The Church of St Helen is the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the village of

Treeton Treeton is a village and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It is located about south of the town of Rotherham and east of Sheffield City Centre. History There is evidence of Mesolithic and Ne ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

, England. It is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

church in the

Diocese of Sheffield The Diocese of Sheffield is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. The Diocese of Sheffield was created under George V on 23 January 1914, by the division from the Diocese of York (along with that pa ...

. The building is Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

and dates back to at least the 12th century AD. It is a prominent feature within the village, and can be seen from all directions.

History

There was a church on this site at the time of the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

survey in 1086, one of only 15 in what would become the

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

of South YorkshireHistory of the Churches in Treeton: St. Helen's Parish Church
''Treetonweb'', from ''The Yorkshire Archaeological Journal'', Vol. XVII. Treeton, South Yorkshire, England. Accessed 9 June 2012. The current building was originally constructed c. 1175 to c. 1200, after the previous church, in the Norman style, was demolished and re-built. Only the arches, which are clearly Norman, and a single child's coffin, remain from the original church. It was dedicated to

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

Helen. The lower half of the square tower that remains today, was constructed in the 12th century, and of rubble walling. It is on the westernmost edge of the church. A 13th-century

effigy An effigy is a sculptural representation, often life-size, of a specific person or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain ...

of a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

, the first in the area and commonly referred to as "Sir Gilbert", a reference to the

Earl of Shrewsbury Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...

, is built into the western wall. Unfortunately, the shield of the knight is too worn for the identification of any

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

that could verify the historical accuracy of this belief. The building was remodelled in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, and

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004, by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard Aus ...

in 1869 and 1892. There were also several additions in the 15th century, including the present

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

roofing, the southern porch, the south chapel, and the western part of the nave. Although the lower half of the tower was constructed in the 12th century, the upper half, which is made of a noticeably different stone and is surrounded on all sides by crenellations with a small upright spire in each corner, was also constructed in the 15th century and contains six bells, three of them not installed until 1892. A clock face can be seen on the eastern side of the tower. On 29 March 1968, it was listed as a Grade I building, and has remained so ever since.British Listed Building
St Helen's Church, Treeton
retrieved 27 May 2012

Notable rectors

* 1660-1664: Shorland Adams

Theft

The church is still in use by the congregation of the village of Treeton. In 2008, police found three youths on the church roof, wearing masks, balaclavas and gloves, when over £100,000 worth of lead had already been stolen previously in 10 separate raids, but they were released without charge because they "might be there just for the view". No evidence was found that the youths were planning to steal the lead, even though some had been rolled up on the roof.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Treeton, Saint Helen Grade I listed churches in South Yorkshire Church of England church buildings in South Yorkshire 12th-century church buildings in England 12th-century establishments in England