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EDLINGTON ST. PETER OLD CHURCH
The ancient parish of Edlington St. Peter, in the village of Old Edlington,
lies about 4 miles to the west of Doncaster, and within the Archdeaconry of
Doncaster. The original church dates from around 1180 AD and has many Norman
features, with much elaborate carving in the chevron and zigzag fashion that
is typical of the late 12th century.
There is Norman masonry in the nave, the chancel and in the base of the Tower,
the rest of the latter being 15th century. A Norman corbel table with heads
and grotesques runs along the south side of the church outer wall, and another
similar feature is on the inside, between the nave and the aisle which are
divided by a 13th century arcade. A Norman window survives, with carved pillars
and capitals and an arch of zigzag, and there is a doorway in the ancient
porch with carved zigzag and beakheads and a hood of medallions. The chancel
arch with its elaborate mouldings rests on short shafts set shoulder-high
from the floor which are crowned with capitals of leaves and bandwork. There
is a little old glass, a 15th century screen, and very old panelling on the
pulpit and some of the pews. The font is Elizabethan.
Some parish registers are held by Doncaster Archives, but these cover only
the years between 1700 and 1962. However, some of the earlier years are covered
by Bishop’s Transcripts dating from 1600 to 1842, and these are also
held at the Archives.
The parish of Edlington St. Peter was declared redundant in 1962 when it amalgamated
with that of New Edlington, St. John the Baptist. This had been created in
1911 from the ancient parish of Warmsworth, to provide for the influx of miners
and their families with the opening of the Colliery.
After suffering years of uncertainty and a great deal of vandalism, this lovely
building was the first church to be vested in The Churches Conservation Trust*
in 1971.
Margaret Frost
September 2002
*The Churches Conversation Trust,
89 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH
Tel: 020 7936 2285
www.visitchurches.org.uk
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