A Brief History of St Bartholomew's Church, Penn by Rachel Hampton
The first church was built here by Sir Hugh de Bushbury, in 1200 A.D, but it is believed that Christian worship began on this site much earlier - from about 1025 A.D. In 1912 the round base and broken stem of a more ancient churchyard cross were discovered beneath the existing churchyard cross. This stood close to the South wall of the church and was being relocated after the South aisle of the church was enlarged. The round base and stem are believed to be the remains of a cross of Anglo-Saxon origin, set up by Leofric, Earl of Mercia, the husband of Lady Godiva, when he was Lord of the Manor of Upper Penn. He and Lady Godiva are known to have built churches or set up preaching crosses in the manors over which they had Lordship.
Further evidence which would support this being an Anglo-Saxon Christian site is that the original churchyard appears to have been circular and about one acre in size - the shape and size of Anglo-Saxon churchyards.
The cross would have been set up in the middle of this. The remains of the cross at Penn seems to have been at the centre of what we think to have been the original Christian site. An ancient track passed the site, so it was a good place for monks or itinerant priests to preach the Gospel. The church built by Sir Hugh de Bushbury in 1200 stood on the site of the present western end of the North Aisle, the part of the church nearest to the new extension. It is believed to have been about 14 metres by 7 metres. In its early days the church was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The original church may have been a wooden structure quickly replaced by a stone building. Early churches had no seats for the congregation. An altar would have stood at the East end possibly in an apse. As in many rural communities, the local population may have stored some of their harvested crops in the church during the winter. They would certainly have had to give 1/10 of their crops in tithe to pay the priest.
Although the evidence is circumstantial, it would seem that the parish of Penn was caught up in the religious turmoils of the 16th. and 17th. centuries. In 1553, at the accession of Mary Tudor, the Vicar of Penn, the Rev. Slaney was dismissed from his benefice at a time when Queen Mary was purging the church of married priests. The change in the dedication of the church to St. Bartholomew, (the date of which is unknown), could well have been an indication of the sympathy of leading members of the congregation towards the New Learning and the Huguenots in France, killed in a massacre on St. Bartholomew s Day in 1572. The acquisition of the pulpit in the 17th Century is an indication of the growing importance felt by the clergy to educate the congregation in the christian faith. The Rev Charles Wynn, who left the proceeds from his estate to found a school in Penn and to buy Bibles for the children of the village, was carrying out the aims of Puritan leaders to educate children to read the Bible. Since Charles Wynn was Vicar of Penn throughout the time that Oliver Cromwell was in power, he was probably also responsible for carrying out Cromwell s order to throw the font out of the church. In 1682, the font, presumably lying unused in the churchyard, was turned upside down and made the base of the parish sundial. It was discovered by a later Vicar and brought back into its proper use in 1855.
During the 18th. and 19th. centuries Penn was an attractive rural community, where wealthy families wanted to live, away from the heavily polluted industrial and mining districts. The people of the village benefited from the generosity and caring of such people as Dr. Sedgwick who endowed five Almshouses for the elderly poor of the village. The population increased and further extensions were made to the church. In 1 764-5 the Tower was cased in bricks and heightened. The door into the Tower became the main entrance, instead of the porch on the south wall where the Vestry existed and had been reached through a lych-gate. In 1799 a long chancel was built at the expense of Mrs. ElIen Purshouse and her brother Thomas Bradney. A south aisle was added in 1844, but this proved to be unsatisfactory as the altar was out of sight to those sitting there. So a further major extension was made from 1871-2. The nave and the south aisle were extended eastwards and a completely new chancel was built. The organ chamber was added in 1901 and the Vestry in 1958. So over the years the church has been enlarged to meet the needs of the growing population.
The building of the Church Hall enabled the church in the 20th. century to provide activities in the week for children and adults as well as facilities for a Sunday School and church meetings. In the church, the positioning of an altar at the western end of the Chancel and the repositioning of the screen in the 1970s, opened up the Chancel and made the services more accessible to all. A new wing of the church was opened by the Bishop of Lichfield on 22nd October 2000. This contains a Parish Office, a meeting room called The Oak Room, a kitchen and toilets. These new facilities enable the congregation to enjoy clubs like Painting in Penn and learning, Such as the Start and Alpha Courses and allow them to take up the challenge to extend Christian mission further into the community of Penn
Oops! 0ur resident is from Penn near High Wycombe and not this Penn....
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