St Wilfrid's Cantley is a Grade II* listed church in

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

, England, and serves as the parish church for the areas of Cantley,

Bessacarr Bessacarr () is a suburb on the south-east edge of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Consisting of mostly private residential development from the 1960s onward, it also contains some of the most expensive property in Doncaster, around St Wi ...

and Branton. It is a traditionalist Anglo-Catholic church within the Church of England.

History

The church dates from 1257, though substantial changes have been made since that time. The west tower was added during the fourteenth century. Two significant restorations took place in the late nineteenth century during the tenures of the Reverend William Eardley (1870–1892) and Father William Meaburn Tatham (1892–1938). The first was overseen by

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...

in 1874, and the second by the eminent ecclesiastical architect

Sir Ninian Comper Sir John Ninian Comper (10 June 1864 – 22 December 1960) was a Scottish architect, one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects. His work almost entirely focused on the design, restoration and embellishment of churches, and the desi ...

in 1894. The work of these two architects restored the medieval interior of the church which had been lost in the period following the

English Reformation The English Reformation began in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the pope and bishops Oath_of_Supremacy, over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church ...

. The result is Comper's finest and most complete work in the region, comprising a free standing altarpiece and

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

, canopy, hanging pyx, various statues and stained glass windows. A large and highly decorated

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

and

rood A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixio ...

are also the work of Comper. In 1989, owing to the increasing size of the congregation, an extension was built on the north side of the church building, almost doubling it in size.

William Meaburn Tatham

Tatham was Vicar of Cantley for 46 years from 1892 until his death on 18 October 1938. Born on 30 July 1862 in Great Ryburgh into a wealthy Norfolk family closely associated with the Catholic Revival in the Church of England, Tatham was educated at Marlborough College and Brasenose College, Oxford. A keen sportsman throughout his life, Tatham competed at the Wimbledon Championships of 1882, being defeated in the first round by the celebrated champion, Ernest Renshaw. After attending theological college at Cuddesdon, Oxford, he was ordained deacon in 1885 at the age of 23 and served his title in the parish of St Saviour's Church, Folkestone working among the poor. Tatham began his second curacy at

St Agnes, Kennington Park St Agnes, Kennington Park, is an Anglo-Catholicism, Anglo-Catholic church in south London in the Anglican Diocese of Southwark, Diocese of Southwark, though it is under the episcopal oversight of the Bishop of Fulham. The church is situated in th ...

in 1890, before leaving two years later to be presented to the living of Cantley in the then Diocese of York, later Sheffield, on 14 December 1892. Having been influenced by the Oxford Movement as an undergraduate, Tatham established St Wilfrid's firmly in the Catholic tradition, facing much opposition and courting the displeasure of his diocesan bishops, none of whom ever consented to visit the parish during his incumbency. During the Boer War (1899–1902) Tatham served as an Army chaplain. He was married on 14 January 1886 to Miss Louisa Valetta Buller at St Matthias, Earl's Court by the Bishop of Lincoln and prominent Anglo-Catholic, Edward King. Mrs Tatham outlived her husband by six months.

Present day

Since the time of Tatham St Wilfrid's has been part of the

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

movement in the Church of England and is a parish of The Society under the patronage of St Wilfrid and St Hilda. The population of the parish expanded greatly in the post-war period and currently stands at 14,063. The Church is also associated with the group

Forward in Faith Forward in Faith (FiF) is an organisation operating in the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church. It represents a traditionalist strand of Anglo-Catholicism and is characterised by its opposition to the ordination of women to the pri ...

and receives

alternative episcopal oversight A provincial episcopal visitor (PEV), popularly known as a flying bishop, is a Church of England bishop assigned to minister to many of the clergy, laity and parishes who on grounds of theological conviction "are unable to receive the ministry of w ...

from the

Bishop of Beverley The Bishop of Beverley is a Church of England Provincial Episcopal Visitor. The title takes its name after the town of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Originally a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of York, the bishop's role wa ...

(currently

Stephen Race Stephen Peter Race SSC (born 1969) is a British Anglican Bishop. Since 2022, he has been the Bishop of Beverley, the Provincial Episcopal Visitor for traditionalist Anglo-Catholics in the Church of England's Province of York. Early life and e ...

Organ

The organ dates from 1905 and was installed by John Compton. A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantley 1257 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Doncaster Church of England church buildings in South Yorkshire Anglo-Catholic church buildings in South Yorkshire Cantley Cantley