Church of St Michael, Tidcombe

The church of St Michael at Tidcombe was apparently standing in the mid-fourteenth century, and was certainly called St Michael by 1763. It is built of rendered flint rubble, with an aisled and clerestoried nave with a north porch, and a tower in its westernmost bay. The majority of the church was built in the fourteenth century, aside from the tower and the porch, which were built in c.1600 and 1675 respectively. In the fifteenth century the chancel was re-roofed and the clerestory added, whilst buttresses were built on the western side of the church in 1707. The church building appears to have then remained largely untouched until the late nineteenth century when it was restored in 1880-82.

In terms of fixtures and fittings, it is known that in the early nineteenth century several large private pews were installed at the church causing the incumbent to complain that many poor parishioners were choosing instead to attend non-conformist meetings as there was not enough room for them in St Michael’s. As a result, more free seats were added around 1845. Certainly by the late nineteenth century there were a number of seats available, as Kelly’s Directory records the church as seating 164 in 1889 though this had dropped to only 125 from 1898.

There are a number of points of interest in the church. 2½oz. of plate was confiscated from the church in 1553, although a 9oz. chalice was retained.

In addition, in the late twentieth century the church had a silver chalice from the early 1700s, a silver paten hallmarked 1727, and a silver flagon from the late nineteenth century. The Wiltshire Historic Churches Report of 1972 also reported that the church possessed a Saxon font bowl believed to date from 850, though the provenance of this report is unclear. There is a monument to Thomas Rendall (d. 1835) featuring an urn for Rendall himself surrounded by several shields and other memorials for further members of the Rendall family. There is also a plaque commemorating the six men of the parish who lost their lives during the First World War.

The church originally had three bells in 1553. These were gradually replaced in 1608, 1622 (inscribed “Oh God Hear us”) and 1636 (inscribed “Praise God”). In 1907 the 1608 bell was replaced and the three bells were rehung, remaining there into the late twentieth century. The 1608 bell was lying disused on the floor in 1969.

The living at the church was relatively poor throughout its history. In 1291 the rectory was worth £5 6s 8d, below average for the diocese at that point. By 1535 the vicarage was worth £6 13s 4d, and from 1612 the lessee of the Rectory estate had to pay £13 6s 8d for services in the church, rising to £38 in 1669 and £45 19s in the early nineteenth century.

This living was augmented in 1723 by £400, half of which came from Queen Anne’s Bounty, and in 1830 by a further £400 from the Bounty. By 1812 a thatched house was included in the living, though this was said to be dilapidated by 1843 and was replaced in circa 1865 before being sold in or around 1926. In the early 1830s the average income for the incumbent was £77, though this had risen to £234 by 1885 before falling to £203 in 1889 and 165 by 1898, and by 1927 the living (including that of Fosbury, which had been amalgamated into Tidcombe) was valued at £392.

The church was served by a rector until circa 1401-1403, at which point it was appropriated by Easton Priory and ordained as a vicarage. Tidcombe continued to be served by vicars until 1575 when they were replaced by stipendiary curates. From 1789 the church was served by a perpetual curate, who from 1868 was called a vicar. Just prior to this, in 1856, the Tidcombe ecclesiastical parish was reduced when Fosbury was made a separate ecclesiastical district as a church (Christchurch) had recently been consecrated there. Tidcombe was then increased again in 1879 when Hippenscombe was added to the ecclesiastical parish. From 1916 the vicarage was held jointly with that of Fosbury, and the vicarage of both was held in plurality with the rectory of Ham and Buttermere from 1952, and with East Grafton from 1955.

The vicarages of Tidcombe and Fosbury were formally united in 1926, and this was in turn formally united with East Grafton in 1962. In 1979 this united benefice was added to others to form Wexcombe benefice at which point the ecclesiastical parishes of Tidcombe and Fosbury were united.

Other than those currently in use, the parish registers for baptisms, marriages and burials survive from 1639 and can be accessed at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Chippenham