St Peter's and St Mary's Church, Stowmarket
It is often asked if Stowupland has always had its own church, in a way they did but it was not in Stowupland. Ena Carter wrote in her notes that before 1086 Hugh de Montfort had given land for a church to be built.
In earlier centuries there were 2 separate buildings within Stowmarket’s churchyard, one dedicated to St Peter (and St Paul) and one to St Mary. In the later half of the 19th century St Marys was demolished and the church of St Peters and St Marys was shared by the people of Stowupland and Stowmarket. Then in 1843 Holy Trinity was built in Stowupland.
Not everyone worshipped in their parish c, for information about alternative forms of worship available to Stowupland residents see religious non-conformity.
Documents in our archive for the histories of St Mary and St Peter come from different sources. Sometimes these stories may seem to overlap or contradict so until we can unravel the truth they will be told in separate sections.
To put it simply -In Edward II’s reign Stowmarket had 2 churches next to each other. One was St Peters (& St Pauls) which was for Stowupland and Gipping, the other was St Mary’s for Stowmarket. The smaller of the two churches fell into disrepair and was demolished by 1546. Parishioners of Stowupland and Stowmarket then shared the one church.People of Stowupland used the north door and the north aisle and retained their own church wardens and registers.
The two parishes shared one vicar but had their own churchwardens and overseers.
Documents suggest an 11th century church on or near this site was dedicated to St Peter or to St Peter and St Paul. In the 15th century records suggest that a church dedicated to St Mary was rebuilt adjacent to the older church (possibly to the SE of the present church). When this church was demolished in the 16th century the remaining building assumed the name St Peter and St Mary.
In the mid 1300’s, according to various sources, a group of lawless men made the church in Stowmarket their headquarters and from there they terrorised the neighbourhood, even driving the then Lord Of Thorney Manor, Sir Richard Amundeville from his house at Thorney.
1420 Robert Byl was exor. to the will of John Vour, chaplain of the chapel of St.Mary of the church of St Peter of Stowmarket (Stowupland did not get its own church till the mid 19th century).
A will of 1445 refers to the church of Stow – St Peter and in the same town the church of St Mary.
The 1476 will of Richard Hawnteyn tells us that he wanted to be buried in the churchyard of St Peter and left money to the building of St Mary.
From the Norwich Consistory deposits Neil Langridge found that in the 1550’s several tythe payers made statements about outstanding tythe payments that they had withheld. The reason given was that as St Mary’s had been ‘plucked down’ (it was demolished in 1546) they hadn’t paid tithe to Vicar John Thorpe as he wasn’t the vicar of St Mary parish as the church no longer existed and he wouldn’t be entitled to tithe for that parish.
Another note taken from the Calendar of Patent Rolls (1562) 4 Eliz Pt VII m28 refers to ‘lands (named with tenants names in original) in Stowmarket, Saxton, Thorney, Old Newton, Combs, Stow & Onehouse, late of the chantry of Odenham (als Denham) in Stowmarket & a parcel of meadow (named in tenants name) given for lights yearly about the sepulchre in the church of Stowe.’
Hollingsworth in his History of Stowmarket, 1844 (p133) tells us that ‘from the year 1570 to 1595 the Upland of Stowe was most particular in attending & paying for the clock, chymes & bells which were all kept going apparently more often at their expense than by the churchwardens of Stowmarket’
The churchwardens accounts of 1703 (Thomas Richer) tells us that in May 6d was paid to the ‘parricter’ for ‘Aprocklemation For a Fast’.
In March 1705 – 7s 3d paid to Abr Welham for washing & mending the surplis & Linen & for writting the bills Indented by his bill 12s 9d.
– of 1705 – pd 6d to James Mauditt for a proclamation. 1s paid to James Mauditt for A proclamacon for a fast & a prayer book.
Wikipedia tells us “The Domesday Book indicates a population of 650 for Thorney (Thorney Island) – the original name for Stowmarket, and refers to a “mother church”, “a chapel” and “a market”. It is likely that the mother church was an Anglo Saxon Minster church, with several clergy. This notion is supported by the large endowment of glebeland, 120 acres (49 ha), which supported the clergy. The Domesday book also mentions “the church at Stow” in the entry for nearby Onehouse.[1]
The entry for Thorney records that 23 of the 120 acres “.. belong to a certain chapel which four brothers, freemen of Hugh de Montford [Lord of Haughey] built on land of their own beside the cemetery of the mother church and they were inhabitants of the parish of the mother church and built this chapel because it could not take the whole parish.” It is shown, in later wills, that the mother church of St Peter served the area of Thorney, which comprised the Stowupland end of the parish, Stowupland itself and Gipping. The chapel of St Mary served the inhabitants of the town itself.[1]
15th century to 18th century
By the 1460s the church had become St Peter and St Paul. St Mary’s, which stood to the south-east of St Peter’s was demolished in about 1546. The dedication of the parish church then became St Peter and St Mary. From about 1120 until the Dissolution in 1539, the Patrons and Rectors of the church were the Augustinian Abbey of St Osyth in St Osyth, Essex. This is the reason why, since 1120, the incumbent has been a vicar.[1]
After 1539 the Patrons were Lay Rectors who could earn an income from the major parish tithes. The upkeep of the chancel was the responsibility of the Rector and Patron. The parishioners were responsible for the upkeep of the remainder of the building, under the supervision of the churchwardens.[1]
Between 1628 and 1655 Thomas Young was vicar of St Peter and St Mary’s parish and his portrait hangs on the south wall of the church nave.[1]
After 1800
The church was also the parish church for Stowupland until 1843, when a new district church was built there. Gipping remained a chapel to Stowmarket until 1968 when it was linked with Old Newton. Burials continued at Stowmarket, however, as the churchyard at Gipping was never consecrated. The owners of Gipping had their own chapel and burial vault at the east end of the north aisle until 1891 – which is why all the Tyrell monuments are at Stowmarket.[1] The Tyrells owned Gipping Hall for about 450 years, being a branch of the family of Tyrell of Essex.”
In 1678, 51 soldiers who had been billeted in Stowmarket died of small pox. They were buried in a communal grave in the Stowmarket churchyard under some Sycamore trees, the area becoming known locally as the Soldiers Hill.
By the late 17th century both churches had fallen into disrepair and St Mary’s was demolished though possibly some of its fabric was incorporated into the repairs of St Peters.
Within the church was a chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist, this is now known as the Tyrell Chapel (18th and 19th century Lords of Thorney Manor).
In 1840 the cost of repairing St Peters was given as £1000, and in 1867 cost of repairs was £2000 {Ena Carter’ note}
Prior to 1843 parishoners on Stowmarket and Stowupland worshipped together in the St Peter’s and St Mary’s but each congregation had its own officals.
1716 Vicar was Henry Darby.
It was recorded that the population :
– of Stowmarket above the age of 16 was about 780 of which quakers 3, presbyterians 21 and Independants 3.
– of Stowupland above the age of 16 was 276 of which quakers 1, presbyterians 1, Independants 5
1827 Vicar Aldrich
