St Robert's Church,
Pannal
Pannal is a village in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated to the immediate south of Harrogate. Since 2016 it has formed part of the new civil parish of Panna ...
,
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, also known as St Robert of Knaresborough Parish Church, is a
Grade II* listed building. A 13th-century wooden church dedicated to
St Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
was rebuilt in
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
in the 14th century by monks of the
Trinitarian Order
The Trinitarians, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives ( la, Ordo Sanctissimae Trinitatis et Captivorum; abbreviated OSsT), is a mendicant order of the Catholic Church for men founded in Cerfroid, outside Pari ...
from
Knaresborough Priory.
It was perhaps then that it was rededicated to
Robert of Knaresborough. Its nave was rebuilt in the 18th century, restored in the 19th and remodelled in the 20th. Extensions were added in the 20th century. It is a
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, ...
, and the vicar also serves the
Church of St Michael and All Angels, Beckwithshaw
The Church of St Michael and All Angels, Beckwithshaw, North Yorkshire, England, also known as Beckwithshaw Church, is an Anglican church built and furnished between 1886 and 1887 by William Swinden Barber in the Gothic Revival style as part o ...
.
Location
The church stands on Main Street in the historic core of the village of Pannal, at about 85 metres above sea level. Pannal is a "straggling
linear
Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship ('' function'') that can be graphically represented as a straight line. Linearity is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include rectilinear motion, the linear ...
" village among farms, woods and former
quarries
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...
. The
crenellated
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
church tower is a significant landmark locally.
[Harrogate Borough Council: Pannal conservation area character appraisal](_blank)
Retrieved 5 January 2014 The church stands opposite Pannal Hall, which from 1724 was the seat of the Bentley family: landowners whose
memorials line the walls of 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.
Ov ...
.
The Bentleys had the right to church tithes and the duty to maintain the chancel.
History
The first record of the village is "Panhale" in the
Pipe Rolls of 1170.
A wooden church occupied the site of the present church probably in 1250, and definitely in 1271 when the archdeacon of Rochester Witton (or William?) de Santo Martino resigned the ministry of Pannal, and when the village was also called Rosehurst.
The church was dedicated to
St Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
and was called St Michael the Archangel (or All Angels) until at least 1304.
[Ancestry.com: St Roberts Church]
Retrieved 5 January 2014 Its vicar became
Archdeacon of Rochester
The Archdeacon of Rochester is a senior office-holder in the Diocese of Rochester (a division of the Church of England Province of Canterbury.) Like other archdeacons, they are administrators in the diocese at large (having oversight of parishes in ...
in 1271.
[strobertschurch.co.uk. St Roberts Church website: history]
Retrieved 5 January 2014 Edmund Earl of Cornwall gave the church to St Robert's Priory in 1278.
The present church was built before May 1318, when it was "said to have been damaged by a Scottish raiding party"
who visited Pannal before or after attacking
Knaresborough Castle
Knaresborough Castle is a ruined fortress overlooking the River Nidd in the town of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England.
History
The castle was first built by a Norman baron in on a cliff above the River Nidd. There is documentary eviden ...
, and left the village after stealing cattle and sacking and burning the church.
The chancel was rebuilt in 1319 by monks from
Knaresborough Priory. They belonged to the
Trinitarian Order
The Trinitarians, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives ( la, Ordo Sanctissimae Trinitatis et Captivorum; abbreviated OSsT), is a mendicant order of the Catholic Church for men founded in Cerfroid, outside Pari ...
of
St Robert of Knaresborough, and it may have been this event which inspired the rededication of the church.
The priory received the church and its income from
Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall
Edmund of Almain (26 December 1249 – 1300) was the second Earl of Cornwall of the fourth creation from 1272. He joined the Ninth Crusade in 1271, but never made it to the Holy Land. He was the regent of the Kingdom of England from 1286 to 1289 ...
in 1319, and it was consecrated in 1348.
The priory was dissolved in 1539, and Pannal Church became
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
.
In 1549 the Chantry of St James, Pannal, was dissolved.
