Bromham Church

Bromham church from the east - August 2007

St.Owen's church stands in Bromham park to the east of the village. The oldest parts of the building are 13th century, the chancel is 14th and the tower 15th century. Somewhat unusually the church has porches in both the north and south walls of the nave and both had chambers above them, that over the north porch having been used as a schoolroom whilst that over the south porch was used as a parish library.

 
Bromham church from the south - August 2007

A west gallery was installed in the church in 1810 and six years later more extensive works were made necessary when a bolt of lightning hit the tower; the repairs cost over £200. A further £100 was spent on repairs in 1844 and, in 1868, the church underwent its main restoration. The architect for this was William Butterfield, he added a transept chapel and a vestry and almost entirely rebuilt the chancel but overall his work was said to be "careful and conservative". At the same time a new pulpit and font cover were installed.

 
Bromham church after the fire of 1906 [Z49/415]

Almost 90 years to the day after the last catastrophe involving the tower it was badly damaged by a fire in September 1906, the west end of the nave was similarly badly affected. The fire completely destroyed the bells, just three years after they had been re-hung as a memorial to Miss Rice Trevor. Repairs were undertaken the following year, at which time the organ chamber was enlarged.

Most of the notes on the structural history of the church can be found in greater detail in Bedfordshire Historical Record Society Volume number 73 of 1994 Bedfordshire Churches in the Nineteenth Century: Part I: parishes A to G, put together by former County Archivist Chris Pickford from numerous sources some held by Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service and some held elsewhere or published.

 
Interior of Bromham church in 1908 after rebuilding [Z474/35]

The advowson of the church was, from the 13th century, held by Cauldwell Priory in Bedford. On the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII the advowson was granted to Sir Walter Luke, who is shown appointing the new vicar in 1539, however, by 1542 it is the King who is patron of the living and then, in succession, the Bishop of Lincoln, Eton College and, from at least 1567, the Dyve family until they after the First Civil War (in which Sir Lewis Dyve was a prominent supporter of the King, raising his own regiment) when Eton College was patron again, though at the time of writing [Aug 2007] the patron is the Bishop of St.Albans.

 
South porch, above which was the home, until recently of the Parish Library

In 1818 Bromham became a shared benefice with Oakley, although the two parishes remain independent, with their own services, parochial church council, churchwardens etc. Since 1984 Stagsden has also shared an incumbent with Bromham and Oakley.

In 1927 the Vicarage was valued under the 1925 Rating Valuation Act [DV/1/C/3 pp.98-99] and the valuer found a building erected in 1831 comprising a living room, hall, drawing room, dining room, study, boot room, store, larder and kitchen downstairs with both main and back staircases leading up to five bedrooms (one turned into a bathroom and wc) with two attics on the second storey above. Outside were a washhouse, work room, coach house ("not used"), coal shed , store and garage ("used by friends only"). The valuer noted "House much too big. Garden almost derelict").

