Wikipedia

Church of St Andrew, Kildwick

The Church of St Andrew is an Anglican parish church in the village of Kildwick, North Yorkshire, England. A church has been in Kildwick since at least 950 AD, though the current structure dates back to the 16th century, but in its oldest parts are c. 12th century. The church was one of only two being recorded in Craven at the time of the Domesday survey, and was historically known as the Lang Kirk of Craven as it is unusually long for a parish church. It has a split graveyard, with a small portion to the north of the Leeds Liverpool Canal, and the larger graveyard to the south of the canal surrounding the church.

Church of St Andrew
Lang Kirk of Craven[1]
A long, low-roofed church building, with a tower in the background and the building itself set amongst gravestones
Map
53°54′33″N 1°59′03″W / 53.9091°N 1.9842°W / 53.9091; -1.9842
OS grid referenceSE 01144 45893
LocationKildwick, North Yorkshire
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
History
StatusOpen
DedicationSt Andrew
Architecture
Functional statusMajor parish church
StyleDecorated
Perpendicular
Administration
DioceseLeeds
ArchdeaconryBradford
DeanerySouth Craven and Wharfedale
BeneficeKildwick, Cononley and Bradley
ParishKildwick, Cononley and Bradley
Listed Building – Grade I
Designated10 September 1954
Reference no.1132175

History

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There is archaeological evidence to prove that a house of worship existed within the area which is now Kildwick as far back as 950 AD; blocks from the Saxon era were discovered in the walls during the renovations of 1901–1903.[2] By the time of the Domesday Survey, Kildwick is one of only two places in the Deanery of Craven which is noted for having a church.[3][4][5][note 1] Sometime around the 12th century, the church was given by Cecillia de Romille to the priory at Bolton Abbey, though not long afterwards, Archbishop Thurstan claimed it, and it remained under the minster at York until the Dissolution, when the advowson was given to the college of Christ Church in Oxford.[8][5]

The church building dates back to the 14th century, but the four west bays have 12th century origins.[9] After the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Aire and Wharfe valleys were progressively sacked by Scottish raiders c. 1318, though it is thought that the church was spared being completely destroyed on account of the church's dedication to St. Andrew.[10] Brereton points out that the area of Kildwick (and the wider Craven district) was ravaged in 1317, but history does not record any serious damage to the church.[11] However, the rebuilding of the church took place in 1320, with the tower, parts of the aisles, and the nave, also all being built sometime on the 14th century.[12] It was noted in the 19th century that the eastern side of the tower bore the marks of a roof pitched at a higher level than the one the church then had.[13]

At some point during the 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII, the church was lengthened, and it measured 145.5 feet (44.3 m) by 48.5 feet (14.8 m), making it the longest church in the Deanery of Craven, and one of the longest churches in Yorkshire.[14][note 2] The church has since acquired the nickname of the Lang church in Craven, due to it being lengthened considerably, but it is unsure as to why the church was lengthened, there being no considerable increase in the population.[17][note 3][18][19] Additionally, the church floor is entirely on the same level from the base of the tower to the altar. A plan was prepared by an architect in 1881 to amend this at a cost of £685 (equivalent to £87,000 in 2023), but this was never implemented.[13] The south porch was rebuilt in 1873, and both south doorways were amended in 1868 so that the levels of the floor of the church and the doorways were at the same height.[20]

The tower, which was renovated in 1860, has two stages, a door in the west side, above which is a Perpendicular style window with three panes (lights).[21] The parapets of the tower are embattled and there is a square turret on the north-east side.[22] Above the tower doorway is a stone carved with a face that dates back to before the Conquest. It is thought to have been found during renovations and used within the tower walls between the doorway and the window above it.[23] The long church is composed of ten bays, six of which belong to the nave, and four to the chancel, with bays 1 to 4 in the nave being of a Decorated architectural nature, whilst many of the piers and arches are Perpendicular in nature.[15]

The font is of Norman origin, and until 1825, had a carved oak canopy above it until 1825, when a restoration to the west gallery necessitated its removal.[16] At the west end of the nave is the tomb and effigy of Sir Robert Styveton (Sir Robert of Steeton), who was a Knight Templar.[24] The Styveton's were an ennobled family of high military note who lived at Steeton.[25] The effigy is made from stone quarried near Tadcaster (known as Hazlewood Stone), the same used in the walls of York Minster.[26] Further renovations were carried between 1901 and 1903 costing £4,200 (equivalent to £570,000 in 2023).[27] These renovations found parts of Anglo-Saxon crosses and their shafts embedded in the 16th century walls. Many of these artefacts are on display in the church.[28]