There are
parish register
A parish register in an ecclesiastical parish is a handwritten volume, normally kept in the parish church in which certain details of religious ceremonies marking major events such as baptisms (together with the dates and names of the parents), ma ...
transcripts for Pannal, dating from the 16th century onwards, at the
Borthwick Institute for Archives
The Borthwick Institute for Archives is the specialist archive service of the University of York, York, England. It is one of the biggest archive repositories outside London. The Borthwick was founded in 1953 as The Borthwick Institute of Histori ...
.
Until the 19th century, this parish church was the village's civic and judicial centre. The
parish chest held civil documents, and the vicar and warden held the keys. The church dispensed welfare monies and set up
workhouse
In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...
s and
poorhouse
A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy.
Workhouses
In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), ‘workhouse’ has been the ...
s. The parish supported the village constable, and until the 1960s the old village
stocks could be seen by the
churchyard gate.
In 1943 the 4th Harrogate (St Robert's)
scout troop was located at the church.
St Robert
Pannal Church is the only one in the United Kingdom dedicated to Robert of Knaresborough (1170–1218). He was born in York, the son of Touk Flower. He was ordained
subdeacon and served at
Newminster Abbey
Newminster Abbey was a Cistercian abbey in Northumberland in the north of England. The site is protected by Grade II listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument status.
Ranulph de Merlay, lord of Morpeth, and his wife, Juliana, daughter of ...
for four and a half months. He returned to
Knaresborough
Knaresborough ( ) is a market and spa town and civil parish in the Borough of Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd. It is east of Harrogate.
History
Knaresborough is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Chenares ...
to become a
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
. His patron Juliana gave him the chapel of
St Hilda at Rudfarlington. He became known as a
holy man
''Holy Man'' is a 1998 American television satirical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Herek, written by Tom Schulman, and starring Eddie Murphy, Jeff Goldblum, Kelly Preston, Robert Loggia, Jon Cryer, and Eric McCormack. The film was a ...
and lived in various places, including
Spofforth near Pannal. He cared for the poor, and received support from
King John, Sir
William de Stuteville
William de Stuteville (died 1203) Baron of Cottingham in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Lord of Buttercrambe in the North Riding of Yorkshire, was an English noble.
He was the eldest son of Robert de Stuteville and Helewise de Murdac. William ...
the son of
Robert III de Stuteville
Robert III de Stuteville (died 1186) was an English baron and justiciar.
Life
He was son of Robert II de Stuteville (from Estouteville in Normandy), one of the northern barons who commanded the English at the battle of the Standard in August ...
, and his brother who became the
Mayor of York.
[Victoria County History: Friars of Knaresborough]
Retrieved 5 January 2014
Structure
The church was
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
as Grade II*, number 1149449, on 18 July 1949 on the grounds that the
tower
A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures.
Towers are specifi ...
and
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.
Ov ...
constitute a
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
element of the
dressed and
coursed sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
structure. It has graded-
slate roofs. The chancel is lower and narrower than the
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
, and was built in the 14th century, the east window tracery dates from 1350.
Parts of the chancel may be remnants of the earlier 13th-century stone church.
The tower was added at the west end in the 15th or 16th century. During the ministry of William Raper and after becoming derelict, the nave was rebuilt in 1772 with Georgian elements in the churchwarden style, including "rounded Georgian windows with amber glass, a plaster ceiling with a decorated
cornice,
box pew
A box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th centuries.
History in England
Before the rise of Protestantism, seating was not customary in ch ...
s and a
three-decker pulpit (all now gone).
It was restored during the ministry of Mark Rowntree in 1882 to 1884 while the church was closed.
He replaced the box pews with
pitch pine ones and removed the three-decker pulpit. He lowered the nave floor by and raised the chancel floor and ceiling to create the Bentley's burial
crypt below. It was probably at this time that the present
arch-braced truss ceiling was installed. Before Rowntree's work, the nave floor was higher than those of the tower and chancel.
The same section was remodelled again in 1929 when the ceiling and some oak roof beams were replaced, and electric light installed. In 1930 perpendicular windows replaced the Georgian ones. In 1934 the church acquired an
organ loft
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
in the tower arch and the ground floor of the tower became a
vestry
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...
.
[Church leaflet: ''The Parish Church of St Robert of Knaresborough Pannal: A mini guide''] On the south side a porch and choir vestry were added in 1952, the glazed and polygonal
chapter house was built in 1977 and the parish meeting rooms and kitchen in 1988 or 1999.
