St Gregory's Minster is an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

church with a rare

sundial A sundial is a horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the word, it consists of a flat ...

, in Kirkdale near

Kirkbymoorside Kirkbymoorside () is a market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district in North Yorkshire, England. It is north of York, It is also midway between Pickering and Helmsley, on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. It had a populat ...

Vale of Pickering The Vale of Pickering is a low-lying flat area of land in North Yorkshire, England. It is drained by the River Derwent. The landscape is rural with scattered villages and small market towns. It has been inhabited continuously from the Mesolithic ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England. It is a 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 ...

. The minster was built on the site of an earlier church, and is dedicated to

St Gregory Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...

, who was

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

590–604. Major modifications were completed in the 15th century and in the 1800s. The church was restored during 1907–1909. The building is similar in style and age to that of St Hilda's,

Ellerburn Ellerburn is a village in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, situated near Thornton-le-Dale, about east of Pickering. It is located in the North York Moors National Park. History The tiny hamlet of Ellerburn was formerly an ...

. The church is open during the day; volunteer stewards provide information to visitors; services are offered weekly. The maintenance of the fabric of the building is helped by financial contributions from The Friends of St Gregory's Minster. The Friends Annual General Meeting is followed by the Kirkdale Lecture about the parish and its environs.

Parish status

St Gregory's Minster, Kirkdale - geograph

The Parish of Kirkdale is a

local ecumenical partnership In England and Wales, a local ecumenical partnership (or project) is a partnership between churches of different denominations. First piloted in 1964, over 850 now exist to promote unity between different Christian denominations. The missiolo ...

with * St Saviour's Church, Harome *St Hilda's Church,

Beadlam Beadlam is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 250, reducing to 229 at the Census 2011. It is situated about west of Pickering, near the southern ...

*All Saints’ Church,

Nunnington Nunnington is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. The River Rye runs through. Its population, including Stonegrave, taken at the 2011 census was 361. It is rich in listed historic buildings. History ...

*St John the Baptist's Church,

Pockley Pockley is a small village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It is about 1 mile north-east of Helmsley turning north from the A170 road. Its short, winding lane passes six thatched cottages in a quarter mile ...

St Gregory's Minster in Kirkdale.jpg, Aerial view from the north-west AStGregorysMinsterH9a.jpg, From the west AStGregorysMinsterH3b.jpg, Interior from the west AStGregorysMinsterH4c.jpg, Interior from the east AStGregorysMinsterrgelH13b.jpg, Stained glass AStGregorysMinsterFontH7b.jpg, Font AStGregorysMinsterrgelH6c.jpg, Organ AStGregorysMinsterrgelH14a.jpg, Weathercock AStGregorysMinsterrgelH15b.jpg, Roof

Sundial

The

above the church door dates to the 11th century (). The inscription is in Anglo-Saxon and is translated as follows by

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...

: "Orm Gamal's son bought St. Gregory's Minster when it was all broken down and fallen and he let it be made anew from the ground to Christ and St. Gregory, in Edward's days, the king, and in Tosti's days, the Earl. This is day's Sun marker at every tide. And Haworth me wrought and Brand, priests." The name Tosti refers to

Tostig Godwinson Tostig Godwinson ( 102925 September 1066) was an Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold Godwinson. After being exiled by his brother, Tostig supported the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada's invasion of England, and was killed ...

, the Earl who rebuilt a monastery in

Tynemouth Castle and Priory Tynemouth Castle is located on a rocky headland (known as Pen Bal Crag), overlooking Tynemouth Pier. The moated castle-towers, gatehouse and keep are combined with the ruins of the Benedictine priory where early kings of Northumbria were buried ...

Tynemouth Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, North East England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, hence its name. It is 8 mi (13 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon T ...

, during the reign of

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

, in about 1065.

References

External links

* * * *
"Kirkdale"
Ormerod.uk.net, description of the Minster reproduced from guides published by the Parochial Church Council * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Gregory's Minster, Kirkdale Kirkdale Kirkdale Kirkdale Kirkdale Kirkdale