St Peter's Church, Roydon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Roydon |
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| 51°46′22.07″N 0°2′16.23″E / 51.7727972°N 0.0378417°E | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | St Peter's Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Peter |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 20 February 1967 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Roydon |
| Deanery | Harlow |
| Archdeaconry | Harlow |
| Diocese | Chelmsford |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Peter's Church is an old and important church in the village of Roydon, Essex, England. It is part of the Church of England. This church has stood for hundreds of years. It has seen many changes in the village and in England.
Discovering Roydon's Ancient Church History
When Was the First Church Built in Roydon?
We don't know exactly when the first church was built in Roydon. But we do know there was a priest named William here in 1198. This means a church building existed by then. It was probably an Anglo-Saxon church. It might have been made of wood, like the famous Greensted Church.
After the Normans took over England, Roydon grew quickly. This was because it had good farmland. There were four main estates, called manors, in Roydon. These were Roydon Hall, Temple Hall, Doune Hall, and Nether Hall.
Roydon's Importance in the 1200s
In the 1200s, Roydon was a very important village nearby. It had a market every week. It also held a big fair once a year on August 1st. This day celebrates "St. Peter-ad-Vincula," which means "St. Peter in Chains." It remembers the day an angel freed St. Peter from prison.
Roydon was a very large parish, covering over 3,000 acres. It was also unusual because it was split between two different areas called Hundreds.
Building the Main Part of St Peter's Church
The main part of the current church, called the nave, was built a long time ago. Experts believe it was built between 1225 and 1240. This is based on studying the wooden beams in the roof.
At first, around 1240, there might have been a round section at the east end. This would have held the altar. But there is no proof of this today.
The church had a stone font for baptisms. This font is still in the church today. It is near the north door. The font has carvings of the heads of the four apostles: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The person who carved them used villagers as models. Two similar carved heads are outside the south door. They have been there since the church was built. This helps us know the font is the original one.
Building such a church needed a lot of money. It probably came from Sir Walter Fitzgerald. He was the Lord of the Manor of Roydon at that time. He owned Roydon Hall and Temple Hall from 1290. Sir Walter was a Knight Templar. These were crusading knights. The local pub, The Crusader, and Temple Farm are named after them.
The Knights Templar group was later banned across Europe. Kings felt they were becoming too powerful. Many Templars were killed, and their lands were taken. In Roydon, their properties, including the church, went to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem.
Adding the North Aisle and Chancel
Around 1380, the village was growing. The church needed to be bigger. So, a north aisle was added to make more space. The windows in the north aisle are mostly original. Some still have small pieces of their first glass at the top. Sadly, they were damaged during the English Civil War. The main pictures, probably of saints, were removed then.
The chancel was built at the east end of the original nave. A wooden screen, called a rood screen, separated it from the nave. Most of this screen is still original. The doors have been fixed over the years. An interesting part is a four-leaf clover shaped hole in the screen. People think it was used for confessions. In those days, all churches in England were Roman Catholic.
Above the screen, there used to be a gallery. It had a large wooden cross, probably with a carved figure of Christ. The hole where the cross was fixed is still there. During the Civil War, a group called the Roundheads removed the cross. They did not like figures of Christ or saints in churches.
For hundreds of years, the church was the biggest public building in the village. It was used for meetings that were not religious, as well as for services. When non-religious meetings happened in the nave, the screen gates were closed. This kept the chancel holy. Some older villagers remember this happening before the Village Hall was built in the 1920s.
The Hidden Rood Staircase Discovery
Recently, during work on the Colte Chapel, a surprising discovery was made. Workers needed to make a hole in the north wall. They found a hidden space with a fancy carved roof. An expert archaeologist was called. They identified it as a rood staircase. This staircase used to lead up to a gallery on top of the rood screen. Before this discovery, no one knew about this staircase. You can see a similar, open staircase in the nearby church at Nazeing.
The Church's Ceiling Changes
The ceiling of the chancel, now called the Colte Chapel, is plastered. Before the end of the Second World War, the rest of the church also had plastered ceilings. During the war, a bomb fell nearby. It didn't hit the church directly, but it cracked the ceilings in the nave and north aisle. To fix them, the plaster had to be removed. This showed the original wooden roof beams. The church decided to leave the timbers uncovered. This is great for historians. But it made the church colder and draftier for people attending services in winter!
Building the Church Tower
In the early 1400s, people decided Roydon's church needed a tower. It was finished by 1450. There might have been an earlier tower, as the current one has parts from Norman times. In some old churches, the priest lived in the tower. But it seems this was not the case in Roydon. The tower would have held a bell to call people to services. But it did not have a clock back then.
How the Church Looked 550 Years Ago
So, about 550 years ago, the church looked much like it does today from the outside. The only big difference is the clock. But inside, it would have looked quite different. There were no pews or chairs. Everyone stood during services. There might have been simple benches along the walls for older or sick people. This is where the saying "the weak go to the wall" comes from.
There was only one altar, at the east end. And, of course, all services followed the Roman Catholic faith.
If you could visit Roydon in 1450, St. Peter's Church would be the only building you would recognize today. Almost all other buildings from that time are gone. Only a cottage called 'Baldwyns' from that era still stands. Roydon was about to enter a time of great change and growth. This was because the Colte family was coming to the village.