Image:St Roberts 013.jpg, C15–C16 tower
Image:StRoberts 023.jpg, C14 chancel
Image:St Roberts 002.jpg, South elevation in early C20
Image:St Roberts 024.jpg, South elevation in 2014, showing extensions
Image:St Roberts Interior 038.jpg, Arch-braced trusses in chancel
Church exterior
The tower is in
perpendicular
In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It ca ...
style, in three exterior visual stages separated by stringing. On different levels it has three interior floors consisting of the vestry and its loft at the bottom, then a clock chamber whose floor is roughly level with the nave ceiling, and a bell chamber on the top floor. The bottom and middle floor levels are indistinguishable from the outside, because the diagonal
buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral ( ...
es run up the bottom two stages and half of the top stage, and there is exterior stringing halfway up the bottom floor but not between the bottom and middle floors. However, stringing on the exterior identifies the floor level of the bell stage. The interior chambers of the tower appear tiny because of the space taken by the spiral staircase inside its south wall. The church's ribbed west door, in a "segmental-pointed" arch with "broad
chamfer" is in the lower exterior stage. The three-
light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 te ...
window above is included in the exterior second stage with the spiral staircase windows and the blue clock faces. The three-light window is hidden in the interior, being inaccessible in the vestry loft. The third stage has double, uncusped, round-headed bell-openings on all four sides, and an
embattled parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...
.
The tower is floodlit at night.
The nave was rebuilt in the
Georgian era, and the visual evidence of this is the "rusticated quoins and the rusticated surround of a former blind north doorway." The two-light windows in perpendicular style were added in 1929, the south-east one having been shortened when the chapter house was added. The chancel is in
decorated style
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...
. It has four windows, its east window having three lights and reticulated
tracery
Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support the ...
, plus an
ogee
An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinat ...
-headed priest's doorway on the south side.
One of the chancel's
stained glass windows is from Knaresborough Priory.
It is a small window in the point of an arch, showing a
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
with two oaks above a red and blue Trinitarian cross. The oaks may commemorate the fact that "in August 1255
the king gave three oaks to the friars of the Holy Trinity for the fabric of the church of St Robert,".
Pannal historian Anne Smith suggests that the object between the oaks is the gateway to the Priory.
On the south-west and north-west buttresses of the tower are ancient and almost-illegible carvings about across, and about from the ground. They may be
consecration crosses
Consecration crosses are crosses on the interior walls and exterior architecture of a Christian church or cathedral showing where the bishop has anointed the church with chrism or holy water in order to consecrate it. There is often a place for ...
, following the tradition in which
Anglican bishops have anointed each corner of the church with
chrism
Chrism, also called myrrh, ''myron'', holy anointing oil, and consecrated oil, is a consecrated oil used in the Anglican, Assyrian, Catholic, Nordic Lutheran, Old Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Latter Day Saint churches in th ...
as part of the
consecration ritual, then commemorative crosses were placed at the same points. At first sight the carvings appear to be
Tudor rose
The Tudor rose (sometimes called the Union rose) is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the House of Tudor, which united the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The Tudor rose consists o ...
s or the ''
fleurs-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol.
The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
'' used by English monarchs from the 14th to 18th century, but the raised "petals" may be the gaps between the curved arms of the deeply engraved cross.
Church interior
Sanctuary and chancel
In the walls of the sanctuary are two
corbels which have been re-set, and they may indicate the use of a
Lenten veil. On the sanctuary floor are early 20th century memorial
mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
s, with a
crypt below.
The chancel contains a 14th century
piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. For Roman Ca ...
with an
ogee
An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinat ...
opening, but the piscina and the top of the
sedilia
In church architecture, sedilia (plural of Latin ''sedīle'', "seat") are seats, usually made of stone, found on the liturgical south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for use during Mass for the officiating priest and his assistants, the ...
are low on the wall to the right of the altar, indicating a raising of the stone floor which has 17th and 19th century
ledgers.
It has scribed
render walls. The roof was restored in 1884, and is arch-braced with 4.5 bays.
Nave
The "
tie-beam roof on corbelled brackets, with cusped
arcading over the beams" of the nave has been rebuilt and remodelled several times, but may perhaps be mainly attributed to the 19th century works. The walls are plastered and there are floorboards under the
pew
A pew () is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom.
