| Saint Leonard's Church |
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Welcome to St Leonard’s webpage. Whether you are a local resident or from further afield, we sincerely hope you will find something of interest as you browse through the information we have posted here. It’s wonderful to be able to communicate with such a wide audience through the web, but it’s even better to meet together in person! Please do join us for any of the services or relevant activities listed on this site – you will be very welcome. If you’re not sure what church is all about and would like to know more, please see the “What we believe” section. Please do also feel free to contact the Vicar, Rev. Geoff Morris, or one of the other people listed on the “Contact” page. If you have any comments or questions about the life of our church or any other information we’ve included on this webpage, then please do get in touch. Thanks for visiting, and we look forward to hearing from or seeing you soon!
Sunday services On the first four Sundays of every month there is a service held in St Leonard’s at 11.00am. The pattern of services is as follows: Week 1: Sung Communion Week 2: Family Service Week 3: Communion Week 4: Worship for Today
Please note that you are equally welcome to attend any of these services and experience a variety of styles of worship through the month. On any fifth Sunday there will be a service in one of the group of three linked parishes of Priors Marston, Priors Hardwick and Wormleighton. The next fifth Sunday falls on 29th April and the service will be held at St Peter’s, Wormleighton at 9.30am. Details of all services are published in the monthly Parish News magazine, displayed on the church and village noticeboards, and will also be included on this website’s events calendar. Midweek services In addition to our Sunday services, there is also a Communion service held every Wednesday morning at 9.30am. This simple service provides opportunity for reflection and refreshing in the middle of the week. Christian festivals Celebration of the major Christian festivals is important to us and we usually have special services at such times. Details are always published in the Parish News magazine and displayed on the church and village noticeboards, and will also be included on this website’s events calendar. We will also make sure that this webpage is updated to include special services. Children in Church Children are very welcome at all our services. We believe it is important for children and families to feel they belong and are valued as an integral part of the church. Whilst we do not have dedicated Sunday School or crèche facilities, we do have some colouring resources and a few books and toys, and the ringing tower is available for use during services. Please simply use your discretion with regard to reasonable behaviour as we strive to balance the needs of the whole congregation.
Fun Groups Fun Groups provide opportunity for children to meet together for a varied programme of activities including games, competitions, crafts, chat, tuck, and Bible teaching. There are three different groups for children of various ages from our local villages: Fun Friends (years 3 to 5); Fun Squad (years 6 to 8); Fun Club (years 9 and 10). Details of meetings are always published in the Parish News magazine, and will also be included on this website’s events calendar. Please feel free to contact the relevant group leaders if you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of the groups’ activities.
In addition to the meetings offered in the village, we also support certain other groups - either organised on a Deanery-wide basis or by churches in nearby towns: “Simply The Best” is an initiative for any children aged 7 to 11 from villages around Southam, with monthly meetings organised by a team of leaders from the host village (on rotation). They also arrange a popular summer holiday club at the RLS Polo Ground. Please contact Rachel Chambers for further details (01327 263326). “Pulse” is a youth event held in Banbury on a Sunday evening, attracting a good number of young people from a wide area and range of churches for an event specifically tailored for today’s youth culture. Please contact Bryony Pannell for further details (01327 260389). All our Fun Group leaders are CRB checked. For details of our Child Protection Policy, please contact Maureen Brindley on 01327 260209. The site has been used for Christian worship for over 700 years, with the earliest known church built in the 13th century. In 1313, William de Bourton was appointed to be Parish Priest of Priors Hardwick and Priors Marston. At that time, much of this area belonged to the Priors of Coventry, a gift to the Priors from Leofric, King of Mercia. The names “Priors” refers to this, and the “Marston” refers to the mere or lake which formed a fish farm in those days. After the dissolution of the monastries under King Henry VIII, the land passed into the ownership of the Spencer family, and Earl Spencer is Patron of the livings to this day, maintaining a kindly interest in the affairs of the parishes. The original family seat was at Wormleighton – ‘Baron Wormleighton’ is still part of the family title – before they moved to Althorp. In 1863 the church was largely rebuilt as it stands today. The architect was N.A.Joyce and the vicar Revd I.P. Prescott. The original 13th century north wall was retained with some modest repairs to the window tracery, and the pillars and arcade forming the north aisle were also repaired but largely unaltered. The rest of the church appears to have been completely redesigned with a new vestry added, as