OUT & ABOUT
All hands on deck for Felkirk 900
In a Barnsley village as mysterious as Davy Jones’ Locker, local legend has it that within its churchyard lies the graves of ye olde pirates. Well, shiver me timbers!
Why buccaneers would have wound up in Barnsley when the nearest coast is almost 100 miles away is anyone’s guess. But who else would possibly use skull and crossbones on their gravestones? For generations, children from the surrounding villages have long believed this folklore tale that pirates once roamed the lands and have spent many an hour exploring the grounds of Felkirk St Peter’s Church looking for signs of the Jolly Roger. These infamous graves date back to the plague which decimated the population in the 17th and 18th centuries; the crossbones were used to denote ‘do not dig up.’
‘‘Their deep, plain octagonal font with runes inscribed inside is believed to be one of the oldest still in continual use’’
As the church celebrates its 900th anniversary in 2020, a community group has organised a range of activities and events throughout the year to celebrate Felkirk’s rich heritage. Felkirk is one of a few parishes in the UK named after the church rather than the village. Thought to be derived from the Anglo-Danish word ‘Fjolkirche’ meaning church of wood or planks, Felkirk was the name given to the original smaller 9th century church which burnt down and for which the records were lost. This first church was built in the ancient village of Hoderode, the only remaining evidence of this being Hodroyd Hall just a short walk from the current church. The two sites have remained connected ever since, with celebrations being held at both Felkirk and Hodroyd to commemorate the 900th year. Located close to the West
Yorkshire border in South Hiendley near Shafton, the current church was built by Anglo-Saxon, Swain Alric in the early 1100s who passed control
over to the monks at Nostell Priory in 1120.
The church served six villages: Havercroft, South Hiendley, Cold Hiendly, Shafton, Brierley and Grimethorpe. As the population grew, the parish boundaries shifted and today the church accommodates the communities of Shafton and South Hiendley. The history surrounding the church is extraordinary, as too are the renovations it has undergone throughout the years to adapt to the changing congregation. Their deep, plain octagonal font with runes inscribed inside is believed to be one of the oldest still in continual use and has been baptising people for well over 1,000 years, dating back to the 10th century when a child would be fully immersed in the water. The Victorian restorations in 1875 included a new font as they deemed the original one ‘rather plain’ and was replaced with a more elaborate font.
In the 1930s, the original font was found in a farmer’s field where it was being used as a cow trough. It was returned to its rightful place, with its replacement now being used by St George’s Church, Lupset. There have been many internal alterations and configurations since its inception, with many funded by the residing family of Hodroyd Hall. When you stand in the centre of the church, the pillars are higher at the left-hand side. This is where the gallery used to be used by the Monckton family who owned Hodroyd Hall. The original Galway family pew, with its magnificent marquetry, is still in the church today. In the vestry to the left of the altar is a large plaque commemorating John Monckton, 1st Viscount of Galway, who was a Whig politician in the mid-1700s. He inherited
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Hodroyd Hall in 1722 which had been his family’s seat since the early 18th century. Although a Yorkshireman, he was made an Irish peer as a reward for his support and also to enable the government to keep their majority in Parliament – if he had been an English peer, he’d have sat in the House of Lords.
Many of the Monckton family are buried in a crypt underneath the church which was sealed in the 19th century.
In recent years, there has been many renovations to stop the 900-year-old church from crumbling into the history books.
Standing in the grounds is the Elizabethan village school dating back to 1580 which was turned into a community room in 2003 thanks to monies from the National Lottery. It was a painstaking job as the walls had started to bow out and the building was in danger of collapsing into the road. Also, some of the Yorkshire stone roof tiles were so badly damaged replacements had to be sought. Replacement Yorkshire stone tiles were re-claimed from a demolished mill in Lancashire to complete the roof. The Elizabethan schoolroom is now an active part of daily life at Felkirk. Coffee mornings, breakfast mornings and monthly lunches bring the community together on a regular basis which is especially important for the older residents of the Parish. Towards the rear of the church, the Lancet stained-glass window dating back to the 13th century has recently been restored. The last recorded restoration was in 1876 and so the lead, glass and stonework had all drastically deteriorated, meaning the window had been covered up for many years to prevent further damage. As the church is Grade I listed,
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