Building record MLI89639 - St Peter at Gowts church and churchyard

Summary

St Peter at Gowts church and churchyard

Type and Period (4)

  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Modern - 950 AD? to 2050 AD)
  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Modern - 950 AD? to 2050 AD)
  • (Post Medieval to Modern - 1887 AD to 2050 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1347 AD to 1539 AD?)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

PRN 70543 A medieval church with elements dating to the 11th century, 12th century, 13th century and 14th century. The north aisle and porch date to 1852 and are by W. A. Nicholson. The chancel was enlarged in 1887 by C. H. Fowler. The building is coursed rubble and dressed stone, with ashlar dressings and a slate roof. Fittings include an 11th century tub font. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {1} This church is probably an early foundation, possibly even mid 10th century as may be the case at St Mary le Wigford and St Mark's. It appears to have been a prosperous parish from the 11th to the 14th centuries and the chantry of Ralph Jolyff was founded there in 1347. The church survived the Reformation and is still in use today, although it was significantly enlarged and altered in the 19th century. The churchyard continued to receive burials until about 1850. A vicarage was built to the north of the church at about the same time as the chancel was enlarged. This may have been the site of an earlier rectory, although this is currently unproved. {2}{3} The architecture of this church has been extensively discussed. {4}{5}{6} A carved stone, now much eroded, is visible high up on the west face of the tower. The carving shows a seated figure and this has been interpreted variously as Christ in majesty, St Peter with his Key and the Mithraic god Arimanius. It has been established that the stone is not Anglo-Saxon in origin and is probably Roman (see PRN 70544). {4}{6}{7}{8} The tower also contains decorated belfry capitals and an alleged decorated hood mould and impost of 11th century date. {7} The west tower of this church is an early example (possibly the earliest surviving example) of the late 11th century 'Lincolnshire Tower' type. This type of tower has been discussed extensively, and it has been recently suggested that these towers are related to the introduction of new Norman liturgical practices, specifically those related to burial. {10}

Sources/Archives (11)

  •  Index: Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Dec 1999. Revised List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. 1941-1/2/180; 269.293.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Jones, Michael, J; Stocker, D.; and Vince, A.. 2003. The City by the Pool including LARA. RAZ 9.60.28, 10.60.28, 11.91.7.
  •  Article in Serial: Edmund Venables. 1888. 'A list and brief description of the churches of Lincoln previous to the period of the Reformation' in Associated Architectural and Archaeological Societies’ Reports and Papers. p 332, no. 6.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: HILL, J.W.F.. 1948. Medieval Lincoln. pp 135-56, pp 139-41; figs 10, 12, 13.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram. 1989. Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition). pp 499-500.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: E. Mansel Sympson. 1906. Lincoln: A Historical and Topographical Account of the City. pp 333-34.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Paul Everson and David Stocker. 1999. Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture. Lincolnshire. Appendix B, p 296; Appendix E, p 312.
  •  Article in Serial: Stocker, D.A.. 1997. ‘"Also a Soldier…" Evidence for a Mithraeum in Lincoln?’ in Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. Vol 32, pp 21-24.
  •  Index: Ordnance Survey. OS card index for Lincoln. LINCOLN. SK 97 SE; 12.
  •  Index: SMR file cards for Lincoln. LINCOLN. SK 97 SE; CU.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Paul Everson and David Stocker. 2006. Summoning St Michael: Early Romanesque Towers in Lincolnshire. No 37.

Map

Find a placename, postcode or grid reference

Map layers

Base layers

Info

Record list

Tools

Location

Grid reference Centred SK 97323 70406 (72m by 69m)
Civil Parish PARK, LINCOLN, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (1)

Please contact the HER for details.

External Links (0)

Record last edited

Mar 21 2021 8:35PM

Feedback?

Your feedback is welcome. If you can provide any new information about this record, please contact us.