St Helen's Church is an
Anglican Church
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
and the parish church of
Oxendon. It is a Grade II*
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
and stands on the west side of Harborough Road, to the north of the village of
Great Oxendon.
There is no reference to a church or priest in the entry for the parish in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
, which was compiled in 1086. This may indicate the absence of a church building at that stage or, alternatively, only the absence of a resident priest.
The main structure of the present building was erected in the 13th and 14th centuries. Restoration was carried out in the 19th century. The church consists of a nave, north and south aisles, chancel and west tower. A detailed description appears on the Historic England website.
The parish registers survive from 1564 and, apart from those currently in use, are kept at Northamptonshire Record Office. Details of its location and opening times can be found on the Record Office website.
Oxendon is part of a united Benefice along with
Arthingworth,
East Farndon
East Farndon is a small linear village and civil parish about one mile south of Market Harborough in West Northamptonshire, England. The village is close to the border with Leicestershire, and has a Leicestershire post code and telephone dial ...
and
Harrington. Each parish retains its own church building.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxendon, St Helen's Church
Grade II* listed churches in Northamptonshire
13th-century church buildings in England
14th-century church buildings in England