spain.
• Richard Taylor (1781–1858), a naturalist and publisher of scientific journals.

20th Century Burials

• Robert Beloe (1905–1984) was a chief education officer who helped create the CSE examination, which was a school qualification.
• Maggie Black (1921–1999) was an author and food historian. She wrote books about food history and children's books.
• Jonathan Cape (1879–1960) was a famous publisher who started his own publishing company in London.
• Major Edward Croft-Murray (1907–1980) was an expert on British art at the British Museum.
• John Darbourne (1935–1991) was an architect who co-founded the firm Darbourne & Darke.
• Michael Derrick (1915–1961) was an important figure in Roman Catholic journalism.
• Sir John Whittaker Ellis (1829–1912) was Lord Mayor of London and the first mayor of the Municipal Borough of Richmond.
• Elston Grey-Turner (1916–1984) was a medical doctor and secretary of the British Medical Association.
• Charles George Harper (1863–1943) was an author and illustrator who lived in Petersham.
• Sir Edmund Nuttall (1870–1923) was a civil engineer and head of Edmund Nuttall Limited.
• The painter and sculptor Glyn Philpot (1884–1937) has a pink granite tomb.
• Dorothy Grenfell Williams Powell (1934–1994), a radio producer for the BBC World Service, is buried with her husband, Geoffry Powell (1920–1999), an architect.
• Businessman Anthony Rampton (1915–1993) and his wife Joan were known for their charity work.
• Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Thomas Sloggett (1857–1929) was a doctor and British Army officer.
• Major General Sir Humphry Thomas Tollemache (1897–1990) was a senior Royal Marines officer.
• The local war memorial, a stone cross, is in the churchyard and is Grade II listed. It remembers local men who died in the First World War.

21st Century Burials

• Chris Brasher (1928–2003) was an athlete, sports journalist, and a co-founder of the London Marathon.
• Jane Carolin Fawcett (1921–2016) was a codebreaker at Bletchley Park during World War II. She is buried with her husband Edward "Ted" Fawcett (1920–2013), who was a poet and worked for The National Trust.
• Robin Patrick Langley (1942–2004) was a musicologist and the Petersham parish organist for 42 years.
• New Zealand artist Beth Zanders (1913–2009) and her husband, the New Zealand pianist Douglas Zanders (1918–2012), are also buried here.

Gallery

Church interior

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  The interior of the church, showing the Georgian box pews and the unusual gallery organ

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  Memorial to Sir George Cole

Church exterior and churchyard

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  War memorial

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  A 21st-century plaque commemorates Henry Lidgbird Ball's burial in the family vault of his wife Anne Georgianna Henrietta Johnston

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  Grave of Mary and Agnes Berry

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  Grave of Chris Brasher

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  Jeremiah Bryant funerary monument

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  Gothic Revival headstone of Henry and Charlotte Cain (1871)

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  Grave of publisher Jonathan Cape

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  Grave of Edward Croft-Murray

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  Grave of John Darbourne

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  Grave of Michael Derrick

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  Family tomb of Sir John Whittaker Ellis

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  Memorial to Edward and Jane Fawcett

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  Tomb of Army General Gordon Forbes

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  Grave of Elston Grey-Turner

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  Halhead family tomb

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  Mary Karze "who dyed ye 16th of April 1686"

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  Monument for Sir Edmund Nuttall and his wife Christine

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  Grave of Dorothy Grenfell Williams Powell, radio producer and broadcaster, and her husband Geoffry Powell, architect with Chamberlin, Powell and Bon

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  Tomb of Albert Henry Scott by Sir George Gilbert Scott

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  Sir Arthur Sloggett headstone

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  Grave of Sir Humphry Tollemache and his wife, Nora Priscilla, Lady Tollemache

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  Grave of George Vancouver

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  Grave of artist Beth Zanders and her husband, pianist Douglas Zanders

See also

• All Saints' Church, Petersham