The Church of St Ricarius,

Aberford Aberford is a village and civil parish on the eastern outskirts of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 1,059 at the 2001 census, increasing to 1,180 at the 2011 Census. It is situated eas ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England, is an active

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

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 archdeaconry of York and the Diocese of Leeds. It is commonly stated that the dedication refers to the French saint St Richarius or Riquier who is supposed to have visited Aberford in 630. However, the church itself has a stained glass window depicting "Ricarius Rex 720" (King Richard) the Saxon King also known as St Richard the Pilgrim.''Leeds Intelligencer'', Saturday 03 May 1862 p8: "Aberford Church reopening and consecration" St Ricarius Aberford West Yorks (107a)

History

Apart from the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

tower, one Norman window and a 13th-century window, the church is largely an 1861 rebuilding of a 12th-century church by

Anthony Salvin Anthony Salvin (17 October 1799 – 17 December 1881) was an English architect. He gained a reputation as an expert on medieval buildings and applied this expertise to his new buildings and his restorations. He restored castles and country ho ...

. The church was listed as a grade II

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 ...

on 3 February 1967.

Architectural style

Exterior

The church is of

magnesian limestone The Magnesian Limestone is a suite of carbonate rocks in north-east England dating from the Permian period. The outcrop stretches from Nottingham northwards through Yorkshire and into County Durham where it is exposed along the coast between Ha ...

with a slate roof. The west tower has a short octagonal spire and copies the style of the former tower: it has three stages with a rubble base and from there up is of squared masonry. The belfry has Normal-style round-headed belfry windows on all sides of the third stage and a clock face on the eastern side. There is a nave with both north and south aisles and a gabled porch to the south aisle. The church has a north vestry and a small chancel with south chapel. The chapel has a small priest's door and window. The porch has a sundial dating from 1806.

Interior

The church has four-bay arcades with double-chamfered arches and short cylindrical columns. The chancel arch has a 20th-century figurative painting. There is a two-bay arcade on either side of the chancel and on the north side a Norman lancet, perhaps relocated from the previous church. The church contains the anvil of blacksmith Samuel Hick, who is buried outside. There is an octagonal stone font with an ornate carved wooden cover. File:St Ricarius Nov 2016 (74).JPG, Interior File:St Ricarius Aberford West Yorks (41).JPG, Carved wooden cover over the font File:St Ricarius Church (69).JPG, Clock chamber File:St Ricarius Nov 2016 (77).JPG, Font and cover File:St Ricarius Aberford West Yorks (71).JPG, Sundial over porch File:Choir at St Ricarius Aberford.jpg, The choir at the church in the early 20th century

Market Cross

Outside the church's south gate is a former

market cross A market cross, or in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. History Market crosse ...

thought to be of 17th-century origin which was relocated here in 1911. Like the church the cross is of magnesian limestone. The cross has two circular steps and a stone pedestal and octagonal plinth. There is a lettered brass plaque claiming the cross was removed during the plague in 1644 and restored and relocated to commemorate the coronation of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

in 1911.

References

External links

St Ricarius' Church, Aberford
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aberford, St. Ricarius' Church Grade II listed churches in Leeds Anglican Diocese of Leeds Church of England church buildings in West Yorkshire Ricarius