History of St Peter & St Paul Parish Church
(God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.)
There was probably a church here at 'Gozeberdechercha' in Saxon times but there is no trace of it in this building. Evidence of the Twelfth Century Norman church, which replaced it, can be seen in the North Transept and in the foundations of two piers, which can be viewed, through a trap door near the North Aisle. The Church we know was begun during the closing years of the Thirteenth Century and continued for another hundred and fifty years.
The Church is cruciform and the central tower houses six bells, three of which date from the Seventeenth Century. Above the tower is a fine crocketed spire featuring flying buttresses. As you look up at the battlements do not miss the gargoyles one of which is the shape of an elephant with tusks
You enter the church through the single storey South Porch showing some elaborate stonework of the Perpendicular Period. Notice that the niche on the right has remains of the paint-work, which would have been used on much of the stonework
Turning to your right and walking towards the East End of the Church you will see the Millennium Embroidery. It is a picture of contemporary Gosberton, worked by a team of skilled needlewomen under the guidance of Mrs. Phyl Nye. It was financed by a Millennium Grant and dedicated by the Bishop of Grantham in December 2000.
The Millennium Embroidery
The Chapel in the South Transept is called the Memorial Chapel, as you will see from the inscription on the 1970s window.
"And some there be which have no memorial"
The stained glass is modern and depicts the keys of St. Peter and the sword of St Paul and is a memorial to the Revd Sangster and his wife. The recess in the South wall is one of the finest pieces of Decorated display in the Church. The cross-legged figure of a knight in chain mail with shield and sword lies in prayer under a low arch. It is thought to be of Sir Roger de Rye who fought with Simon de Montfort against Henry III and died in 1280. The effigy of a lady nearby is probably his wife. De Rye is amongst the names of incumbents and patrons at the time so there maybe a family connection.
The recess in the south wall in the Memorial Chapel
The display case nearby houses the mechanism of the ancient turret clock replaced
and restored in 1936 and was a gift from the Sellers Family.
The wooden screen that you pass through into the Lady Chapel is Medieval
and has been restored. The carved figures on the screen are
the work of Belgian refugees who were living in Spalding during the First
Worid War. The figures were erected in 1915 in memory of the
Revd Hudson, vicar from 1895 to 1905.
The Lady Chapel sometimes called St Catherine's Chapel was restored by the
gift of Mrs Henry Everard who gave the stained glass in the East window
representing the Road to Emmaus and also the windows on the South side of
the chapel. The wooden Altar in the Lady Chapel is Jacobean.
Behind the Altar is a plaster cast of Rossellinos marble relief of the Virgin
and Child. It was a gift from Mr Maurice Hewlett and was a 'Thank
You' for the safe return of his son from the First World War.
The relief came from the Private Chapel of Lord Battersea. On
the left of the Altar are alcoves, which were seats for priests.
The plaster cast of Rossellinos marble relief of
The Vergin and Child
The East window in the Chancel depicts the Crucifixion of Christ and the Communion. Above are St Peter and St Paul the Patron Saints of the Church. This window was given in memory of Mr Samuel Everard who died in 1877. The panels of the Reredos (Triptych) of the High Altar were painted by Mrs Welby Everard in 1911 and are copies of the works by Gozzoli, Fra Angelico and Fra Lippa.
The High Alter
The windows on the North side of the Chancel are in memory of Henry Everard and depict various crosses. The inscriptions below read:
'Trinity Cross, St David 's Cathedral, South Wales. Wheelcross, Bakewell, Derbyshire. Helen Maitland Everard. A Cross to the Memorial of a Knight Templar, Bosbury Church, Herefordshire.'
The order was suppressed early in the Fourteenth Century. The second window reads:
'Double Cross, Southwell Minster, now at Wykeham to the Memory of Henry Everard of Gosberton. Runic Cross at Bakewell, Derbyshire similar to the Iona Cross. The Glastonbury Cross Somerset.
The Everard Family were benefactors of the Church and resided in Gosberton
House which is situated next to the Church and is now a care home for the
elderly.
We now move into the Nave and note the carvings on the pulpit which are
said to represent St Augustine, St Paul, St Peter and St Aiden.
The base of the pulpit is Frosteley marble.
The carved pulpit,
showing St Paul and St Peter
The pews at the west end were removed in 1970 giving a sense of spaciousness
and providing an area put to good use for fund raising, special occasions
and at the annual Flower and Craft Festival.
As you leave the church you will see beyond the Font, in the southwest corner
of the Church, another memorial window. This was installed in
1959 in memory of Dr. Alexander Sweet Wilson, General Practitioner in this
village for many years
A plan of St Peter & St Paul Church, Gosberton
A walk around the churchyard is interesting as most of the tombstones can be read. Burials no longer take place in the Churchyard but in the cemetery situated in Wargate Way. A blue folder, which is kept in church by the visitors' book, contains details of all those buried in the Churchyard.
