St Peter’s Church & The Moat
St Peter’s Church
The church sits in the centre of a beautiful & peaceful churchyard away from the village. The first reference is in 1161, and there are traces of that church: a restored window in the south choir and the north doorway with its tympanum over it. The church was rebuilt in the 14thcentury. Most of the visible interior dates from 1842 with further re-ordering in 1890’s.
Notable featuresinclude the 14thcentury lead font; in the choir-a medieval dugout chest, originally used to house records and money; two early 14thcentury female effigies; on the walls monuments to three generations of the Rogers family, the 1683one has an epitaph written by John Dryden. The church clock, given in 1692, and recently restoredmaybe the oldest working clock in the county.
The churchyard contains graves thought to be Saxon and there are a number of listed Grade II* 18thcentury lyre ended chest tombs.
More details can be found in the Guide to St Peter’s and the Churchyard Quiz.The church’slocation meansthatits locked, contact details of key holders are on the noticeboards.
The Moat
A moat forms the northern boundary of the churchyard. The enclosed area – known as the Mount – is believed to be the site of a fortified dwelling of the early lords of the manor, the site has not been excavated. The relationship between the dwelling and the church suggests that the original building may have been a manorial chapel.