List of Vicars 

- Ralph de Bedford - 1235 [capellanus]
- Ralph, son of Ralph - killed in Feb 1272, married to Agnes [see Introduction|];
- Ralph de Bedford - 1 Dec 1277 [priest; on death of Ralph]
- Roger de Graneby - 12 Sep 1288 [capellanus; on death of Ralph de Bedeford]
- Hugh de Linford - 23 Mar 1293 [capellanus; on institution of Roger to Clifton rectory]
- Henry de Pertenhall - 11 Jan 1300 [capellanus; on death of Hugh de Linford]
- Richard Ketering - 29 Nov 1313 [capellanus; on death of Henry]
- Roger de Gravele - 23 Dec 1333 [priest; on death of Richard de Ketering]
- William son of John de Overton Longville [priest; on resignation of Roger de Gravele]
- John Beck
- Richard de Kempston - 8 Apr 1361 [priest; on death of John Beck]
- Roger de Depham - 19 Sep 1306 [on resignation of Richard de Kempston, exchanged to Siberton Rectory]
- John de Histone - 4 Mar 1369 [Vicar of Armyngton, diocese of Ely, by exchange with Roger de Depham]
- John Warde
- John Taillour - 23 Dec 1375 [Vicar of Newenham, by exchange with  John Warde]
- William Wandisford - 1 May 1386 [priest; on resignation of  John Taylour, exchanged to Heyford Rectory]
- Elias Withiford - 19 Mar 1386 [priest; on resignation of William Wandisford, exchanged to Hospital of St. John the Baptist, Lutterworth]
- Robert Borough
- John Wrighte - 8 Oct 1390 [priest; on resignation of Robert Borough, exchanged for Bydenham Chantry]
- Thomas Cook - 18 Mar 1405 [priest; on resignation of  John Wrythe]
- Thomas Aythorpe
- Thomas George - 9 Oct 1460 [priest; on resignation of Thomas Aythorpe]
- Richard Lound - 6 Oct 1462 [priest; on resignation of Thomas George]
- John Fawne - 15 Sep 1474 [on resignation of Richard Lounde, last vicar]
- William Allen - 24 Jan 1492 [priest; on the death of John Fawne]
- John Wryght - 6 Mar 1500 [priest; on death of William Alan]
- William Aby - 18 Oct 1504 [priest; on death of  John Wright]
- John Pateson - 1526 [vicar in 1534]
- Thomas Mendar - 29 Apr 1539 [priest; on death of last incumbent]
- Alexander Clerke - 4 Aug 1542 [clerk; on resignation of last incumbent]
- Ralph Manfield - 27 Nov 1551
- Thomas Symons - 10 Mar 1560 [clerk; vacant]
- David Vaughan - 9 Nov 1564
- Henry Kinge - 3 Jul 1567 [clerk; on resignation of David Vaughan]
- Richard Maddocks - 31 Oct 1588
- Nicholas Barton - 19 Jul 1597
- George Danyell - 28 Mar 1605 [M.A., on resignation of Michael Barton]
- Thomas Stokes - 26 Jan 1608 [M.A.]
- Antony Waters - 20 nov 1633 [M.A., sequestered 12 Dec 1645]
- Nicholas East - 13 Dec 1645 [intruded]
- Andrew Carter - 15 Aug 1661
- Robert Whitehead - 15 Apr 1672 [M.A., on cessation of Carter]
- William Tucker - 30 Jun 1684 [M.A]
- Simon Gale - 1 May 1688 [M.A., Queen's College, Cambridge, on resignation of William Tucker];
- Robert Richards - 10 Dec 1712 [B.A., on death of Simon Gale;  M.A., Emmanuel College, Cambridge, died 23 Feb 1777, leaving Alice his wife, widow]
- Wyat Francis - 4 Mar 1758 [M.A., on death of Robert Richards, fellow of Magdalen College, Oxon]
- Thomas Richards - 9 Feb 1769 [B.A., Sidney College, Cambridge, on death of Wyatt Francis;  son of Robert Richards, who was born at Souldrop in 1704, & nephew of Robert Richards.,  Buried 23 Mar 1799, and Ann, his wife, died 2 Jan 1803]
- Robert Measham - 4 Jul 1799 [M.A., on death of Thomas Richards]
- Robert Mesham - 7 May 1818 [M.A., legally vacant; Rosamond his wife died 10 Oct 1819]
- Robert Mesham - 8 Jul 1823 [M.A., on cessation of said Mesham]
- James Joseph Goodhall - 20 Sep 1827 [M.A., Pembroke College, Oxon.  Resigned 12 Apr 1866]
- Alfred James Coleridge - 17 May 1866 [B.A., Magdalen College, Oxford, resignation of J.J. Goodhall;  Patron, C.O. Goodford, Provost of Eton]
- Charles James Elises Smith - 1880 [M.A., St. John's College, Camridge]
- Charles William Browning - Jul 1901
- Alfred Elvis Burne - Oct 1925
- Ernest Denby Gilbert - 1937
- Daniel Trevor Evans - 1953
- Dennis Charles King - 1977
- Derek Vincent Draper - 1984