SS. Peter and Paul, Wantage, Berkshire
Description
The church of SS. Peter and Paul, built either wholly or in part by the benefactions of the Fitz-Warine family, is a spacious cruciform building of stone with Bath stone dressings, in the Norman Early English and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, with clerestory, north and two south side chapels, transepts, clerestoried nave of 10 bays, aisles, north and south porches with parvise, and an embattled central tower, containing eight bells and a clock: it was originally designed to have a nave without aisles; these seem to have been added in the reign of Edward I. about which time the chantry chapels, which vary considerably in style and date, were also built: the chancel appears to belong to the 15th and 16th centuries: the east window, inserted in 1857, was one of the earliest works of the late G. E. Street esq. R.A. then a resident in Wantage: the church is remarkable as being complete in its general plan from the beginning, the subsequent series of additions not having yet destroyed the original design: among other details worthy of mention are the very perfect and interesting remains of Pointed woodwork, consisting of a screen in the south chapel, parcloses shutting off the chancel and eighteen stalls, with carved miserere seats and beautiful poppy heads: in the chancel is the canopied marble tomb of Sir William Fitz-Warine K.G. 1st Baron Fitz-Warine, a distinguished soldier in the French and Scottish wars of the reign of Edward III. with recumbent figures of himself and wife Amicia (Haddon); he died in 1361, and was succeeded by his son Iva or John Fitz-Warine, 2nd Baron, who accompanied Thomas (Plantagenet) of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester and Earl of Buckingham, in his expedition to France, and was with him at the siege of Nantes; he died in 1414; in the church is a fine brass effigy of this knight, in armour, and another of a priest, said to be of the same family; there are other memorials to the Wilmotts of Charlton and Lamborne and to the family of Grove; there is also a memorial window to the Rev. the Hon. Edward Foyle Nelson M.A. formerly curate of Wantage, who died 8th September, 1859; the ancient altar-stone still exists and is in perfect condition: in Leland's time a Norman church also stood in the churchyard; the remains of which as long as they existed indicated that it had been restored or rebuilt in the 12th century; the Norman doorway of this building has been removed to the Grammar school, with which it is still incorporated: the church was enlarged in 1881, at a cost of £1,473, and in 1896 the south-east chapel was restored and fitted up for services at a cost of about £1,000, in memory of the Very Rev. William John Butler D.D. late dean of Lincoln and vicar of Wantage 1846-80: there are 1,023 sittings.
By an Order in Council, October 28, 1881, the church was wholly closed against interments and the graveyard also, with certain modifications.
Church Records
The register dates from the year 1538.
The Phillimore transcript of Marriages at Wantage 1538-1837, Berkshire is available to browse online.