St. Peter, Besford, Worcestershire

Description

The church of St. Peter, formerly attached to St. Andrew's, Pershore, is a small but very ancient building of stone and rubble with timber framing, in the Early English and later styles, consisting of chancel and nave, under a continuous roof, north and south porches, and a western turret containing 2 bells: the chancel is Early English, but the nave is apparently of the 14th century, and is constructed of massive heart-of-oak framing, filled in with mortar, rubble and plaster, and at the west end is a square-headed window of two lights, with wooden tracery: the porch is also timber-framed, but of later date: the ancient painted rood loft remains in a very complete state, and is ornamented on the west side with a string of quatrefoils: the church contains an altar tomb, with recumbent alabaster effigy of a youth holding a book, to Richard, son and heir of Edmund and Elizabeth Harewell, ob. 1576: on the adjoining wall is placed a triptych, with various figures and long inscriptions in verse, lamenting his death: there is also a monument, with arms, to Sir Edward Sebright bart., d. 11 Sept. 1679. the Lady Elizabeth Montagu, his wife, and two daughters: in the chancel are suspended a helmet, with the crest of the Sebrights, a gauntlet and a sword and banner staff: the church was carefully restored in 1879-81, under the superintendence of W. J. Hopkins esq. architect, of Worcester, at a total cost of about £1,726, when a new bell-cote was erected with the old framing, the interesting monuments and rare triptych being carefully preserved: the church was reopened April 27th, 1881 and affords 96 sittings.

Church Records

The parish register dates from the year 1540, the entries from that date to 1598 being copied from an older volume.