Our History
OUR HISTORY
OUR HISTORY
In his 2015 report on Church Buildings, The Bishop of Worcester said, “the faithfulness of countless ordinary men and women down the ages is built into the story of our parish churches where they have offered their worship”. He goes on to say, “Our churches…assist in proclaiming the gospel just by being there.” Nothing is more true of the parish church in Tatenhill.
The earliest evidence of Christianity in this place is believed to be a wheel-headed cross, sadly removed to Rolleston-on-Dove during nineteenth century renovations (see below). This cross is believed to be ninth century and of Danish inspiration, probably reflecting early Viking influences on the local area.
Part of the medieval diocese of Lichfield, Tatenhill Rectory is in the Deanery of Tutbury which once included the townships of Barton-under Needwood, Wychnor and Dunstall, the hamlet of Callingwood, part of Needwood Forest and the District of Highlands Park. Lichfield Diocese dates from St Chad in around 656 and the Deanery of Tutbury to around 1100.
Control of the appointment of Rectors to St Michael's has moved over time between the Duke of Lancaster, Burton Abbey, the Crown and Lichfield Diocese.
Tatenhill was the mother church to the area and had been granted to Burton Abbey in 1323, then one of the wealthiest and most important Abbeys in England. The Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII led to the dissolution of Burton Abbey in 1532 and control of Tatenhill and appointment of its Rectors passed to the Crown. A 1702 Act of Parliament under Queen Anne shored up the Duchy Estate’s position but relinquished a good number of ancillary rights, and in 1706 control passed to the Dean of Lichfield. In 1873 control passed to the Bishop of Lichfield.
Tatenhill Brook, which runs close to the bottom of the Churchyard, was for a long time the boundary of Burton Parish. Since the Parish Church of Burton was 4-miles distant there were frequent burials at Tatenhill from Sinai Park, Anslow and Byrkley Lodge in Needwood Forest and the Parish Records show many baptisms, marriages and burials of people from the surrounding area .
In 1517, a Church was built at Barton, although it remained as a chapel-of-ease to Tatenhill until the 19th century. The inhabitants of Wychnor and Dunstall were then buried either at Tatenhill or Barton.
Translations of the Tudor will of Richard Holland (1539/40) have suggested that Tatenhill church may at some time have been known as Sainte Johann Baptyst (John the Baptist). Rev Charlton also pointed out in 1898 that Tatenhill Wake was held on June 24th, St John the Baptist’s Festival Day. This may have been changed during the Reformation during the time that successive Taylors were Rectors, with the church dedicated to St Michael to play down the Catholic inferences. The church at Barton under Needwood was originally dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, but changed to St James during Cromwell’s time when Mary Magdalene was viewed as being too Catholic.
In his 2015 report on Church Buildings, The Bishop of Worcester said, “the faithfulness of countless ordinary men and women down the ages is built into the story of our parish churches where they have offered their worship”. He goes on to say, “Our churches…assist in proclaiming the gospel just by being there.” Nothing is more true of the parish church in Tatenhill.
The earliest evidence of Christianity in this place is believed to be a wheel-headed cross, sadly removed to Rolleston-on-Dove during nineteenth century renovations (see below). This cross is believed to be ninth century and of Danish inspiration, probably reflecting early Viking influences on the local area.
Part of the medieval diocese of Lichfield, Tatenhill Rectory is in the Deanery of Tutbury which once included the townships of Barton-under Needwood, Wychnor and Dunstall, the hamlet of Callingwood, part of Needwood Forest and the District of Highlands Park. Lichfield Diocese dates from St Chad in around 656 and the Deanery of Tutbury to around 1100.
Control of the appointment of Rectors to St Michael's has moved over time between the Duke of Lancaster, Burton Abbey, the Crown and Lichfield Diocese.
Tatenhill was the mother church to the area and had been granted to Burton Abbey in 1323, then one of the wealthiest and most important Abbeys in England.
The Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII led to the dissolution of Burton Abbey in 1532 and control of Tatenhill and appointment of its Rectors passed to the Crown. A 1702 Act of Parliament under Queen Anne shored up the Duchy Estate’s position but relinquished a good number of ancillary rights, and in 1706 control passed to the Dean of Lichfield. In 1873 control passed to the Bishop of Lichfield.