pictures of the building for this date show it with a high roofed chancel and a much lower nave. Most of the tower dates from the 17th century, the present upper section being added in the 18th century. The heavy ‘y’ tracery in the window and the round-arch bell openings are typical of this later period. There are six bells in the tower and these are rung regularly by an enthusiastic team of ringers. Five bells date from 1721, the fourteen cwt tenor being added to complete the ring of six in 1845. The church is dedicated to St Leonard. Leonard was a Frankish nobleman, converted to Christianity by St Remigius, Bishop of Rheims, in the 6th century A.D. He is often honoured as the patron saint of prisoners, and he is depicted in the window beside the pulpit in our church. The chains he carries remind us of this association. He is also patron saint of pregnant women! In the adjacent light is St Remigius. Many stained glass windows date from the period around 1870. The small windows in the south porch are of particularly good quality, the four lights portraying scenes from Old and New Testament stories. The east widow lights depict Jesus with the children, and on the shore of Tiberius, whilst those on the west side depict Jacob kneeling before Isaac, and the priests of Israel accompanying the Ark of the Lord. Inside the church, the great East Window is in memory of Admiral Sir Henry Prescott (of the same family as the vicar of that time). Hence the anchors portrayed in a church so far away from the sea! The chancel screens of so many churches before Oliver Cromwell and his men cast them out: the crucified Christ hangs on his cross whilst the Blessed Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist stand to right and left. Beneath are illustrations of bible stories, and also in the windows to the north and south of the altar. That to the south, over the credence table (where the bread and wine for the Holy Communion are prepared) shows the moment at the wedding in Cana when the steward says “Thou has kept the good wine until now”. Two further stained glass windows were introduced in 1993. The one by the north door depicts the Garden of Eden before and after the fall. This allows many garden flowers to be shown, the delight of the donor’s life. The window in the middle of the south side of the Nave is an expression of “The Creed”, and is given in thanksgiving for the musical life of the village. Since 1863 the main changes to the interior have been the replacement of a stone pulpit by the present one of carved oak in 1905, replacement of oil lighting by electricity in the 1930s, and construction of the reredos in 1945 and 1965. More recently in 1987 the pews were removed from the north aisle, a screen built in the north-west corner, and five pews were removed from the nave to give more space around the pulpit and font. All electrical wiring was renewed and new lighting provided. In 1991 a new electronic organ was installed, the consul being sited in place of the previous pipe organ and the new bank of speakers on the west wall. On the window sill to the north of the altar is a 14th century cross head. On one side again are the “rood” figures of the Crucified Christ with Our Lady and St John, whilst on the reverse is the infant Christ in the arms of Our Lady – probably attended by the infant John the Baptist and Elizabeth, the Baptist’s mother. This was recovered from a garden in the village and kindly given to the church by Dr and Mrs McCrae. There are several memorials in the church which speak for themselves, but do not miss the bronze tablet set in a stone in the floor of the church porch; it commemorates Richard West who died in 1691, and his wife Elizabeth who died three years earlier. In the ringing chamber of the tower there is a large board set high on the wall, giving details of the various charitable benefactions for the needy of the parish. In this modern age you will not see the vicar distributing bread on St Thomas’ Day, but the benefactions are still for the most part active and applied as nearly as possible to the spirit in which they were made. In a parish of the age of Priors Marston there are of course many ancient records. Most of these valuable but often fragile registers are now kept in the archives at the County Record Office, Priory Park, Cape Road, Warwick. They can be viewed by prior arrangement, as can the more recent registers retained in the church safe. A fee will be charged for this. We began by telling of the appointment of the first Parish Priest in 1313. He was shared with Priors Hardwick, and for many of the intervening years other Parish Priests have been shared in the same way. Nowadays Priors Marston is linked with both Priors Hardwick and Wormleighton, and the present Vicar is also a chaplain at HMP Ryehill. Many duties are undertaken by the lay people in this lively parish, and the care of church and churchyard reflect only part of the vigorous life of the parish. We take both pride and delight in our church, and hope that you have enjoyed learning about it. St Leonard’s churchyard has a number of interesting features, both natural and man made. There are many fine old trees, mainly yew and cedar. The two most impressive cedars standing to the west and north of the church date from 1810 and 1814. Despite various episodes of storm damage and essential maintenance, they remain wonderful examples of the species. There are more than 500 visible gravestones in the churchyard, a few of which are particularly noteworthy. The oldest of the stones are close to the church – mainly on the south side, many of which are Grade 2 Listed for their historic interest.
