Building record MDR4289 - St Wystan's Church, Repton
Type and Period (2)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
(SK 302392717) St. Wystan's Church (NAT). (1)
An abbey or monastery at Repton was traditionally founded by St. David in the 6th century. (3, 4)
In 697 Alfritha was abbess at Repton and St. Guthlac became a monk there. Two Mercian kings, Aethelbald (died 757) and Wiglaf (died 840) were buried there, as was St. Wystan, murdered in 849. Domesday Book does not record the abbey, which seems to justify the tradition that it did not survive the Danish occupation of Repton in 874-5. St Wystan's Church was the former abbey church or minster , which at Domesday was served by two priests and appears to have survived the Danish occupation. (3-5)
Taylor proposed the following time sequence:
(i) The core of the present crypt was the burial chamber of Aethelbald and Wiglaf, built in the mid. 8th century.
(ii) The burial chamber was covered by vaulting in the early - mid. 9th century and a tall building erected to form the sanctuary of a church with a central tower, porticus and at least 20ft western extension of the nave. An earlier church is suggested close to the sanctuary, as indicated by walls shown on a plan made in 1886-7.
(iii) Western stairways were cut from the north and south porticus into the crypt (as the burial chamber had now become) which gave access to a major relic, perhaps the remains of St. Wystan.
(iv) At some unknown date the roof and upper walls of the church were destroyed, probably by fire, and the nave and chancel covered by a single gabled roof at about the height of the present chancel roof. Grade A. (3)
The archaeological sequence of the site can be, conjecturally presented as:
1. Before the present crypt was constructed there existed, to the west of it, a church built of Bunter stone. It is probably no later than c700 AD.
2. The crypt was built in Keuper stone, not earlier than c715. This date is derived from a sceatta found in a sealed layer. The crypt may have been built for King Aethelwald c757.
3. A new building was constructed over the crypt, the old church was demolished and re-used for this new church, though Keuper stone was also used for the lower courses and foundations. This work was carried out before c850.
4. The low Bunter stone walls were carried up in Keuper stone to their present levels, and the crypt possibly before 839. 5. The passages for circulation were cut from the corners of the crypt, most probably before the arrival of the Vikings in 973/4. (6)
The present church with 13th to 15th century and 19th century fabric, including a west tower and spire of 1340, incorporates substantial remains of the Anglo-Saxon church, namely the chancel, the north-east and south-east angles of the crossing, part of the north transept and the crypt. Interpretation of the Anglo-Saxon features varies, Clapham placed the church stylistically in the late 10th century, dated the crypt as pre-874 and the recesses and vaulting as 11th century. (7)
Excavation and inspection of the south side of the chancel and crypt of St. Wystan's Church in 1974-5, clarified many details of the structural sequence and occupation of the site. An early cemetery was followed by domestic and industrial occupation in which quantities of iron-working debris, animal bone, and Anglo-Saxon window and vessel glass of 6th - 8th century date were found. These deposits were followed by the construction of the crypt, its modification by the addition of a projection to house a south window and the growth of the late Saxon and post-Conquest cemetery. (8)
A detailed description of the existing church. (9)
A Viking sword was excavated from the EM cemetery. (10)
Church of St Wystan. Parish Church 9th, 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, restoration 1885-6 by Arthur Bloomfield. Grade I. (11)
The EM cemetery was excavated in 1985, it revealed a variety of burial practices, one of the most important being the deposition of coins in the grave, a Scandinavian custom of the 9th and 10th centuries. The excavation of the church proves that the basic structure is pre- Viking. Material from the earlier church, which probably predated the crypt, was used in the construction of the new church over the crypt. (12)
Additional references. (13-18)
The village of Repton lies on the high ground forming the southern edge of the floodplain of the River Trent. The Hawksmoor Formation (Bunter Sandstone), a series of buff to brown, pebbly to coarse-grained sandstones with occasional pebbles, outcrops along the path to the north of the graveyard of St Wystan's church leading to the schoolyard of Repton school. Although much weathered and poorly exposed it is discernible as being similar to the 'brown stone' used in Saxon first phase church building of St Wystan's. (20)
The bells of St Wystan's are of historical significance. The oldest was made in circa 1500 by a Leicester foundary. Another made in 1622 by G Oldfield of Nottingham is a good example of the founder's work. (22)
Sources/Archives (23)
- <1> SDR12080 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1955. 6".
- <2> SDR5259 Bibliographic reference: DOE (HHR) Repton RD Derby Oct 1960 26.
- <3> SDR5907 Bibliographic reference: Clemoes, P & Hughes, K (eds). 1971. England Before the Conquest. pp 351-389.
- <4> SDR8935 Bibliographic reference: Knowles, D & Hadcock, R. 1971. Medieval Religious Houses. p480.
- <5> SDR1515 Article in serial: Radford, C. 1973. Arch. J. Vol 130, pp 134-5.
- <6> SDR2332 Article in serial: Taylor. 1978. Anglo-Saxon Architecture. pp 742-3.
- <7> SDR5924 Bibliographic reference: Clapham, A W. 1930. Eng Romanesque Archit.
- <8> SDR8920 Article in serial: L E Webster & J Cherry. 1976. Medieval Archaeology. Volume 20. p159.
- <9> SDR1565 Article in serial: Taylor, H. 1987. Archaeol J. pp 205-245.
- <10> SDR13499 Article in serial: Rescue News 41 1986 8.
- <11> SDR5388 Bibliographic reference: DOE Listed Bldgs. Dist of South Derbyshire. Derby 24th Oct 1986 55-6.
- <12> SDR3830 Bibliographic reference: CBA Churches Comm Bull 22 1985 2-3.
- <13> SDR9001 Article in serial: Medieval Archaeology. 1983. Medieval Archaeology, 27. Vol 27.
- <14> SDR9002 Article in serial: 1985. Medieval Archaeol. Vol. 29. p 168.
- <15> SDR8165 Bibliographic reference: Butler, LAS and Morris, R K. 1986. The Anglo-Saxon Church. Papers in History, Architecture and Archaeology, CBA Research Report 60. pp 1-31.
- <16> SDR948 Article in serial: Biddle, M and Biddle, M. K. 1985. Anglo-Saxon England. 14. p233-92.
- <17> SDR3437 Article in serial: Biddle, M, Blunt, C, Kjolbye-Biddle, B, Metcalf, M & Pagan, H. 1986. British Numanistic Journal, 56. Vol 56, pp 16-33.
- <18> SDR8375 Bibliographic reference: Blackburn, MAS. 1986. Anglo-Saxon Monetary History. Studies in Memory of Michael Dolley Leicester. pp 111-32.
- <19> SDR15024 Index: Trent & Peak Archaeological Trust (TPAT). Trent and Peak Archaeological Trust Index: 2514. 2514.
- <20> SDR23342 Bibliographic reference: Stanley, M. 1990. Carved in bright stone: sources of building stone in Derbyshire.
- <21> SDR12891 Bibliographic reference: Pevsner, N. 1979. The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. 2nd ed., revised. p303-5.
- <22> SDR23468 Unpublished document: Church of England. 2007. Identification of bells and bell frames of historic significance.
- <23> SDR22677 Unpublished document: Derby Museum. 1993. Derby Museum Catalogue - Repton.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 3030 2716 (41m by 27m) (Centre) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | REPTON, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (4)
- EDR321
- EDR429
- EDR8
- EDR4528
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Record last edited
Aug 1 2018 2:26PM