ST. PHILIP & ST. JAMES
We have been driving through Whittonstall for upwards of 30 years and never knew there was a church here, which says little for our powers of observation.
Taken from inside the church
Whittonstall village has probably been occupied from at least Roman times and it is said that at or near Ebchester, before the year 660, St. Ebba built a monastery which was later destroyed by the Danes.
After the Norman conquest the Balliol family settled at Bywell and owned most of the townships of Whittonstall and Newlands. The privilege of a chapel was conceded to the lord of the manor at Whittonstall and though there is no record of an endowment it is likely that a chapel existed.
Whittonstall seems to have had its own minister in the reign of Queen Elizabeth and after the insurrection of 1569 it was objected that the curate of Whittonstall was allowed “to churche three women and maybe certains persones in latton (Latin), in such rites and forme as was prescribed by the Pope”
The earliest record in the parish register is stated to have been in 1743 when the church was a chapel-of-ease to Bywell St. Peter’s. The parish registers, kept at Bywell, were damaged in the great flood of 1771 and it was then necessary to record that marriages were solemnized in the chapel before 1754.
In 1818 a priest who had been curate of Shotley Bridge and Whittonstall said that in his day the chapel was “a perfect hovel”, this is probably in reference to its dilapidation, as it is believed to have had architectural merit. This belief is based largely on evidence of one stone (which can be seen in the porch) this stone is accepted to be part of what must have been a very good example of an early English chancel arch. It has further been suggested that as there is a chancel arch the church consisted of a chancel and a nave, and that is was early 13th century. It is possible that the church was a small-scale copy of the mother church of St. Peter’s.
In 1830 as the nave was in ruins and the chancel very dilapidated, the chapel was rebuilt. Various improvements made about 1890, are believed to have included a new chancel arch, stained glass, seating, organ and heating, so that the church is very much its present appearance.
In approx. 1902 a tomb slab was unearthed in the churchyard. The slab is unusual in that it bears a sword motif, more common on medieval Scottish slabs. Similar slabs lie at Durham cathedral, only the highest ranks of medieval society would be able to afford a permanent memorial such as this. The sword probably denotes a man with a right to bear arms.
Now onto the main reason for your visit. This cache is a multi, you will need to visit four spots within the church surrounds and the final is a short walk from the church. The cache can be found at N54 54.ABC W001 53.DEF
Waypoint 1 N54 54.551 W001 53.348
A = Number of letters in the first word on the sign to the left of the gate
B = Distance to Whittonstall Spoats X4
Waypoint 2 N54 54. 554 W001 53.395
C = the number of small arched windows in the row at the bottom of the large arched window
Waypoint 3 N54 54.561 W001 53.398
D = the number of letters in the name of the local shepherd
E= the third digit in the year Kathleen Graham died
Waypoint 4 N54 54.534 W001 53.466
F = the number of steps leading up out of the churchyard
Checksum = 22
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro.co.uk
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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