Herefordshire 2023 (7) - Part 4: St Peter and St Paul, Weobley

 Weobley village was recorded in the Domesday book as "Wibelai" meaning "Wibba's Clearing"  Wibba may have been the son of Creoda who possibly King of Mercia in the C6th.  We've been to Weobley quite a few times now and, although I've occasionally been back to the churchyard, this was the first chance I'd had since our first visit to get some better photos of the church interior.

Sorry - be warned there are a lot of photos!

Parts of St Peter and St Paul date back to the C12th but most of the building dates back to the C14th.  The church is fairly large and spacious and consists of a Nave with North and South Aisles, South Porch, Chancel and a tower at a strange angle in the North West corner. The tower and spire can be seen for miles and the spire is the second highest in Herefordshire.  The tower is C14th and has clasping large buttresses and the crocketed pinnacles are connected by flying buttresses to the spire - the only such church example in the county although its very similar to one at Hereford Cathedral.

The West doorway has ballflower decoration both inside and outside the church and dates from the Decorated period.

Door into the Tower

It was good to see lots of information in the church South Porch about Caring for God's Acre and parts of the churchyard as we'll see later were covered in wild flowers :)  D watched swifts flying into nests in the church roof while I was inside.

*D

The South Porch is early C13th and the inner doorway is late Norman but the door is dated 1712 with the initials of church wardens at the time.

To be honest I felt a bit guilty about D so it was again a whistle stop tour taking as many photos as I could in 20 minutes. The light wasn't brilliant and I forgot to turn the lights on :(  F2.8 and iso 3200 at times was the order of the day so many photos are not very good.

The C14th font has tracery panels with designs that would probably have been taken from a pattern book. The cover dates from around 1700.

South aisle with a chapel at the far end. The nave and aisles were restored by Clifton J West of London 1865-66 which led to the renewal of tracery, a new South transept rose window, new roofs and encaustic floor tiling.  The chancel restoration which was less drastic was undertaken by Thomas Nicholson in 1867.

The nave

Interior west door with more ball flower decorations.

I haven't got much information on the stained glass but the glass in the tracery or at least part of it looks medieval to me.

The tower has 6 bells. The earliest bell was cast in 1605 and the latest in 1983. This bell dated 1657 was found to be unsafe in 1983, during a major overhaul of the bells, and now resides in the North Aisle.

Bier

I wish now I had bought a set of these lovely wild flower cards featuring wild flowers that grow in the churchyard.

More ballflower decoration on the arch.

Organ from 1908/9.

Rose window in the S Aisle.

Pevsner calls some of the tiles "strident" - not sure if he meant these!

Tomb chest with alabaster effigies.  The woman is probably Agnes Crophull, holder of the Manor of Weobley who died in 1436 and her third husband John Marbury of Lyonsall.  Her first husband Sir Walter Devereux who  died in 1402 is in a tomb chest nearby.  Agnes was an ancestor of royalty, nobility and politicians.  With her 2nd husband Sir John Parr of Kendal she was a great great grandmother to Katherine Parr, one of Henry VIII's wives.  John Marbury was Sheriff of Herefordshire several times, held royal appointments and was one of the wealthiest men in the county. The C16th Marbury Crest is in the shield above the tomb.

There were a great many memorials and tablets in the chancel area.

Window in chancel with heraldic glass 1870.

Elaborate Gothic reredos by T Gambier-Pary 1878( a renowned student of the Italian fresco painters) carved by Boulton.

East Window 1867 by Heaton Butler and Payne.

Marble monument in the chancel in memory of Colonel John Birch in the Parliamentary army.  He survived the restoration of the monarch and served as MP for Weobley having bought Garnstone Castle nearby in 1661. If I remember correctly he was responsible for the razing of Goodrich Castle :(

The memorial has a white marble statue in armour with Colonel Birch pointing his baton.  The background is composed of light and dark grey marbles and Corinthinian columns. There is a broken pediment with heraldry and military trophies on each side.

Piscina

Looking down the nave from the chancel

This is believed to be the tomb chest for Sir Walter Devereux who died from injuries received in 1402 at the Battle of Pilleth fighting against Owain Glyndwr.  His first wife was Alice, daughter of Sir John Pembridge - a wealthy heiress.  His 2nd wife was Agnes Crophull another wealthy heiress who he married when she was a minor. (Her tomb is opposite his - please see above).  Sir Walter was a member of the royal household, a Royal Commissioner and the Keeper of Builth Castle during the minority of Roger Mortimer. A great Grandson of Sir William became Lord Ferrers of Chartley and an ancestor of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Sir Walter's shield is C16th and like the one of Marbury has been repainted.

The detail in the armour is amazing and I love the graffiti left over the centuries.

Chancel Screen

My photo of the pulpit was rubbish so just a few pictures of the carvings on it.

A coffin lid decorated with a foliated cross and stem flanked by a crozier and mitre. Its C13th although Hugh Bissop whom it commemorates died after 1320.  He was not a bishop and the mitre and crozier are thought to be a rare example of a monument with a medieval pun on his name.

I did manage to persuade D to go inside just to see the tombs with effigies and the coffin lid.  Then we had a quick look round the churchyard. Sadly, I missed the grave of Ella Mary Leather, the famous folklorist, who lived in Weobley. There is also a memorial window to her in the church and I missed that too :(Other items missed in the church were:

.  South Aisle corbels carved with grotesque heads - a shame as D would have enjoyed those. 

.  Grisaille glass

Sundial installed 1886 which replaced a C17th one.

War Memorial 1920 by W G Storr-Barber

South Porch

Here is part of the wildflower area just full of ox--eye daisies and other wild flowers.

C14th churchyard cross with 5 octagonal steps and C19th shaft. This churchyard cross has a folklore legend attached to it - if you walk round the cross and recite the Lord's Prayer backwards then go to the door of the church and look inside you will see the devil. Probably best not to try it!

Plants in Walls 

*D

We rescued this poor Bumble Bee from the road and placed it among the wild flowers.

*D

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 except for those marked*D which were taken by my son. I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks)

Reference:

Pevsner Buildings of England: Herefordshire by Nikolaus Pevsner and Alan Brooks Yale University Press 2012.

Church Guide Book bought on an earlier visit and information sheets around the church

"Churches of Herefordshire and Their Treasures" by John Leonard Logaston Press

"Haunted Herefordshire" by Rupert Matthews