St Wystan's Church is a
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...
in
Repton
Repton is a village and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England, located on the edge of the River Trent floodplain, about north of Swadlincote. The population taken at the 2001 Census was 2,707, increasing to 2,8 ...
,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
that is famous for its Anglo-Saxon crypt which is the burial place of two
Mercian kings
The Kingdom of Mercia was a state in the English Midlands from the 6th century to the 10th century. For some two hundred years from the mid-7th century onwards it was the dominant member of the Heptarchy and consequently the most powerful of the ...
.
The church is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, an ...
as a designated Grade I
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
, and is dedicated to the Anglo-Saxon Saint
Wystan (or Wigstan), who was formerly buried within the church's crypt.
Description
The Anglo-Saxon abbey church was
cruciform
Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design.
Cruciform architectural plan
Christian churches are commonly described ...
and may have had a tower over its central crossing.
[ The nave of the current church has Medieval Gothic north and south ]aisles
Aisles is a six-piece progressive rock band originally from Santiago, Chile. The group was formed in 2001 by brothers Germán (guitar) and Luis Vergara (keyboards), and childhood friend Rodrigo Sepúlveda (guitar). Later on, it expanded to incl ...
that were rebuilt in the 13th century and widened early in the 14th century.[Pevsner & Williamson, 1978, p. 305] The west tower and recessed spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...
were added in 1340.[ The top of the spire is above ground level.][ In the 15th century the nave ]clerestory
In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
with its timber roof and the two-storey porch were built and the tower windows were altered.[ Monuments inside the church include an ]alabaster
Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that includes ...
effigy of a knight from about 1400 and monuments to members of the Thacker family from 1563 and 1710.[ The tower has a ]ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
of eight bells, the oldest of which was cast at Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
in about 1500.
The church was restored
''Restored'' is the fourth
studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings.
Track listing
Standard release
Enhanced edition
Deluxe gold edition
Standard ...
between 1885 and 1886 by Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...
.
Crypt and royal burials
The crypt was constructed in the early 8th century; it was built over a spring and is thought to have originally been a baptistery
In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...
.
It was converted into a mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
for King Æthelbald of Mercia, during his lifetime. King Wiglaf and his grandson Saint Wigstan (after whom the later church is named), were also buried in the crypt.
It is thought that the royal bodies were first buried in the ground to decompose before their bones were interred in the crypt.
Following Saint Wigstan's burial, the crypt became a place of pilgrimage. However, following the Danish (Viking) invasion, St Wigstan's body was removed and taken with the fleeing monks.[ It was later returned but ]King Cnut
Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway ...
had St Wigstan's remains removed again in the 10th century; having them reburied at Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in Worcestershire, England between 700 and 710 following an alleged vision of the Virgin Mary by a swineherd by the name of Eof.
According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the No ...
in Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
.
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...
described the Anglo-Saxon parts of St Wystan's parish church as "one of the most precious survivals of Anglo-Saxon architecture in England".[Pevsner & Williamson, 1978, page 303] In addition to the crypt they include the chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
, the northeast and southeast parts of the crossing and part of the north transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...
.[ The crypt is a square chamber with a roof of three rows of three domical vaults supported by two ]pilaster
In classical architecture
Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...
s on each wall and four free-standing pillars at the four corners of the central vault.
Royal burials
* King Æthelbald of Mercia – died 757
* King Wiglaf of Mercia – died 839
* Prince/Saint Wigstan – died 849 ''(remains moved by King Cnut
Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway ...
to Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in Worcestershire, England between 700 and 710 following an alleged vision of the Virgin Mary by a swineherd by the name of Eof.
According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the No ...
)''
Archaeological sites
In the 1980s, a mass grave thought to be associated with the Great Danish Army
The Great Heathen Army,; da, Store Hedenske Hær also known as the Viking Great Army,Hadley. "The Winter Camp of the Viking Great Army, AD 872–3, Torksey, Lincolnshire", ''Antiquaries Journal''. 96, pp. 23–67 was a coalition of Scandin ...
was found in a mound, constructed over the remains of a Saxon chapel, to the west of St Wystan's Church in Repton by archaeologists Martin Biddle
Martin Biddle, (born 4 June 1937) is a British archaeologist and academic. He is an emeritus fellow of Hertford College, Oxford. His work was important in the development of medieval and post-medieval archaeology in Great Britain.
Early life ...
and his wife Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle and their team. It contained roughly 300 sets of human remains, about 20% of them women. The remaining 80% were from men aged 18 to 45. Many of them showed signs of violent injury, and a variety of Viking artefacts, such as a Thor pendant, were found among the bones. Although initial radiocarbon dating suggested that the bodies had accumulated there over several centuries, in February 2018, a team from the University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
announced that the remains could indeed all be dated to the late 800s AD, consistent with the time the army wintered in Derbyshire. They attributed the initial discrepancies to the marine reservoir effect
The marine reservoir effect is a phenomenon affecting radiocarbon dating. Because much of the carbon consumed by organisms in the ocean is older than that consumed by organisms on land, samples from marine life and from organisms that consumed a ...
from the high consumption of seafood by the Vikings.
