There are few churches dedicated to St Peter ad Vincula, and you probably won't find this in any of the guide book, even though it is one of the best examples of an unspoilt Early English Church.
The Church dates from the C13th and there was a Saxon church on the site. Bottesford was listed in Domesday survey of 1986 as having a church and mill. For most of its history it has been a small farming settlement with the church serving a large and disperse rural area. Little is known about its history.
The windows in the side aisles were enlarged later and the tower was added later in the C15th and was heightened at some stage. There was some restoration in the C19th.
Built of the local ironstone with limestone dressings, it is a large cruciform church a long nave with two side aisles, two small transepts and small chancel. There is little space for a choir. It is surrounded by a large graveyard.
Entry is through the north porch and the immediate impression is of size with massive pillars with transitional pointed arches. The massive walls above the chancel and transept arches have a large open space, presumably to reduce weight. This is a place you have to remember to look up.
The clerestory has alternating round and lancet windows. Round windows are not usually found this far north although are common in East Anglia
At the back, a very tall narrow arch leads into the base of the tower.
The chancel is small compared with the rest of the church. The floor is covered with Victorian tiles. On the south wall, is a sedilia with an aumbry cupboard on the north wall. The side windows in the chancel are very tall and narrow.
On the east wall behind the free standing altar are two niches. These are most unusual in a church and were used to hold holy relics. The Knights Templar are known to have owned land in Bottesford and it is possible they brought back chains for Jerusalem which were believed to have bound St Peter. They would have been kept safe here, hence the name of the Church, St Peter in chains. (The chains seen now are modern...)
The south transept was used as a vestry and now contains the organ.
The north transept was the burial place of the Holme and Morley families who were major land owners in the C14th to C16th. It is now the Lady Chapel, with a piscina on the east wall.
The stone slab ‘tomb’ in the corner was the pre Reformation stone altar and still has its consecration crosses. Queen Elizabeth banned the use of stone altars and they had to be replaced by wooden altar tables. The Morleys and Holmes were staunch Catholics and the stone alter slab was moved to the south transept. A later stone inscription on the front declares it to be a tomb, thus fulfilling the requirement to remove it but at the same time preserving it for later use ....
There is another small table altar at the end of the south aisle.
On a column is the Sanctus Bell.This again was banned during the Reformation and around 1550, the bell was hidden in a hole high in the west wall of church. The bell was rediscovered during restoration of the church in 1890 and hung here. It is still used during a communion service.
On the west wall is a lancet window believed to be a squint window for people excluded from worship as they had symptoms of plague. They were still able to watch the service from outside the church through this window.
On a wall inside the south porch is a mass sundial or scratch dial. These were found on the south side of many churches from 1100 - 1600 and marked the time of mass and other services. The hole in the centre of the dial would once have contained a horizontal wooden or metal rod that cast a shadow as the sun moved round. It is thought this was moved inside the south porch during the C19th restorations to preserve the dial .
The font just inside the door is Early English and a very simple octagonal limestone bowl, lined with lead
There is no pulpit in the church - just the stone base near the chancel arch. The wooden pulpit had woodwork and had to be removed.
In many ways this is just a typical English Church which has survived unchanged over the years due to its isolated rural location. It does however have many unique features like the sanctus bell, pre-Reformation altar and relic niches not found in other churches. Those alone make it worth finding. It is usually open during daylight hours.
website
The Church dates from the C13th and there was a Saxon church on the site. Bottesford was listed in Domesday survey of 1986 as having a church and mill. For most of its history it has been a small farming settlement with the church serving a large and disperse rural area. Little is known about its history.
The windows in the side aisles were enlarged later and the tower was added later in the C15th and was heightened at some stage. There was some restoration in the C19th.
Built of the local ironstone with limestone dressings, it is a large cruciform church a long nave with two side aisles, two small transepts and small chancel. There is little space for a choir. It is surrounded by a large graveyard.
Entry is through the north porch and the immediate impression is of size with massive pillars with transitional pointed arches. The massive walls above the chancel and transept arches have a large open space, presumably to reduce weight. This is a place you have to remember to look up.
The clerestory has alternating round and lancet windows. Round windows are not usually found this far north although are common in East Anglia
At the back, a very tall narrow arch leads into the base of the tower.
The chancel is small compared with the rest of the church. The floor is covered with Victorian tiles. On the south wall, is a sedilia with an aumbry cupboard on the north wall. The side windows in the chancel are very tall and narrow.
On the east wall behind the free standing altar are two niches. These are most unusual in a church and were used to hold holy relics. The Knights Templar are known to have owned land in Bottesford and it is possible they brought back chains for Jerusalem which were believed to have bound St Peter. They would have been kept safe here, hence the name of the Church, St Peter in chains. (The chains seen now are modern...)
The south transept was used as a vestry and now contains the organ.
The north transept was the burial place of the Holme and Morley families who were major land owners in the C14th to C16th. It is now the Lady Chapel, with a piscina on the east wall.
The stone slab ‘tomb’ in the corner was the pre Reformation stone altar and still has its consecration crosses. Queen Elizabeth banned the use of stone altars and they had to be replaced by wooden altar tables. The Morleys and Holmes were staunch Catholics and the stone alter slab was moved to the south transept. A later stone inscription on the front declares it to be a tomb, thus fulfilling the requirement to remove it but at the same time preserving it for later use ....
There is another small table altar at the end of the south aisle.
On a column is the Sanctus Bell.This again was banned during the Reformation and around 1550, the bell was hidden in a hole high in the west wall of church. The bell was rediscovered during restoration of the church in 1890 and hung here. It is still used during a communion service.
On the west wall is a lancet window believed to be a squint window for people excluded from worship as they had symptoms of plague. They were still able to watch the service from outside the church through this window.
On a wall inside the south porch is a mass sundial or scratch dial. These were found on the south side of many churches from 1100 - 1600 and marked the time of mass and other services. The hole in the centre of the dial would once have contained a horizontal wooden or metal rod that cast a shadow as the sun moved round. It is thought this was moved inside the south porch during the C19th restorations to preserve the dial .
The font just inside the door is Early English and a very simple octagonal limestone bowl, lined with lead
There is no pulpit in the church - just the stone base near the chancel arch. The wooden pulpit had woodwork and had to be removed.
In many ways this is just a typical English Church which has survived unchanged over the years due to its isolated rural location. It does however have many unique features like the sanctus bell, pre-Reformation altar and relic niches not found in other churches. Those alone make it worth finding. It is usually open during daylight hours.
website
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