PRN 70560 The dedication of this church refers to a Wessex saint and suggests a foundation date in the period following the re-conquest of the area by Wessex in 942. The parish was quite a populous and wealthy one and this appears to have been reflected in the architecture of the church, which is shown in early views as a large and elaborately detailed building. Chantries were founded at the church in 1324 (for the Pinson family) and 1352 (for the Chesterfield family), and there was a sequence of elite burials throughout the later medieval period into the 16th century. The church survived the Reformation but in 1644, during the Civil War, it was damaged in a fire caused by a spark from a gunpowder explosion in Cornmarket Hill (200m away). Following this, the congregation had to make do with using only the south aisle for their services as this was the only section to be repaired. In 1801-2 a new Georgian church was built and the remains of the old one were taken down. The Georgian church proved to be too small for the growing parish and was replaced in 1869 by the current building (PRN 70507) which is situated on a new site to the east. The churchyard remained in use until the demolition of the Georgian church, although it stopped receiving burials in the 1840s. {1}{2}{3}{4}{5}