Potton Church

St.Mary's Church, Potton

 

This large church is made of brown cobbles and stands on a hill quite some way from the centre of the town. The first mention of the church is in 1094 but already by 1107 a separate chapel of ease, dedicated to St.Swithin, existed, indicating that the church was some way out of town even by that date. oldest feature is the Norman font but the earliest piece if structure is the 13 century chancel and north transept, the nave and aisles being later in the century or early in the next - the tower is 15th century and the south chapel was built around 1500, the north chapel was demolished shortly afterwards.

Potton church about 1820 [Z49/1080]

A number of repairs were carried out in the early nineteenth century due to the poor condition of the church but the Maynard Charity of Thaxted [Essex], responsible for chancel repairs, refused to restore the wooden windows as they were still weatherproof. The interior was restored in 1837 and 1838 when old galleries were removed new pews installed and a new iron columned west gallery inserted which carried the organ. The roof was re-leaded on the south aisle in 1846 and extensive repairs carried out on the south side of the church and on the roof of the nave between 1847 and 1849; the south porch was pulled down around the same time and as a result part of the south wall promptly collapsed! Two buttresses were included in the repairs. The top of the tower was restored by the Bedford architects Wing & Jackson and the Norman font was repaired with cement. New pews were installed between 1873 and 1874 when the short-lived west gallery was removed and the floor re-laid with tiles; at the same time a new Powell stained glass window was installed in the south aisle and another stained glass window, in memory of Rev.Woodward Clarke Bidwell was installed in the chancel. By 1888 the chancel needed extensive repairs and the work was carried out the following year when the whole north side of the church was repaired, a new stained glass east window was given in 1888, the old one being removed to the south chapel a further stained glass window was given in 1894, this time to the north transept. A striking modern stained glass window was erected in the south east aisle of the nave to celebrate nine hundred years of worship at Potton in 1994.

St.Mary's church west tower March 2007

Most of the notes on the structural history of the church can be found in greater detail in Bedfordshire Historical Record Society Volume number 77 of 1998 Bedfordshire Churches in the Nineteenth Century: Part II: parishes H to R, 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.

Since 1931 the church has shared an incumbent| with Cockayne Hatley and, since 1963 also with Sutton; the parishes remain independent with their own parochial church councils, churchwardens and services.

List of Rectors

- Ralf Foliot, Archdeacon of Hereford and clerk to Henry II appointed by St.Andrew's Priory at the King's request to a perpetual vicarage - c.1181/4;
- William de Avalun, clerk to David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon, forced on the Priory at the expense of part of its pension, Ralf retaining his vicarage - c.1186;
- Thomas de Sancto Edmundo, clerk of David of Scotland, became parson, apparently simultaneously with William de Avalun - 1202;
- Benedict de Burgo - 1239 [deacon];
- Walter de Merton;
- Thomas de Stratton - 30 Oct 1274 [subdeacon; on consecration of Walter de Merton to Bishopric of Rochester; Thomas to resign living of Jakeden];
- John de Cancia - 8 Apr 1280 [on death of last Rector];
- John de Sudington - 14 Nov 1286 [clerk; patron Prior & Convent of St.Andrew, Northampton; on death of Philip de Kancia; presented, found not to be in holy orders and custody given to the Archdeacon of Bedford until next ordination; ordained subdeacon 21 Dec 1286 and instituted];
- Ralph Beler - 12 Dec 1323 [on death of John de Sodyngton];
- John de Dalby - 31 Jul 1324 [subdeacon; on resignation of Ralph Beler];
- John de Denton - 1 Oct 1325 [capellanus; on exchange from Luyceburgh Rectory];
- Richard de Eccleshale - 13 Feb 1348 [clerk; on death of John de Dentone;];
- Thomas de Eccleshale - 8 Jun 1349 [clerk; on resignation of Richard de Eccleshale];
- Richard de Eccleshale - 2 Jan 1351 [Rector of Wyttele [Whitley, Berkshire?], by exchange with Thomas de Eccleshale];
- Richard de Stratton - 16 Jul 1381 [priest; on resignation of Richard de Eccleshale, exchanged to Offelegh Rectory [Offley, Hertfordshire?];
- Henry Maupas - 19 Oct 1393 [priest; on death of Richard de Stratton];

