Helen (or Helena) was the Christian mother of the Emperor Constantine the Great, (who was himself a Christian). She was famous in her own right for making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 325 AD and founding the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was to her name that the Parish Church of Stapleford was dedicated.
However before the church was built, monks from a monastery at Breedon on the Hill came to bring Christian services to the town, and a stone pillar was set up where the monks and villagers met. This was around 1000 AD, and today the remnants of that Saxon Cross, now without it’s cross beam, still stands in the church yard.
“If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication. There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list"