St Peter's Church, Edensor, is a Grade I listed church in

Edensor Edensor (pronounced ) is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 145. Much of the village is privately owned, by the Dukes of Devonshire, the Cavendish family. Most of the dece ...

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 ...

. St Peter's is the closest

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the 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 community activities, ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

to Chatsworth House, home of the

Dukes of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...

, most of whom are buried in the churchyard. St Peter's is in a joint parish with St Anne's Church, Beeley. The historic listing summary for the church states that it was built in the 12th century, modified in the 15th and "rebuilt in 1867 by Sir George Gilbert Scott".

Church

History

The original village of Edensor was located immediately next to Chatsworth House, but between 1838 and 1842 the

6th Duke of Devonshire William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, (21 May 1790 K. D. Reynolds, ‘Cavendish, William George Spencer, sixth duke of Devonshire (1790–1858)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; ...

had it demolished so it would be out of sight over a hill. The planning of the new village and the parish church was overseen by Joseph Paxton. The church was built for the 7th Duke of Devonshire. Consecrated in 1870, St Peter's comprises a west steeple, nave with aisles, chancel, north vestry and south east chapel. A 2020 report states that the current church with its 166 feet-high spire, designed by George Gilbert Scott, was not built until about 25 years after the village was completed. It was a "replacement for the original squat-towered church that had occupied the site previously". Derbyshire Council states that "Edensor Church was taken down and rebuilt in 1867, incorporating some of the old Norman" church. Another source specifies that "very little remains of the Norman church". The Council's research indicates that "the remains of two piscinas have been preserved" but does not state whether they are from the Norman era. Two features may be from that earlier church: "The nave is separated from the aisles by four pointed arches on each side, four of which belonged to the old church. The porch also, with some restoration, is a remnant of that edifice".

Memorials

* The Cavendish Memorial, a magnificent early-17th-century church monument to Henry (died 1616) and William (died 1625), commemorates the sons of Sir William Cavendish and

Bess of Hardwick Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury ( Hardwick; c. 1527 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series of well-made ...

. William (died 1625) was the 1st Earl of Devonshire. * The Barker family memorial commemorates a family member who fought aboard HMS ''Swiftsure'' in the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

. * Grave of

Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington Kathleen Agnes Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (' Kennedy; February 20, 1920 – May 13, 1948), also known as "Kick" Kennedy, was an American socialite. She was the second daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy as well as a si ...

(née Kennedy, 1920–1948). Her grave is marked with a headstone and a plaque in the ground commemorating the visit on July 29, 1963 of U.S. President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

to the gravesite. * Tablet to

Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire Andrew Robert Buxton Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire, (2 January 1920 – 3 May 2004), styled Lord Andrew Cavendish until 1944 and Marquess of Hartington from 1944 to 1950, was a British Conservative and later Social Democratic Party politic ...

(d. 2004), erected to commemorate his jubilee. St Peter's Church, Edensor - Cavendish Memorial 1.JPG, Cavendish Memorial St Peter's Church, Edensor - Barker family memorial.JPG, Barker memorial File:St Peter's Churchyard, Edensor - grave of Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington (née Kennedy, 1920–1948).JPG, Grave of Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington. On her gravestone, it says "Joy she gave joy she has found" St Peter's Church, Edensor - 11th Duke of Devonshire wall tablet1.JPG, Jubilee tablet to

Stained glass

File:East window in St Peter's Church, Edensor.jpg, East window in memory of

Lord Edward Cavendish Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Edward Cavendish MP (28 January 1838 – 18 May 1891) was a 19th-century British politician, soldier, and nobleman. Born in Marylebone, Cavendish was the third son of William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire,''The An ...

. By

Burlison and Grylls Burlison and Grylls is an English company who produced stained glass windows from 1868 onwards. The company of Burlison and Grylls was founded in 1868 at the instigation of the architects George Frederick Bodley and Thomas Garner. Both John Bu ...

dating from 1892. File:West window in St Peter's Church, Edensor.jpg, West window in memory of John Cottingham, steward to the 7th Duke of Devonshire. The window depicts the virtues of a good steward. By Hardman & Co. dating from 1879. File:Chapel window by Hardman at St Peter's Church, Edensor.jpg, Chapel window in memory of Lord Frederick Charles Cavendish. By Hardman & Co. dating from 1882

Organ

The pipe organ was built by Bishop and Son and dates from 1873. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Organists

*Richard Sedding ca. 1853 *Miss Forrester ca. 1870 *Albert Ernest Wragg 1879 - 1929 (previously organist of Stannington Church) *T.H. Mosley 1929 - 1932 (afterwards organist of All Saints' Church, Bakewell, Derbyshire) *Herbert Pilkington 1932 - 1942 (formerly organist of Beeley Wesleyan Methodist Church) *A. Morrey 1942 - ???? (formerly organist of Christ Church, Normacot)

Churchyard

Sir Joseph Paxton ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

(d. 1865) is buried in St Peter's churchyard, as are most

and their families, including U.S. President

's sister Kathleen, who was married to the 10th Duke's eldest son. Kennedy visited the grave during his presidency. Members of the

Cavendish family The Cavendish (or de Cavendish) family ( ) is a British noble family, of Anglo-Norman origins (though with an Anglo-Saxon name, originally from a place-name in Suffolk). They rose to their highest prominence as Duke of Devonshire and Duke of Newc ...

buried here include: *

William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, (21 May 1790 K. D. Reynolds, ‘Cavendish, William George Spencer, sixth duke of Devonshire (1790–1858)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; ...

(1790–1858), founder of modern-day Edensor * Lord Frederick Charles Cavendish (1836–1882) * Lucy Caroline, Lady Frederick Cavendish (1841–1925) *

William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire, (27 April 1808 – 21 December 1891), styled as Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1831 and 1834 and known as Earl of Burlington between 1834 and 1858, was a British landowner, benefactor, nobleman, ...

(1808–1891) *

Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire, (23 July 183324 March 1908), styled Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, was a British statesman. He has the distinction of having ...

(1833–1908) * Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire (1868–1938) * Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire (1895–1950) *

(1920–2004) *

Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire Deborah Vivien Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, (born Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford and latterly Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire; 31 March 1920 – 24 September 2014) was an English aristocrat, writer, memoirist, and socialite. She ...

(1920–2014) Their graves can be found on the highest spot of the churchyard in the Cavendish family plot. The churchyard also contains three Commonwealth service war graves of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

: a British soldier, a British

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

and a

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...

officer. Breakdown obtained from casualty record.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edensor Church of England church buildings in Derbyshire Grade I listed churches in Derbyshire Churches completed in 1867