Outside the crypt, the 'Repton Stone' was found in 1979. This is interpreted as an upper section of a standing cross with, on one face, a carving of a mounted figure. The figure is of a man wearing mail armour and brandishing a sword and shield, with a diadem
A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty.
Overview
The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', "I ...
around his head. The mounted figure has been identified as King Æthelbald of Mercia
Æthelbald (also spelled Ethelbald or Aethelbald; died 757) was the King of Mercia, in what is now the English Midlands from 716 until he was killed in 757. Æthelbald was the son of Alweo and thus a grandson of King Eowa. Æthelbald came to t ...
. In 757, Æthelbald was killed at Seckington
Seckington is a village and civil parish in North Warwickshire, about northeast of Tamworth. The B4593 road between Tamworth and Appleby Magna runs through the parish, passing about north of the village. Seckington shares a parish council wi ...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
, near the royal seat of Tamworth and buried at Repton. If this is Æthelbald, it would make it the earliest large-scale pictorial representation of an English monarch. The Repton Stone is displayed in Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Derby, England. It was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collect ...
.
Monuments
*South transept: George Waklin 1617 and Ellen Waklin 1614, John Macauley 1840, Thomas Whitehead 1645 (erected in 1802)
*South aisle: Gilbert Thacker 1563
*North aisle: Rev Joseph James 1856, William Bagshaw Stevens 1800, Francis Thacker 1710
Churchyard
The churchyard contains the war graves
War is an intense armed conflict between State (polity), states, governments, Society, societies, or paramilitary groups such as Mercenary, mercenaries, Insurgency, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violenc ...
of 17 Commonwealth service personnel (mostly Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
). Also buried there are the ashes of C. B. Fry
Charles Burgess Fry (25 April 1872 – 7 September 1956) was an English sportsman, teacher, writer, editor and publisher, who is best remembered for his career as a cricketer. John Arlott described him with the words: "Charles Fry could b ...
, whose tombstone, dedicated in 2008, describes him as "Cricketer, Scholar, Athlete, Author – The Ultimate All-rounder".
Organ
The church contains a two manual 23-stop tracker action pipe organ by Peter Collins dating from 1998. The specification can be found at the National Pipe Organ Register.
Organists
*Thomas Dalby - 1848 (afterwards organist of New Romney, then St Mary Magdalene's Church, Launceston
St Mary Magdalene's Church, Launceston is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Launceston, Cornwall. It is unusual for its carvings; the entire exterior of the original part of the church is built of carved granite blocks. T ...
)
*Herbert Stevens 1865–????
*A. E. Rogers 1887–????
*Mr. Hodgkinson c. 1903
*William James c. 1909[''Derby Daily Telegraph'', Wednesday 4 August 1909]
*Edgar Foster ????–1916
*Miss Partridge 1916–1918
*Edgar Foster 1918–????
*Cyril Woodward c. 1950s
*Andrew Patterson 1983–1987
*Terence W. Bennett 1987
Parish status
The church is in a joint parish with:
*St Mary the Virgin's Church, Newton Solney
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Newton Solney is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in Newton Solney, Derbyshire.
History
The church dates from the 14th century.
It was restored between 1880 and 1882 by Frederick Josias Ro ...
*St Saviour's Church, Foremark
St Saviour's Church, Foremark, is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Foremark, Derbyshire.
History
The church dates from 1662 and was built by Sir Francis Burdett, 2nd Baronet. The oak lectern was given in 1920 as a memo ...
See also
*Grade I listed churches in Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. The ceremonial county of Derbyshire includes the unitary authority of the city of Derby. This is a complete list of the Grade I listed churches and chapels in the ceremonial county a ...
*Grade I listed buildings in Derbyshire
There are over 9000 Grade I listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the county of Derbyshire, sub-divided by district.
Amber Valley
Bolsover
Chesterfield
City of Derby
...
*Listed buildings in Repton
Repton is a civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. The parish contains 53 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, six are listed at Grade I, the highest of the ...
*Repton Abbey
Repton Abbey was an Anglo-Saxon Benedictine abbey in Derbyshire, England. Founded in the 7th century, the abbey was a double monastery, a community of both monks and nuns. The abbey is noted for its connections to various saints and Mercian roya ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Repton, Saint Wystan
Church of England church buildings in Derbyshire
Grade I listed churches in Derbyshire
13th-century church buildings in England
Standing Anglo-Saxon churches
English Gothic architecture in Derbyshire
Arthur Blomfield church buildings