Deeping St James. THE PRIORY CHURCH
February 2009, and a re-visit to the Priory Church at Deeping St James. A previous visit a few weeks earlier fell foulf of some deadful weather. Persistant rain meant that I ended up scrapping just about everything that I photographed that day.
Nice sunny conditions here, and a definite improvement from two weeks earlier, when the whole area was covered in some of the worst
snow seen in this country for many years. I arrived in good spirits after just having taken a guided tour of the church of St Guthlac in neighbouring Market Deeping. Made the walk to Deeping St James, following the river. The sun was out, it was unseasonably warm, the river was beautiful and life is good!
It is obvious by the size of this church that it was more than the parish church of a small village.Thechurch is 180 feet long, and the spire can be seen up to ten miles away! It was, in fact, founded as part of a Benedictine Priory.In common with other monastic buildings, Deeping Priory was dissolved in 1539.The church was retained for parish worship, whilst the Priory buildings fell in to ruin, until the stone was used to build a manor house in the seventeenth century. During the dissolution of the priory, the rood screen was taken down and burned on the village green, with the burning supervised by the church warderns.
The tower on the west end is more modern than the rest of the building. When I saw it I thought that the tower looked 18th Century, and a little research indicates that the original tower collapsed in 1717, as a result of years of flooding.
The porch dates from the thirteenth century, whilst the font is even older, dating from the 12th century. Either side of the chancel ate teo stone effegies, which are thought to be the final resting place of benefactors of the priory. It is suggested that one of these dates from the 14th century, whilst the other dastes from the early 1th century.
Lots of stained glass here, mostly Victorian buth with a modern window featuring a representation of the Priory Church. Despite all of the stained glass, the church is bright inside and there was a very pleasing effect with the sun flooding in through the stained glass on the south side. This gave a very warm feeling inside.
The chancel is long, and resembles neighbouring Market Deeping. A modern stained glass window sits at the east end of the chancel. The window itself dates from the nineteenth century, but the stained glass is as recent as 1955.
The church grounds are very large, and well kept. The church grounds stretch away for a great distance out to the west, with some Georgian graves closet to the church, the graves becoming more recent the further west you walk until modern graves are set in a cemetry to the side of the church grounds. Interesting to see the change in style in gravestones as the years pass. A few examples included here, and I was particularly taken by the "Holy Trinity" grave second from the bottom on the left. This features three cherubs, and generally speaking symbols like this in three refere to the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The photograph immediately below this text box, on the left, is that of the Deeping St James cross, with the Priory church in the background. This ancient monument was once used as a one man jail, the luckless miscreant being held overnight before going to court. The inside of the jail is pretty much as it would have been all those years ago. Cramped and freezing cold in Winter, the prospect of being kept here overnight would probably be as good a deterrent as any for those doing something that they shouldn't!
A very pleasant stay....then on to Langtoft, the final place visited on this beautiful sunny Saturday.