Overview
The first backless stone benches began to appear in English churches in the thirt ...
s. Between the nave and the tower's ground-floor vestry is an
organ, built against the tower arch.
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
describes the fixtures in the nave and chancel as follows:
The font, probably of 1772, is of polished marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...
and of unusual oval shape. Its wooden canopy has a finial surmounted by a dove. The C19 pulpit is polygonal Perpendicular with a figure of the Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd ( el, ποιμὴν ὁ καλός, ''poimḗn ho kalós'') is an image used in the pericope of , in which Jesus Christ is depicted as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Similar imagery is used in Psalm 23 ...
. Pew
A pew () is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom.
Overview
The first backless stone benches began to appear in English churches in the thirt ...
s are mainly C19 and their ends have notional poppy heads. Choir stalls
A choir, also sometimes called quire, is the area of a church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and church choir. It is in the western part of the chancel, between the nave and the sanctuary, which houses the altar and Church tab ...
have ends with scrolled foliage to the tops, and Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
blind-panelled frontals. The C19 altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
table incorporates C17 panels. The east window shows the Nativity (1883). There are C19 and C20 memorial tablets, and a memorial tablet to the Symeson/Simpson family set up after the death of William Simpson in 1886, by Day of Knaresborough.''English Heritage listing details 1149449''
The tower and chancel arches are on polygonal shafts and built in 1929.
The font is made of
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
from
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 ...
, and the stone contains small fossils. The church accounts of 1686 refer to "putting a loop ring" on the font for two
pennies
A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
; the loop fitted on the rim of this rare oval font is still in situ, dating it to before that date. The church leaflet mentions legends of its origin in
Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 40 ...
or in a
mansion where the font was once a
wine cooler
A wine cooler is an alcoholic beverage made from wine and fruit juice, often in combination with a carbonated beverage and sugar.
Traditionally home-made, wine coolers have been bottled and sold by commercial distributors since the early 198 ...
. Contrary to the above listing description, it is the wooden cover and not the font which was made in 1772 and restored in 1975. The brass eagle
lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of support. ...
was presented to the church in 1875. The pulpit, presented to the church in 1955, is the work of Norval Paxton; this is possibly architect Norval Paxton of
Tadcaster who designed the church hall (dedicated in 1947 and now demolished) at Foundry Mill Street in Seacroft. The east window in the chancel was presented by Eliza Bentley in 1883.
Image:St Roberts Interior 035.jpg, Oval font
Image:St Roberts Interior 027.jpg, Pulpit by
Norval Paxton
Image:St Roberts Interior 029.jpg, Choir stall carving
Image:St Roberts Interior 024.jpg, Altar table
Image:St Roberts Interior 030.jpg, East window
Tower
There is no public access to the interior of the tower. It contains three floors, a very narrow stone spiral staircase on the south side, and a roof area with a trapdoor. The staircase has steep risers and is naturally lit when the sun is in the southern quarter by three very small glazed windows, however at other times all or part of the staircase is pitch dark. The ground floor contains the vestry with its own loft above, incorporating the west window which is inaccessible to visitors. The middle floor is the clock chamber, containing a turret clock mechanism serving the three blue clock faces of the tower, and chiming on the hour. It probably dates from the 19th century, and has been wound and maintained for generations by the local Shutt family. In recent years the cranks and clock weights were removed to Pannal Hall (where they were lost) and the clock and chime mechanism is now driven by two electric motors. The clock employs a clapper mechanism on the largest bell to chime the hour. The top floor of the tower is the bell chamber. Two of the three hung and functioning bells are dated 1669 and 1703, both re-cast by Samuel Smith of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
. This might imply that the smallest bell could be contemporary with the 15th to 16th century tower.
File:St Roberts Interior 018.jpg, Spiral stairs in tower
File:St Roberts Interior 009.jpg, Bell chamber
File:St Roberts Interior 053.jpg, Clock mechanism
File:St Roberts Interior 016.jpg, View north from bell chamber
Chapter house
Here is displayed a pair of
handcuffs and a
truncheon once used by 18th and 19th century
constables
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
of the parish, who were employed by the churchwarden.