Finally, please remember that St Leonard’s churchyard is a special place – not only by virtue of the fact that it is the church grounds, but also somewhere where people can reasonably expect to find peace and tranquillity, especially as they reflect and remember those who have died. Please respect the churchyard. Thank you. The site of St Leonard’s has been used for Christian worship for more than 700 years, with the earliest known church building dating back to the 13th century. Most of the tower dates from the 17th century, with the addition of the upper section in the 18th century. In 1863 the church was largely rebuilt as it stands today, retaining the original 13th century north wall and repairing the pillars forming the north aisle – but much of the rest of church appears to have been redesigned at that time, with a new vestry added and changes made to the chancel and nave. Since 1863 the main changes to the interior of the church have been the replacement of a stone pulpit by a carved oak one, the introduction of electric lighting and heating, the removal of pews in the north aisle, the erection of a screen and installation of a sink in the north west corner, electrical rewiring, replacement of the pipe organ, and some new stained glass windows. Looking to the future, there are several changes and improvements that would make the building more comfortable and versatile – benefiting not only those attending regular Sunday services but also those using the church for other events through the year. We are planning to introduce a toilet, a better equipped kitchen and servery area, a new heating system, as well as reinstating an old arch in the west wall, removing some pews, and repairing and replacing some flooring. This is a major project which we believe will make a significant difference to the church and help ensure its continued use. If you would like to know more about the building project, please contact Robert Chambers (Churchwarden) on 01327 263326. If you would like to make a donation to this cause, then please contact John Franklin (Church Treasurer) on 01327 261438. Thank you! There are various other activities which contribute to the life of the church in all sorts of ways. We are extremely grateful to those who give of their time and expertise – often without much recognition. If you would be interested in getting involved in any of these areas, please contact the relevant person as shown:
Our faith The Christian faith is a journey, and our hope and prayer is that all who come to St Leonard’s are continuing to learn and grow in their faith. Whilst individuals in the church might be at different places in their journey and describe what they believe in different ways, the Apostles’ Creed summarises the key principles of the Christian faith. This is included in some of our services as a shared statement of our belief:
“I believe in God, the Father almighty,
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son,
our Lord,
I believe in the Holy Spirit, Amen.” If you want to know more about what this means and explore the Christian faith further, please contact our Vicar, Rev. Geoff Morris on 01327 260053. You might also like to have a look at some of the resources available via our “Links” page.
Accountability St Leonard’s is the local parish church, in the Southam Deanery, within the Diocese of Coventry, part of the Church of England, of the Anglican Communion. You might like to see the following links to find out more about those groups: Diocese of Coventry: http://shl1.ke2k.org/~admin884/index.htm Church of England: Anglican Communion: Please feel free to contact any of the following people for further information about the life of St Leonard’s church:
Vicar Rev. Geoff Morris The Vicarage Vicarage Lane Priors Marston Warwickshire CV47 7RT 01327 260053
Lay Reader Peter Jackson: 01327 260169
Churchwardens Robert Chambers: 01327 263326 Mike Morgan: 01327 260617
PCC Secretary Maureen Brindley: 01327 260209
Church Treasurer John Franklin: 01327 261438 Christian faith “Two Ways to Live” is a simple presentation of the essentials of the Christian faith: www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/ “Be Thinking” is a website providing information and answers to some common thorny questions: “Damaris Media” provide resources to stimulate thinking about contemporary culture: “Bible Gateway” has the Bible online, in many languages and versions, with various useful search facilities: Christian charities St Leonard’s currently supports the following four charities: The Bible Society The Church Army The Church Mission Society Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship Other charities you might have heard of and be interested in looking at: Scripture Union Tearfund World Vision |