Church of All Saints, Campton

Church of All Saints, Campton

Campton All Saints Church
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Architecture
Status Parish church
Functional status Active
Administration
Parish Campton
Deanery Ampthill & Shefford
Archdeaconry Bedford
Diocese St Albans[1]
Clergy
Vicar(s) Reverend Dean Henley

The Church of All Saints is the Anglican parish church in the village of Campton, Shefford, Bedfordshire, England. Its official title is Campton and Chicksands Parish[2] and encompasses the villages of Campton and Chicksands and the nearby military base,[3] despite the base having its own church dedicated to Saint Gilbert of Sempringham. The military church is a non-denominational church, so it is not a part of the Anglican parish.[4]

The building has been Grade II* listed since 1966.[5]

History

The church dates back to the 13th Century and was originally constructed from red sandstone hewn blocks.[6] It has been added to and rebuilt many times over the last eight centuries, including the addition of the Osborn Mausoleum in 1649 and the Osborn chapel in the same year (which forms the northern part of the church).[7][8] Several of the Osborn crests and mottoes adorn the church which in Latin is 'Quantum in Rebus Inane,' and translates as 'What vanity in human affairs.'[9]

The tower is 43 feet (13 m) high and 10 feet (3.0 m) wide and was added in the 15 century replacing part of the south aisle.[10] The church was renovated in the late 19th century[11][12] with the tower being rebuilt from well cut sandstone blocks. At this time the organ was installed[13] and was believed to have been from Chicksands Priory.[10]

Robert Bloomfield (1766 - 1823),[14] the pastoral poet, is buried in the churchyard.[15] Although he lived and died in Shefford, he is interred in Campton[16] as the church in Shefford, was a Chapel of Ease (essentially a sub-church of All Saints as Parish church)[17] and as such had no burial ground. The church at Shefford remained in the Campton parish up until 1903,[18] when it gained a separate parish for itself. The first register for the church was started in 1568 and includes records for Campton-Cum-Shefford (as the Parish was known) up until 1812 when Shefford's own register was started.[19] The Campton-Cum-Shefford parish registers are notable for events in the 18th century including two people who were ex-communicated for fornication.[20]

The graveyard also contains one Commonwealth War Grave from the First World War.[21]

Rectors and vicars of the parish

List of rectors of All Saints Church Campton

The parish records note that there has been a rector officiating in the church since at least 1215. The history of the parish also has links into other parishes and certain redrawing of the boundaries. The church became a de facto head church when it was held in plurality with other parishes (IE when a rector officiates in two parishes).[22] This has happened twice in the history of All Saints; between 1955 and 1976 when it was held in plurality with Shefford and from 1976 to 1982 when it was held in plurality with Meppershall and Stondon.

The names given below are from the List of Campton Rectors held by Central Bedfordshire Council. There is a parchment sheet with a list of rectors displayed inside the church (see image). This list differs with spellings and dates and where anomalies exist, they are annotated. The current incumbent is the Reverend Dean Henley who acceded in 2006.[23]

Year Name Year Name Year Name Year Name
1215 William 1402 Henry Everedon[note 1] 1552 Edward Robinson 1911 Arthur E Lloyd
1244 Richard de Camelton 1405 Robert Merston 1566 Robert Fitzhenry 1916 Francis Fairchild Greig
1273 Simon de Hemmesby[note 2] 1409 William Tappe 1586 Hugh Stanbridge 1928 Henry James Tanner
1280 Simon de Fegg[note 3] 1416 John Wryght 1604 William Gouldsmith 1933 Arthur Sydney P McGhee
1292 John de Hecham 1416 John Ram 1644 Daniel Gouldsmith 1955 David John Lawrence
1298 Peter de Conesgrave 1417 Thomas Thorne[note 4] 1686 William Hill 1966 Harold Percy Hansen
1327 Alan de Gonshill 1431 John Bevyll 1703 Antelminelli Kelynge 1971 George Thomas Botting
1344 John De Ganeworth[note 5] 1440 William Maxey 1709 Richard Finch 1976 Roy Frederick Day
1346 Thomas Atterbrigg 1441 Elias Holcott 1711 John Keye 1982 Gordon Hamilton Waller
1349 Ralph Snow 1441 William Northwold 1716 Matthew Hanscombe 1987 William David B Williams
1350 Giles atte Well[note 6] 1462 William Halle 1727 Thomas Osborn 1991 John Henry Barrall
1367 John De Monte Acuto[note 7] 1464 Thomas Large 1748 Jacob Janeway 1999 David W Renshaw
1383 Thomas Crouch 1466 William Northwold 1790 Edmond Williamson 2002 Margaret Joy Venables
1392 Thomas Tydy 1467 John Caller 1839 Edmond Riland Williamson 2006 Dean Henley
1398 William Den 1505 Oliver Elke 1864 William Best
1400 John Chokwold 1539 Robert Catton 1870 George Montague Osborn

