Church of St Augustine of Canterbury, Upton Lovell

The parish church at Upton Lovell dates back to at least the early 13th century when the building consisted of a chancel, nave and tower. Its dedication is a puzzle; currently known as St Augustine of Canterbury, it has also been known as St Peter’s. Extensive repairs were carried out to the nave, north porch and vestry in 1633 (the date came to light during the 1891 restoration when it was discovered carved into a tie-beam in the nave).

The earliest surviving churchwardens’ accounts book (from 1738) shows no record of any repairs to the church between 1738 and 1834, except minor repairs to the roof in 1801. However, a flat ceiling and gallery were added sometime in the 18^th century. The date 1771 was found to have been cut on the stone of the spring on the tower arch. According to the Rev F.G. Walker, who carried out detailed research into the history of the building in the 1920s, this date could only have been carved by someone standing in the gallery.

The church was visited by Sir Richard Colt Hoare c.1823. He described the church as ‘a small edifice of stone, with a low turret decorated with pinnacles’. The chancel measured 20 feet long by 14 feet wide; the nave 37 feet 4 inches long by 17 feet 4 inches wide.

Hoare noted the ancient stone font, the effigy of a knight in armour that lies on the south side of the altar, and the engraved brass plate of an early priest that was embedded in the floor of the nave.

The church was restored twice in the 19^th century, in 1834 and in 1891. In the Rev Walker’s opinion, the earlier work was not a success. He refers to the church being ‘ruthlessly repaired’ in 1834. The chancel windows in the north and south walls were blocked up and replaced by a modern, circular headed east window. The font was removed, a low plaster ceiling inserted in the nave, a new gallery built, and the south entrance was blocked up and replaced by the present west entrance.

In 1891 the church was ‘carefully restored’ by C.E. Ponting. In an article he wrote about his work Mr Ponting drew attention to the rebuilding work carried out in 1633 as a ‘very valuable example of ecclesiastical work carried out when little of the kind was done and when more attention was paid to domestic architecture’. He felt strongly that this special characteristic should be preserved and that no attempt should be made to alter or ‘improve’ the building. Mr Ponting removed the gallery and restored the 17^th century roof. He restored the east window to its original design.

Fragments of stone from the original window had survived and were discovered in 1890; these fragments enabled him to deduce what style of window to build, although in the Rev Walker’s opinion, Mr Ponting ‘made the mistake’ of inserting a three light window instead of a two light.

When the font was removed in 1834 its base was destroyed and the circular bowl moved to the rectory garden where it was used as a flower pot. According to the Rev Walker ‘another font costing £2 5 shillings a hideous thing all in one piece without a drainage hole was put in its place. At restoration in 1890 this “thing” was in its turn removed to the rectory garden where it is now [1931] buried in ivy growing over it, while the original bowl was cleansed, mounted on a new base and taken back to the church.’

The work appears to have progressed slowly due to lack of funds, but in 1898 Mrs Sarah Ingram donated £500, enabling the pews to be replaced. By 1908 the tower roof had been repaired. Two of the chancel windows that had been blocked up were re-opened in 1929. The church had now reached a point where, as far as could be traced, it had been restored back to its 17^th century condition.

On the south side of the altar is an effigy of a knight.

There is no record of who the knight is, but it could be John, 5^th Lord Lovel of Titchmarsh, who died in 1408, or his son John, 6^th Lord Lovel, who died in 1414. Both were patrons of this church.

The brass is believed to have been a priest. The style of both the priest’s robes and his hair suggest a date of early to mid-14^th century.

There are four bells in the church. The treble was cast in 1619, the second in 1780 and the third in 1759. These are all recasts as there were three bells in 1553. It is not known when the fourth bell was installed but it is believed that at some time it was removed and given to Tytherington church. In 2006 the bells were restored and it was then that the new fourth bell was added. Due to the condition of the tower it is not possible for the bells to be swung full circle; instead they are chimed.

The Return to the Bishop’s Visitation Queries for 1783 gives a glimpse into life in Upton Lovell church. Two services were held each Sunday, prayers and a sermon at 10.00am and prayers at 2.00pm. Communion was held four times a year, but there were only approximately ten communicants. There were no Catholics or Non-Conformists in the parish, but the rector noted that there were many people in the village who did not attend church. John Crouch was the rector and he had been at Upton Lovell since 1755.

Visitation records continue into the 19th century.

In 1864 there were still two services each Sunday with a sermon, while Holy Communion was administered four times a year. The average congregation was 70-100 in the morning and 170-200 in the evening, but only 32 people were confirmed. An organ had been installed recently and the services were now choral. The rector was of the opinion that this was the reason for the large increase in the congregation.

By 1870 the congregation had reduced slightly to 50-60 in the morning and 120-140 in the evening. The rector ran a successful night school to complement the day school that had been opened in 1871. The night school had been in existence for 12 years and several of the boys had managed to obtain responsible jobs. The church choir, which the rector believed to be a good one, consisted of past and present scholars at the night school.

In 1876 congregations were between 60 and 100. The rector was aware that Non-conformity was beginning to establish itself in the village and that up to 40 residents were attending the Baptist chapel in Corton. He blamed his predecessor for ‘allowing dissent to increase’ and for ‘neglect of the parish through infirmity’. (William Gray died in post in 1874 aged 74; he had been at Upton for 32 years).

Thomas Hickman, who became rector of Upton Lovell in 1619, was actively involved in the Civil War.

He raised a troop of horse for the King and sent with it his two sons, Samuel and Daniel; the former, who was in command, was killed at the Battle of Newbury on 20^th September 1643. Hickman was deprived of his living in 1647, fined and imprisoned. He died in 1661. Approximately 20 years later his widow petitioned the King for financial assistance, but unfortunately none was forthcoming.

In 1936 an eccentric but much loved rector Percy Barrington Brown came to the village. He was a brilliant scholar with challenging views on the church and therefore never obtained a senior post. Upton Lovell seemed a suitably remote, rural post for a man who, according to his schoolmaster had ‘a certain unorthodoxy of thought’.

Percy was the last long standing rector to have sole care of the parish. When William Gladstone arrived in 1953 he also had care of Codford parish. Stockton was added in 1973 and Ashton Gifford in 1980. When John Tipping retired in 1997 the Upper Wylyle Valley Team was created. This includes ten churches at Codford, Sutton Veny, Heytesbury, Corton, Upton Lovell, Tytherington, Knook, Boyton, Sherrington and Norton Bavant.

The parish registers for Upton Lovell, apart from those currently in use at the church, can be seen at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham. The earliest surviving register is 1654.