St Giles, Wormshill
| St. Giles Church, Wormshill | |
|---|---|
The south wall of the church
|
|
| Coordinates: 51°17′06″N 0°41′50″E / 51.2850°N 0.6971°E | |
| OS grid reference | TQ 88186 57448 |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Giles |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 26 April 1968 |
| Specifications | |
| Bells | 6 (full circle) |
| Tenor bell weight | 3 long cwt 1 qr 15 lb (379 lb or 172 kg) |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Sittingbourne |
| Archdeaconry | Maidstone |
| Diocese | Canterbury |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | John Smith |
St Giles Church is the sole church in the village of Wormshill in Kent. The church is Anglican and is dedicated to Saint Giles. It forms part of the united benefice of Tunstall with Bredgar. The other parishes are Milstead, Bicknor and Frinsted and Rodmersham. The ecclesiastical parish of Wormshill is in the Diocese of Canterbury and the Sittingbourne deanery (within the archdeaconry of Maidstone). It is a Grade II listed building, English Heritage number 1060971.
The same Hugh holds WORMSHILL of the bishop. It is assessed as 1 sulung. There is land for 2 ploughs. In demesne is 1 [plough]; and 5 villans have 1½ ploughs. There is a church, and 2 slaves, and 2 acres of meadow, and woodland for 10 pigs. TRE and afterwards, as now, worth £4. Edwin held it of King Edward and could go where he wished with his land.
A church existed before the Norman conquest. In 1086 the lack of change in value pre-conquest (TRE) to 1086 (as now) may suggest that no major building work had occurred in the intervening 20 years. In the south wall of the nave by the porch is what looks like an Anglo-Saxon double-splayed window. The window had been covered up and was revealed in 1879. Tatton-Brown (1993) states that it is not possible to be certain that it is an Anglo-Saxon window, but it is possible it could be early Norman. The official listing record describes the church as "First half C11, C13 and C15, restored 1879–80 by Clarke" which agrees with Tatton-Brown's earlier date.
The village itself has pagan roots as indicated by the toponomy of the name Wormshill (from the Anglo-Saxon god Wōden). The church appears to have been built, at least in part, by Normans since it displays Norman architectural features. The church also contains a 13th-century chest, first discovered in the early 20th century. The church register dates back to 1700.
...
Wikipedia