The bells and the bell-ringers

List detailing the bells of All Saints Church Campton

The notice in the church (see image) lists 11 bells in the tower, two of which were cast in 1520 by William Culverden.[6][24] Eight new bells were cast for the tower in 2006.[25] The bells were hung alongside the existing three bells and dedicated on the 1 July 2007 being blessed in a special ceremony by the Bishop of Bedford.[26]

The Campton Bell-Ringers peal out the bells for Sunday morning services and the bells are used in bell ringing competitions.[27][28]

Church Interior

The church has many notable features; two priscinas (one by the altar and one in the south chapel), alcoves for effigy display[10] and plaques and markers detailing remembrances for the dead. There are numerous Osborn family plaques commemorating their dead,[29] but the oldest plaque dates back to 1489 and remembers Richard Carlyll and his wife Joan, both of whom died on 14 February 1489.[19] No explanation is given for why they both died on the same day.

Some of the stained glass windows are dedicated to the dead and others (such as the east window) depict the saints and the Lamb of God.[10]

The church used to have a Jacobean screen across the front of the Chancel. The screen dated back to 1670, but was destroyed in a fire in May 1960 when a sulphur candle used to remove bees in the church had been left unattended.[30]

Notes

  1. ↑ Listed on the parchment hanging in the church as Henry Everden
  2. ↑ Listed on the parchment hanging in the church as Simon Hemmersby
  3. ↑ Listed on the parchment hanging in the church, but only referred to on his death in the citation given
  4. ↑ Listed on the parchment hanging in the church as Thomas Hoore
  5. ↑ Listed on the parchment hanging in the church as John de Yaneworth
  6. ↑ Listed on the parchment hanging in the church as Giles Atwel
  7. ↑ Listed on the parchment hanging in the church as John de Monteacuto

References

  1. ↑ "All Saints, Campton". A Church Near You. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Campton and Chicksands Parish Council". www.bedsparishes.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Parish Finder". www.achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Chicksands - Service Community Official Guide. Golspie: Method Publishing. April 2015. p. 7. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Parish Church of All Saints - Campton and Chicksands - Central Bedfordshire - England". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Portrait of a Village Steeped in History". Biggleswade Chronicle. Biggleswade Today. 6 June 1986. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "The Village Caught Red Handed". Post Echo. Bedford Central Library. 7 December 1982. p. 7.
  8. ↑ "Osborn Mausoleum - Mausolea & Monuments Trust". www.mmtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  9. ↑ "Surname Meaning, Name History, Crests, Coat of Arms & Genealogy : MyFamilySilver.com". www.myfamilysilver.com. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Campton – All Saints". bedfordshireparishchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "The parish church of All Saints, Campton, Bedfordshire". ukga.org.
  12. ↑ "Listed Church Grant Shock". Ampthill & Flitwick Times. 20 September 1984. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  13. ↑ Cadman, D J (1987). Campton - A Study of a Bedfordshire Village. p. 70.
  14. ↑ "The Robert Bloomfield Society". robertbloomfieldsociety.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Bloomfield". poetsgraves.co.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "The Farmer's Boy Author Forgotten". Biggleswade Chronicle. 20 August 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  17. ↑ "Campton Village - History of All Saints' Church". www.camptonandchicksands.org.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  18. ↑ "Shefford Conservation Area Appraisal" (PDF). Central Bedfordshire. January 2010. p. 5. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  19. 1 2 "Parishes: Campton cum Shefford and Chicksands". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  20. ↑ Blaydes, F A (1889). "Bedfordshire notes and queries". archive.org. p. 40. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  21. ↑ "Commonwealth War Grave All Saints Churchyard - Campton - TracesOfWar.com". en.tracesofwar.com. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  22. ↑ "Plurality". www.churchofenglandglossary.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  23. ↑ "List of Campton Rectors". www.bedfordshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  24. ↑ "Campton & Chicksands - History of All Saints' Bells". www.camptonandchicksands.org.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  25. ↑ "It's time to ring in the new bell". Biggleswade Chronicle. Biggleswade Today. 21 July 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  26. ↑ "Campton - church bells appeal". www.camptonandchicksands.org.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  27. ↑ "Campton - bellringers". www.camptonandchicksands.org.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  28. ↑ "Bell ringers strike it lucky". Bedford Today. 22 May 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  29. ↑ "Cavaliers and Roundheads". Ampthill & Flitwick Times. 14 June 1984. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  30. ↑ "Fire at Campton Church". Luton Times. May 1960.

Coordinates: 52°01′46.1″N 0°21′16.1″W / 52.029472°N 0.354472°W / 52.029472; -0.354472

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