The church also possesses an unusual cope which is made from a Chinese royal garment,[29] and on display in the church is a hand-written letter from Florence Nightingale, thanking parishioners for the gifts they sent to soldiers serving in Crimea.[30] The church was grade I listed in 1954, and celebrated its 700-year anniversary in 2020.[31][32]

Parish, benefice, and rectors

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Historically, the church and parish was part of the old Deanery of Craven, but it is now in the Deanery of South Craven and Wharfedale, in the Diocese of Leeds and the Benefice of Kildwick, Cononley and Bradley.[33] The parish in the 16th and 17th centuries stretched over both banks of the nearby River Aire, having a boundary in the north with Skipton, Bingley and Keighley in the south, and with Whalley in the west. It was bordered by the parish of Addingham in the east and Kildwick itself had no daughter churches.[34]

In 2021, St Andrew's was designated as a major parish church. The criteria for this designation is that the church is open daily for worshippers or tourists, that it is a grade I or II* listed building, is exceptionally large for its community, and that it makes a "considerable civic, cultural, and economic contribution to their community." The designation also allows the churches designated as major parish churches to access further revenue streams for improvements.[35]

Notable rectors at Kildwick include John Webster,[36] Roger Brereley who founded the Grindletonians,[37] and William de Gargrave (or William of Gargrave) who, along with the prior of Bolton Abbey, was required to fight at the Battle of Myton.[38]

Listed status and graveyard

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Hearse House

Besides the church itself which is grade I listed,[31] there are five other structures within the church grounds, or associated with the church, and all are grade II listed:

  • Gates, overthrow and gate piers approximately 20 metres west of Church of St Andrew[39]
  • South gates overthrow gatepiers [sic] and steps to Church of St Andrew[40]
  • Stocks approximately 5 metres east of south gates to church.[41] (Speight states that these were last used in 1860).[42]
  • Sundial Shaft in Garden of Rememberance [sic][43]
  • Hearse House Approximately 20 Metres South East of Church of St Andrew[44]

The footbridge over the canal at the north-west of the church is called Parson's Bridge, and is grade II listed.[45] The building of the canal in the early 1770s, split the graveyard in two and separated the church from the vicarage, so the story is that the incumbent vicar at that time, John Dehane, insisted a bridge be built to allow him access to the church.[46] Initially, Dehane was offered 45 Shillings per acre of land by the builders of the canal, but he refused this and asked them to re-evaluate the compensation.[47]

The whole church and churchyard lie within the Kildwick Conservation Area, which was approved in 1989.[48] The graveyard contains a burial plot with a stone-carved organ in the middle. This is to commemorate the Laycock family who were organ builders, their last involvement in the organ-building business was in 1970 as Laycock and Bannister.[49][50]

Notes

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  1. ^ The only other place mentioned in Domesday to have a church in the Craven area is Long Preston.[6][7] However, whilst only Long Preston and Kildwick are named as having churches, it is thought that this was deemed worthy of inclusion by the surveyors; other settlements may have had churches at this time.
  2. ^ Others give the length of the church as 146 feet (45 m), Pevsner stated it to be 165 feet (50 m) and Speight detailed it to be 176 feet (54 m).[15][16]
  3. ^ Various forms of the nickname have been used; Long church in Craven, Lang Kirk i' Craven etc.