Tatenhill Brook, which runs close to the bottom of the Churchyard, was for a long time the boundary of Burton Parish. Since the Parish Church of Burton was 4-miles distant there were frequent burials at Tatenhill from Sinai Park, Anslow and Byrkley Lodge in Needwood Forest and the Parish Records show many baptisms, marriages and burials of people from the surrounding area .
In 1517, a Church was built at Barton, although it remained as a chapel-of-ease to Tatenhill until the 19th century. The inhabitants of Wychnor and Dunstall were then buried either at Tatenhill or Barton.
Translations of the Tudor will of Richard Holland (1539/40) have suggested that Tatenhill church may at some time have been known as Sainte Johann Baptyst (John the Baptist). Rev Charlton also pointed out in 1898 that Tatenhill Wake was held on June 24th, St John the Baptist’s Festival Day. This may have been changed during the Reformation during the time that successive Taylors were Rectors, with the church dedicated to St Michael to play down the Catholic inferences. The church at Barton under Needwood was originally dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, but changed to St James during Cromwell’s time when Mary Magdalene was viewed as being too Catholic.
The Parish in Barton was formally separated from Tatenhill in 1875, around the same time as the building of parish churches in Dunstall (1853 by Richard Arkwright, then resident of Dunstall Hall) and Rangemore (1867 by Michael Thomas Bass MP as part of the development of Rangemore village and estate) which saw the break-up of the parishes into today’s structure.
As late as the 1990’s, the Diocese owned Glebe land along much of the eastern side of the Main Street through the village, the last vestiges of a considerable estate that once included Callingwood, Tatenhill, Dunstall, Barton under Needwood and parts of Wychnor. This wealth probably explains the involvement of successive Deans of Lichfield during the 19th Century who were installed as Rector of Tatenhill to receive the substantial income and who then paid Curates to hold the services and minister to the souls of the parish.
During the last 100 years, Tatenhill has been joined at various times with the adjoining parishes of Dunstall and Rangemore (1983 to 1994), Branston (1994 to 2008) and, since 2010, as "Barton with Dunstall and Tatenhill". The Vicar of St James Barton and St Mary’s in Dunstall is currently also Rector of Tatenhill.
Tatenhill’s Rector has had several homes in the village. In the late Tudor period, the Rectory was reported as being in poor repair (see the later chapter on the life of Adrian Saravia) but by 1666 the house “was considered to be large and well appointed, being taxed on six hearths”. In 1679, it was described as being “of 7 bays and having a ground floor of a hall with buttery and kitchen on the south side, a parlour and a study”. A further bay towards the churchyard was used as a coal house.
Noted for its fine Georgian architecture, the Old Rectory, pictured opposite, is a Grade II* listed building. It was built in the early 1700s for William Binckes, Dean of Lichfield . A drawing on a window is dated 1704. Why would the Dean of Lichfield want to be rector of a parish 12 miles away? As Dean, it would have been impossible for him to carry out his rectorial duties, but the living had a valuable and rewarding income.
Village tradition has it that the house was built as a hunting lodge. The 10ft-wide inglenook with two chimney flues in the old kitchen would tend to add credence to this tradition, particularly as Tatenhill was on the edge of Needwood Forest, used for centuries by the royal family for hunting, after it had been forfeit to the crown following the unsuccessful rebellion of Simon de Montfort against Henry III.
In 2008, it was one of four finalists in the “England's Finest Parsonage” contest featured in Country Life (magazine). In the opinion of the architectural historian, Ptolemy Dean, the house was designed by the father and son architects, Smiths of Warwick.
Apart from the signature design, the staircase is virtually identical to one in Stoneleigh Abbey which was designed by the same pair. All these original features are still in place. The Smith brothers, William and Francis, were also responsible for the current St Modwen’s church in Burton market place, built between 1719 and 1726.
The Old Rectory passed out of Church ownership in 1953 and was acquired in 1964 by Mrs Yeomans, formerly of the now demolished Branston Hall. Mrs Yeomans brought some features with her from Branston and extensively renovated what had otherwise become a quite sad building. It is currently under-going a new round of extensive renovation and restoration under its current owners.
St Michael & All Angels Church, Tatenhill
Where to find us:
Main Street, Burton-on-Trent, DE13 9SD, United Kingdom
Email:
enquiries@tatenhillchurch.org
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