Sawtry. CHURCH : ALL SAINTS

The first Sunday in July 2007, and the first fine Sunday in several weeks, as the dampest, most miserable, June on record finally ended. I woke with optimism as the Sun was shining, something that even the unseasonably strong winds could not dispel.

  However, this turned out to be a disappointing trip. I was going to take in Glatton, Sawtry, Holme and then Connington but whilst at Sawtry I suffered some problems with the cycle which meant an early end to the day!

  Sawtry is one of the largest villages that I am covering in this site, with a population today of more than 7,000 as opposed to the 790 who were recorded as living there in the 1801 census.

  This village has a rich and varied history, going back to Roman times. In 1147 Simon De Senlis formed the Cistercian Sawtry Abbey. This took 98 years to build, but sadly considerably less time to demolish as it fell foul of the Reformation.

  In 1536, after her death, Catherine of Aragon, divorced wife of Henry VIII, was laid overnight in Sawtry Abbey on her way to her final resting place at Peterborough Cathedral.

  Sawtry used to be divided in to three different parishes. These were Sawtry All Saints, Sawtry St Andrew and Sawtry Judith. There was no church in the latter Parish since 1573. The other two churches were each demolished in the 1870’s, with the present church being built in their place. The old churchyard of St Andrew is still used, but there in nothing left of the church that stood there.

  The modern church at Sawtry is neat and well cared for. Nicely planted grounds in front of the church, who someone has obviously taken a great pride in maintaining. Sadly, the church was locked when I visited. Obviously, due to its relatively young age, there is nothing particularly old in the church grounds that sparked any interest.

  A War Memorial stands proudly in front of the church, and there are a couple of nice carvings under the bell tower. Some very old looking pieces of stone were grouped together in the grounds (looked like a rockery!!) I wondered if these were from one of the old demolished churches?

The first Monday in September, the first day of my two week Summer Holiday, and believe it or not the Sun was shining...a rare event in the miserable English Summer of 2007.

  In two days time I was due to set off on a four day cycling tour of South Lincolnshire, so the cycle was out for a bit of practice, with the intention of putting in about 25 miles.

  I took the opportunity to visit the churchyard of St Andrew in Sawtry. 

Sawtry. As mentioned above, the medieval church of St Andrew was demolished in 1870, with a new church being built elsewhere in the village, pictures of which can be found above. Even though the church has gone, the churchyard remains, and is cared for by the Friends Of St Andrews Churchyard.

  This took a little bit of finding, but I eventually arrived courtesy of some help from the locals. The churchyard hides behind a tall hedge, close to a main road. Some very, very high quality carved gravestones, with the one pictured above right probably being the pick of the lot. Super piece of work, with nice skull, cross bones and hour glass design similar to the one at Glatton just down the road.

  The main thing that I was looking for here was a grave of a man who had been killed in a duel in the late 18th Century. I had seen this listed on the internet, but I couldn't see the grave anywhere. Sadly, lots of the graves are now illegible.

  The old St Andrews churchyard is overgrown and potentially unsafe with lots of rabbit holes all around the grounds. It has got a great charm though, and full credit to the Friends Of St Andrews Churchyard for preserving it.