References

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  1. ^ Rutter, David (1959). "Yorkshire West Riding". In Betjeman, John (ed.). Collins Guide to English Parish Churches. London: Collins. p. 436.
  2. ^ Brereton 1909, p. 10.
  3. ^ "Kildwick | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  4. ^ Domesday book. 30: Yorkshire: Pt. 2 / ed. by Margaret L. Faull. Chichester: Phillimore. 1986. p. 76. ISBN 0850335310.
  5. ^ a b Whitaker 1805, p. 149.
  6. ^ "Kildwick and its Lang Kirk 'i Craven" (PDF). farnhill.co.uk. p. 4. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  7. ^ "[Long] Preston | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  8. ^ Brereton 1909, p. 4.
  9. ^ Wood, Rita (2009). "A Romanesque corbel at Kildwick church, North Yorkshire". Yorkshire Archaeological Journal. 81. Leeds: Yorkshire Archaeological Society: 356. ISSN 0084-4276.
  10. ^ Tate, Lesley (12 October 2021). "A wealth of fascinating stories at Kildwick Church". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  11. ^ Brereton 1909, p. 15.
  12. ^ Brereton 1909, p. 16.
  13. ^ a b Claridge, W. (20 June 1885). "Kildwick and Farnhill". The Leeds Mercury. No. 14727. Column F. p. 8. OCLC 11968069.
  14. ^ Brereton 1909, p. 17.
  15. ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus; Ratcliffe, Enid (2003) [1959]. The Buildings of England - Yorkshire, the West Riding (2 ed.). London: Yale University Press. p. 283. ISBN 0-300-09662-3.
  16. ^ a b Speight 1891, p. 207.
  17. ^ Wheater, William, ed. (1885). Old Yorkshire (second series). London: Hamilton, Adams & Co. p. 112. OCLC 33980421.
  18. ^ Whitaker 1805, p. 151.
  19. ^ Brereton 1909, p. 18.
  20. ^ Brereton 1909, p. 20.
  21. ^ Ryan, W. E. David (2018). English Medieval church towers: the Northern Province. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-78327-353-9.
  22. ^ Glynne, Stephen (2007). Butler, Laurence (ed.). The Yorkshire Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne 1825–1874. Yorkshire/Suffolk: Yorkshire Archaeological Society/Boydell Press. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-903564-80-6.
  23. ^ Billingsley, John (2000). "An early carved head, and Anglo-Danish sculptures, at Kildwick church, North Yorkshire". Yorkshire Archaeological Journal. 80. Leeds: Yorkshire Archaeological Society: 43. ISSN 0084-4276.
  24. ^ Horsfall-Turner, J. (1890). "Kildwick church". Yorkshire Notes and Queries. II. Idel [sic], Bradford: Horsfall-Turner: 361. OCLC 1770355.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  25. ^ Speight 1891, p. 198.
  26. ^ Brereton 1909, p. 143.
  27. ^ "Craven through the years". infoweb.newsbank.com. 25 July 2003. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  28. ^ Coatsworth, Elizabeth (2008). Corpus of Anglo-Saxon stone sculpture, volume VIII; western Yorkshire. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 179–181. ISBN 978-0-19-726425-6.
  29. ^ Bottomley, Frank (1993). Yorkshire churches. Stroud: Sutton. p. 115. ISBN 0-7509-0344-9.
  30. ^ "Historic gem off the beaten track". infoweb.newsbank.com. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  31. ^ a b Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (Grade I) (1132175)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  32. ^ Tate, Lesley; Bacon, Julie (15 October 2020). "Kildwick Church appeals for your memories". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  33. ^ "St Andrew's Kildwick". achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  34. ^ Brigg, William, ed. (1919). The parish registers of St. Andrew's, Kildwick-in-Craven Volume 1. Leeds: Yorkshire Parish Register Society. p. xii. OCLC 526685366.
  35. ^ Tate, Lesley (13 July 2021). "Joy as 'Lang Kirk of Craven' awarded 'major parish church status'". Craven Herald. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  36. ^ Clericuzio, Antonio (23 September 2004). "Webster, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/28944. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  37. ^ Como, David R. (2010). Blown by the spirit: puritanism and the emergence of an antinomian underground in pre-Civil-War England. Stanford: Stanford University Press. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-8047-4443-0.
  38. ^ Brereton 1909, p. 49.
  39. ^ Historic England. "Gates, Overthrow and Gate Piers Approximately 20 Metres West of Church of St Andrew (Grade II) (1167725)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  40. ^ Historic England. "South Gates Overthrow Gatepiers and Steps to Church of St Andrew (Grade II) (1296766)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  41. ^ Historic England. "Stocks Approximately 5 Metres East of South Gates to Church (Grade II) (1132176)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  42. ^ Speight 1891, p. 208.
  43. ^ Historic England. "Sundial Shaft in Garden of Rememberance[sic] (Grade II) (1167751)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  44. ^ Historic England. "Hearse House Approximately 20 Metres South East of Church of St Andrew (Grade II) (1167772)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  45. ^ Historic England. "Parson's Bridge (Grade II) (1316817)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  46. ^ "Leeds Liverpool Canal Conservation area" (PDF). bradford.gov.uk. 21 March 2006. p. 11. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  47. ^ Killick, H. F. (1900). "Notes on the early history of the Leeds Liverpool Canal". The Bradford Antiquary. New Series (1). Bradford: Bradford Historical and Antiquarian Society: 209. ISSN 0955-2553.
  48. ^ "Craven District Council". data-cravendc.opendata.arcgis.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  49. ^ "Three Questions about the Kildwick "Organ Grave"" (PDF). farnhill.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  50. ^ Shand, Alistair (17 April 2021). "MEMORY LANE: Wind power was harnessed by a pioneering South Craven joiner". Keighley News. Retrieved 27 June 2024.

Sources

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  • Brereton, Edward William (1909). History of the ancient and historic Church of S. Andrew, Kildwick-in-Craven. Crosshills: Bottomley. OCLC 7063454.
  • Speight, Harry (1891). Through Airedale from Goole to Malham. London: Elliott Stock. OCLC 5824116.
  • Whitaker, Thomas Dunham (1805). The history and antiquities of the deanery of Craven, in the county of York. London: Nichols. OCLC 1046035617.
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