PLEASE RESPECT THE CHURCH AND DO NOT VISIT IN DARK/UNSOCIABLE
HOURS.
HISTORY
Bardney Parish Church was originally built as part of the Benedictine Abbey complex, which was
dedicated to St Peter, St Paul and St Oswald. It was built in Saxon times and the Danes destroyed the whole site in 870 A.D. It was re-constructed by Bishop Remigius and Gilbert de Gaunt (Earl of London) in 11th century.
The land around the Abbey church was low-lying, and very boggy and prone to flooding in the winter months. Due to this, attendance by the locals was poor. The monks also tended to resent the intrusion of parishioners, disrupting their own prayers.
Before the present building, it is reputed that another church was built, on Abbey Road. This would have been a wooden structure. Unfortunately, the actual site is unknown, so this theory cannot be substantiated.
It was rebuilt, on its present site, in approximately 1434, following a petition to the Bishop, requesting a better site for the church. Eventually a grant of land was made, to the village, by the monastic chapter on 19th September 1434. This was the highest ground in the village, less vulnerable to winter floods.
It forms an integral part of the social fabric of the village, located by the Manor, School, Almshouses, Hospital and vicarage.
STRUCTURE
- The new church, dedicated to St Lawrence, was built with ashlar-faced stone blocks quarried from Edlington. The building is noted for the contrasting red brick chancel, using locally made bricks from Stixwould. Although the chancel looks like a later extension, it was all built at the same time.
- Stonemasons, under Lord Cromwell, who had been previously employed building Tattershall Castle and church, constructed the chancel and it is believed that they used the surplus bricks to build the chancel. The bricks were, reputedly, exchanged for timber from the Abbey woods.
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The brickwork has diamond diaper patterns deliberately built on the east gable, with more on the north wall of the chancel. There are also a number of chevrons built into the lower part of this wall, just above the drip moulding. They are made up of over-burnt, or vitrified, headers, symmetrically laid in the walls, which copied similar features on Tattershall Castle. These features were later copied during Tudor times.
- The monks from the abbey are reputed to have built the nave
- The roof is covered by ‘Rosemary’ clay tiles on the upper section, with slates on the lower areas.
- The gargoyles, window mullions and doors denote the structure was erected during the ‘perpendicular’ period. At some point, during the Reformation Period (first part of the 16th Century), the porch on the north side was removed. The remains can be clearly seen. The church contains many artefacts from the Abbey.
ALTARS
There are three altars within the church:
- The high altar slab is made of a large altar stone, surrounded by an oak frame, which was discovered under the chancel floor, in 1873. It is unusual as it bears seven crosses. It is believed to be the shrine of St Oswald, King of Northumbria, who was slain in the battle of Masserfield in 642 A.D. (If correct, it possibly the oldest piece of Christianity in Lincolnshire). The altar stones are from the abbey and bear the seven consecration marks (there are usually only five). St Oswald was buried in the Abbey, and a statue of him is by the altar.
- In 1916, in the north aisle, a side altar was erected, using stone from the abbey, to form a Lady Chapel. A wooden memorial forms a window sill, dedicated to the fallen in World War I. On 7th November 2009, 9 Squadron gave their 44 year-old standard to St Lawrence's Church, to be proudly displayed over this altar.
- The third altar, on the south aisle, was brought from Waddingworth church.
BELLS
The church originally contained four large Bells:
- The greater bell has the inscription “JESUS BE OVR SPEED” 1615.
- The next bell SANTUAS DOMINO 1663.
- The next AD. 1670.
- The last bell SOLI DEO HONOR ET GLORIA T.T.W.K. Church-Wardens 1644.
These are evident from an inventory produced in 1709.
1907 Church Bells
On 17th October 1907, a dedication ceremony was held for the bells. The original bells of 1663 and 1670 were re-cast, the ones from 1615 and 1644 were quarter-tuned and two new ones were added. Funding came from the Parishioners, friends and Mr John Sharpe and family. ( A commemorative brass plaque is in the church).
TOWER
- The tower was initially thought to have been built with timber. In 1812 a square wooden spire was added. It was constructed diagonally to the tower. The spire was thirty feet tall and cost £50, on top of which sat a weathercock, adding another £9 to the cost.
SANCTUARY
- A headless statue of St Lawrence is in the Sanctuary. It has been restored and is situated on the north wall. The iconic figure, which is mounted on a plinth at the end of the altar-rail is dated around 700 AD and was found in the ruins of the Abbey. It is of St. Lawrence he is portrayed with the griddle on which he was killed. (He has a griddle in the far left panel of the East window, as does the painting of St. Faith on the South wall.)
- A Crusader’s tomb is on the north wall.
- Two memorials are in the Sanctuary, to local people who were killed in the G
- reat War - a brass memorial to John Sharpe and a stone one to William Hazard MC.
THE CACHE
Bison tube.
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