Churchyard and environs
Three stone cottages and a
forge used to stand in front of the church; these were demolished in 1970 and the stone was re-used to build the church's present car-park wall. The gateposts leading from the car-park to the churchyard were once reputedly the posts for the original village stocks, which have been replaced with a replica.
The churchyard was enlarged by half an acre on the south side with land given by Eliza Bentley in 1868.
Near the south entrance there is an old
sundial-base, which once said, "PB 1675, Redime Tempus", referring to St Paul in ''Ephesians'' V.16: "redeeming the time, because the days are evil".
The foot-scrapers by the south entrance utilise the bases of
columns from the original nave of 1319.
[Church leaflet: ''A walk around the churchyard and parish church of St Robert of Knaresborough''] Joseph Thackeray of Harrogate's
sulphur well was buried here in 1791, and Betty Lupton, "Queen of Wells" and manager of the
spa at
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...
, in 1843.
[Church leaflet: ''Welcome to the Parish Church of St Robert of Knaresboro'']
Clergy
Historical clergy
This list is taken from a plaque in the nave of the church. The archdeacon of Rochester resigned the rectory of Pannal in 1271, and thus begins the list of clergy. The first in 1271 was William de Sancto Martino, listed as Monsigneur Martyn of
St Clements Priory. There followed on 5 January 1311 Thomas of Skelthorpe, a brother of Knaresborough Priory. Then came brother John Brown in 1348, the first paid vicar of Pannal, who died of the
Black Death in 1349,
[Genuki: information from 1820s]
Retrieved 5 January 2014 then brother William of Kent in 1349 and brother William of Pudsey in 1364. In 1369 it was brother Richard of Wakefield; in 1370 concurrently brothers William of Berkshire and William Brott. In the 15th century it was brother John Strensall 1421, brother Will Windus 1451, brother Peter Patrington 1459, brother Lawrence Screwton or Scruton 1474, brother Christopher Craven 1475 and brother Will Yorke 1493. The 16th century begins with brother Henry Bell in 1511, then brother John Godbehere in 1515, brother Percival Dibbs in 1524 and Prior Will Lambert in 1535. St Roberts Priory was
dissolved in 1539, and in 1549 the Chantry of St James, Pannal, was dissolved.
In 1677 and 1683 the ministers were William Cheldrey and William Parsons, beginning the Protestant era of the church. These were followed by a number of curates: Thomas Green 1694, Christopher Jackson, 1696 and John Wright in 1699 (d.1707). It is not known whether there was then another gap with no vicar.
The next curate was Lister Simondson in 1728. The same Reverend Lister Simondson was "instituted vicar on the presentation of the king"
George II George II or 2 may refer to:
People
* George II of Antioch (seventh century AD)
* George II of Armenia (late ninth century)
* George II of Abkhazia (916–960)
* Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051)
* George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...
in 1745. Succeeding vicars were William Loup 1750, Robert Midgeley 1756, William Raper 1758, John Umpleby 1789, Ralph Bates Hunter 1816, and Thomas Simpson 1835. In 1836 Pannal left York
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
, and joined the renewed Ripon diocese. The following clergy were William Vawdrey 1862, G.O. Brownrigg 1875, L.F. Harrison 1876, and Mark Rowntree (1838–1923) in 1883. Rowntree wrote ''Pannal, Past and Present: or, the past and present of an ancient Yorkshire Parish'' (1921). In the 20th century it was Charles Wright 1920, Charles E. Dixon 1928, G.W.L. Martin 1948 and J.R. Shearman 1957.
;Vicars of Pannal and Beckwithshaw churches:
Rev. John T. Scott took office in Pannal in 1978. From 1980 onwards, Pannal and Beckwithshaw churches operated as a joint benefice, sharing one vicar. After Scott came Rev. Mark De la Poer Beresford-Peirse (born 1945) 1990; he was descended from an aristocratic family. The most recent was Rev. Nigel C. Sinclair who served from 2002 to 2013. In the 2008 Anglican debate over
Ordination of women and
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
, he did not want to take sides.
Current clergy
The patrons of the church are: the
Bishop of Leeds Nicholas Baines, Peache Trustees; jointly. As of 2018 the vicar is the Reverend John Smith, previously curate of Holy Trinity Church,
Idle
Idle generally refers to idleness, a lack of motion or energy.