former Vicarage, now St.Mary's House in March 2007

 List of Vicars

- William Rycheman - 8 Apr 1403 [capellanus];
- John Gurry - 11 Feb 1414 [Rector of Wolverhampton [Staffordshire], on exchange with William Richeman; will 1416];
- Robert Eddyngley - 1 Jul 1416 [capellanus; on resignation of John Gurry, exchanged to Driby Rectory [Lincolnshire]];
- Thomas Cotes - 15 Apr 1419 [capellanus; on death of Robert Eddyngley];
- Thomas Atkins;
- William Atkynson - 27 Jun 1515 [priest; on death of Thomas Atkins];
- Thomas Fetherston - 25 Oct 1537 [priest; on death of last incumbent];
- William Pollarde - 25 May 1546;
- Christopher Chapman - 25 Aug 1546 [clerk; on death of last incumbent];
- John Hassell - 17 Aug 1554 [patron Roland Lytton];
- John Vorgeri;
- Thomas Acworthe - 10 Jun 1562 [clerk; on death of John Vorger];
- John Clarke - 16 Jun 1574 [patron Rowland Litton; vacant by resignation of D.Thomas Ackworth];
- Thomas Crabtree MA - 22 Dec 1592 clerk; will dated 4 May 1616, proved 8 May 1618; to be buried in chancel];
- Thomas Ward - 1616;
- James Durrant - 1 Dec 1618;
- Samuel Moulton - 2 Feb 1621 [clerk; buried 15 Nov 1629];
- Isaac Turner BA - 17 Dec 1629 [on death of last incumbent];
- George Shieres MA - 2 Jan 1630 [on death of last incumbent; sequestered];
- John Kinge - 1647 [intruded];
- Esdrae Marshal - 1659;
- Thomas Haxby MA - 23 Dec 1667 [ordained the day before; buried 5 May 1693; will dated 27 Apr, proved 8 Jun 1693];
- Ralph Emerson BA - 25 SEp 1693 [on death of last incumbent; licence of non residence granted 4 Mar 1697];
- Robert Hicks AM - 12 Jul 1720 [on cess. of Ralph Emerson; died 1745];
- John Jackson - 27 Jun 1745 [clerk; on death of Robert Hicks];
- William Woodhouse - 4 Jun 1746 [clerk; on death of John Jackson; also Rector of Hardingstone [Northamptonshire] and prebend of Westminster; died 1748];
- William Affleck BD - 13 May 1783 [on death of last incumbent; Rector of North Luffenham [Rutland]; died 8 Sep 1806; buried in cemetery of Saint Marylebone, London];
- Richard Whittingham - 24 Sep 1806 [clerk; on death of last incumbent];
- Woodward Clarke Bidwell BA - 24 Jul 1845; on death of last incumbent];
- W.H.Evans - Feb 1888;
- Gorges Fettipace John Gwynne Gwynne - Jun 1890;
- Charles Gregson - Aug 1901;
- Alfred Long - Jan 1905;
- Arthur Shillito - May 1912;
- Robert Sutton Bagshaw - Jul 1915;
- Arthur William Collins - Sep 1938 [now united with Cockayne Hatley];
- Henry Thomas Pimm - Nov 1942;
- Albert Henry Willson Cleaver - Sep 1946;
- John Gordon McKinley - Dec 1951;
- Cecil Verden Appleby Longden - 1959;
- Philip Henry Cecil - 1967;
- Ian Joseph Stewardson - 1973;
- Ian W.Arthur - 1983;
- V.Wyn Beynon - 1997