St Peter Mancroft
Encyclopedia
St Peter Mancroft is a parish church in the Church of England
, in the centre of Norwich
, Norfolk
. It is the largest church in Norwich and was built between 1430 and 1455. It stands on a slightly elevated position, next to the market place.
St Peter Mancroft is a member of the Greater Churches Group
.
It has a Norman
foundation dating from 1075, a 1463 font, a 1573 Flemish
tapestry, medieval glass and a memorial to Thomas Browne
, author of Religio Medici. The small lead-covered spire with flying buttresses was added by A.E. Street in 1896.
bells in the western tower, eleven of which date from 1775 and the latest of which dates from 1997. St Peter Mancroft is important in the history of change ringing
because in 1715, 5040 changes of Plain Bob Triples were rung for the first time, in 3 hours and 17 minutes, as recorded in an inscription in the tower. Subsequently, the first complete peals to the change ringing systems known as Grandsire
and Stedman were also rung in St Peter Mancroft.
was installed in 1984. The specification can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, in the centre of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. It is the largest church in Norwich and was built between 1430 and 1455. It stands on a slightly elevated position, next to the market place.
St Peter Mancroft is a member of the Greater Churches Group
Greater Churches Group
The Greater Churches Network is a self-help organisation within the Church of England. There are currently 32 churches within the Greater Churches Network....
.
Description
The present building was begun in 1430, on the site of an existing church, and consecrated in 1455. It is an ambitious building, 180 feet long and ashlar faced with a tower at the west end.It has a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
foundation dating from 1075, a 1463 font, a 1573 Flemish
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
tapestry, medieval glass and a memorial to Thomas Browne
Thomas Browne
Sir Thomas Browne was an English author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including medicine, religion, science and the esoteric....
, author of Religio Medici. The small lead-covered spire with flying buttresses was added by A.E. Street in 1896.
Bells
St Peter Mancroft has a ring of fourteen WhitechapelWhitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
bells in the western tower, eleven of which date from 1775 and the latest of which dates from 1997. St Peter Mancroft is important in the history of change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
because in 1715, 5040 changes of Plain Bob Triples were rung for the first time, in 3 hours and 17 minutes, as recorded in an inscription in the tower. Subsequently, the first complete peals to the change ringing systems known as Grandsire
Grandsire
Grandsire is one of the standard change ringing methods, which are methods of ringing church bells or handbells using a series of mathematical permutations rather than using a melody...
and Stedman were also rung in St Peter Mancroft.
Incumbents
- William Wells 1598 - 1620
- Thomas TenisonThomas TenisonThomas Tenison was an English church leader, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 until his death. During his primacy, he crowned two British monarchs.-Life:...
1670 - 1680 - J Bowman 1826 - ????
- Charles Turner 1848 - ????
- William John WestwoodWilliam John WestwoodWilliam John "Bill" Westwood was the 36th Anglican Bishop of Peterborough from 1984 to 1996....
1965 - 1975 - David Sharp 1975 - 1998
- Peter W Nokes 1999 - current
- Sir Thomas Browne- 1605 - 1682
Choir
There was once a large male voice choir which disbanded in 2000, though music is still an essential part of worship with the majority of the services being sung by one of the choirs at the Church. The baroque style organ, one of the finest of its kind, means that St Peter Mancroft is also an exceptional concert venue with many concerts being held all the year round.Organ
A new organ by Peter CollinsPeter Collins (organ builder)
Peter Collins is an English pipe organ builder based in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He specialises in tracker action organs typically with clean, modernist light wood casework and well-balanced classical voicing...
was installed in 1984. The specification can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Organists
- William Pleasants 1708 - 1717 (son of Thomas Pleasants, organist of Norwich CathedralNorwich CathedralNorwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
) - Humphrey Cotton 1717 - 1720 (afterwards organist of Norwich CathedralNorwich CathedralNorwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
) - George Baker 1720 - ????
- Samuel Cook ???? - 1780
- Edward Beckwith 1780 - 1793 (acting organist from 1769)
- John Christmas BeckwithJohn Christmas BeckwithJohn Christmas Beckwith was an English organist and composer. He was the teacher of organist Zechariah Buck and composer Stephen Codman.-Career:He was an articled pupil of Dr. William and Dr...
1794 - 1808 (afterwards organist of Norwich CathedralNorwich CathedralNorwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
) - John Charles BeckwithJohn Charles Beckwith (organist)John Charles Beckwith was an English Organist, born in Norwich.-Family:He was the son of the organist John Christmas Beckwith.He is buried in St Peter Mancroft.-Career:He was jointly*Organist of St Peter Mancroft 1809 - 1819...
1809 - 1819 (son of the above) - Alfred Pettet 1819 - 1837
- Samuel Critchfield, Junior 1837 - 1851
- James Harcourt 1851 - 1877 (afterwards organist of Wymondham AbbeyWymondham AbbeyWymondham Abbey is situated in the town of Wymondham in Norfolk, England.-Background:It is the Anglican parish church of Wymondham, but it started life as a Benedictine priory....
1880 - 1881) - Edward Bunnett 1877 - 1908
- Richard John Maddern-Williams, F.R.C.O 1908 - 1922 (formerly assistant at Norwich CathedralNorwich CathedralNorwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
) - Frank Edward Newman 1922 - 1926
- ?
- Charles Joseph Romaine Coleman 1942 - 1959 (and jointly assistant organist at Norwich CathedralNorwich CathedralNorwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
) - ?
- Kenneth Ryder 1963 - 2005
- Matthew Pitts 2006 - 2009
- Julian Haggett 2009 - present
Assistant Organists
- Charles Robert Palmer 1899 - 1901
- W. Percy Jones 1910 - ca. 1921 - ????
- Andrew Benians
- Roger Rayner
- Tim Patient 1990 - 2005
External links
- St. Peter Mancroft Church
- Book review article about the medieval stained glass in the church http://www.vidimus.org/archive/issue_1_2006/issue_1_2006-04.html