Idle or ''idling'', may also refer to:
Technology
* Idle (engine), engine running without load
** Idle speed
* Idle (CPU), CPU non-utilisation or low-priority mode
** Synchronous ...
, in the
former Diocese of Bradford - now Leeds. He was licensed to the benefice on Monday, 20 January 2014. The vicar also serves the Church of St Michael of all Angels at
Beckwithshaw
Beckwithshaw is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England about south-west of Harrogate.
History
Beckwithshaw takes its name from the now smaller settlement of Beckwith, to the east. The suffix "shaw" ...
.
As of 2018 the curate was The Revd Abbie Palmer.
[The Church of England: Pannal: other information]
Retrieved 5 January 2014 She was ordained
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
at
Bradford Cathedral
Bradford Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter, is an Anglican cathedral in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, one of three co-equal cathedrals in the Diocese of Leeds alongside Ripon and Wakefield. Its site has been used for Chr ...
in July 2017, and ordained
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
at Ripon Cathedral on 23 June 2018. The
benefice is
Pannal
Pannal is a village in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated to the immediate south of Harrogate. Since 2016 it has formed part of the new civil parish of Panna ...
with
Beckwithshaw
Beckwithshaw is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England about south-west of Harrogate.
History
Beckwithshaw takes its name from the now smaller settlement of Beckwith, to the east. The suffix "shaw" ...
(30/153BH).
Access and facilities
Viewing of the church is by appointment, except during the summer months when the church is kept open for visitors throughout the day; the tower is inaccessible to the public. There is a toilet but no café. Coffee and drinks are available at the Co-op store next to Pannal station.
The church has a
Junior Church (Sunday school), a
youth group and a
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
. It has an organ and presents concerts. There is
wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...
access, and a
hearing induction loop. There are
large-print
Large-print (also large-type or large-font) refers to the formatting of a book or other text document in which the typeface (or font) are considerably larger than usual to accommodate people who have low vision. Frequently the medium is also increa ...
hymn books, toilets and baby-changing facilities, plus a
car park
A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...
.
[Church of England: Pannal: St Robert of Knaresborough, Harrogate, features and facilities]
Retrieved 5 January 2014
Events
Regular events
The church hall hosts local events, including the annual beer festival in the chapter house. Until 2011 the
mobile library
A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookm ...
stopped regularly outside the church. St Roberts Autumn Fair, the
Mothers' Union
The Mothers' Union is an international Christian charity that seeks to support families worldwide. Its members are not all mothers or even all women, as there are many parents, men, widows, singles and grandparents involved in its work. Its main ai ...
, Pannal Women's Fellowship, Pannal Wives' Group and the Pannal Friendly Club meet at the chapter house, where the Pram Service is also held. Pannal Village Society has sometimes used the chapter house for public discussions regarding local development. Coffee mornings are regularly held at the church.
Pannal Textile Group meets regularly at the chapter house, and sometimes holds exhibitions.
Local happenings
On 24 October 2005, vandals broke glass on the church noticeboard, but it was quickly repaired.
[Vandalism at St Roberts, 24 October 2005]
Retrieved 5 January 2014 In 2012 the church hosted an exhibition featuring local history. In 2013 St Roberts Church won the bronze Community Grounds award: one of the
Harrogate in Bloom awards.
Bronze community grounds award 2013
Retrieved 5 January 2014 In March 2013 there was a Red Nose Day
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
tea in the chapter house, and local people played pranks, wearing their children's school uniform.[Pannal historian Anne Smith: Red nose day tea at St Roberts]
Retrieved 5 January 2014
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
Youtube video: Turret clock mechanism at St Roberts, Pannal
Clock mechanism is in shadow, but pendulum, ticking and chiming are there. (Commons licence)
riponleeds.anglican.org Diocesan document (1)
Retrieved 5 January 2014
riponleeds.anglican.org Diocesan document (2)
Retrieved 5 January 2014
riponleeds.anglican.org Diocesan document (3)
Retrieved 5 January 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pannal, Saint Robert
Church of England church buildings in North Yorkshire
Grade II* listed churches in North Yorkshire
Medieval architecture
14th-century church buildings in England