Church of All Saints, Leighton Buzzard
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| All Saints' Church | |
|---|---|
| Church of All Saints, Leighton Buzzard | |
 | |
 | |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Liberal Catholic |
| Website | Church website |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1277 |
| Dedication | All Saints |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Administration | |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | St Albans |
| Archdeaconry | Bedford |
| Deanery | Dunstable |
| Parish | Ouzel Valley |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Rev'd Catherine Irvine |
All Saints' Church, Leighton Buzzard is the fine Early English parish church for the town of Leighton Buzzard in the English county of Bedfordshire.
History
The 13th-century church is dedicated to All Saints. It is Early English in style and has a 190 ft spire and some outstanding medieval ironwork, graffiti and roofs "aflutter" with carved angels gifted in the mid 15th century by Alice de la Pole, Countess of Suffolk and grand-daughter of Geoffrey Chaucer. The church suffered during the Reformation years, with later galleries and high pews added. A major restoration led by architects Bodley and Garner in 1885-1886 (and later) influenced by the Oxford Movement saw the interior restored, with the focus moved from pulpit to altar. Most windows are by C E Kempe.
It has been described as the cathedral of South Bedfordshire ( by the Bishop of St Albans at the re-hallowing ceremony on 7 May 1989) and is probably the finest church in the county (John Betjeman in Collins' Guide to Parish Churches). Dating from 1277 it is the second church on the site. Such an old structure requires constant attention through its Preservation Trust.
The Church was severely damaged by fire in 1985. The fire happened just as a restoration programme was nearing completion. It destroyed the chancel roof and severely damaged the nave roof and caused serious structural damage to the tower, spire, and the vestry areas, and a number of the windows were damaged beyond repair. The ring of ten bells was lost as were both the organs. The total cost of the damage exceeded £1.5 million (US$2.4 million). Within 24 hours of the blaze the congregation had begun its second restoration programme in as many years. The 15th-century roofs, described as the church’s tour de force, have been repaired and the fine carvings of angels and saints which adorn them have been repaired or replaced. The spire has been stitched and relined with fresh stone. The tower has been stabilised with a massive internal ring beam.
Serious structural faults were discovered in the tower which supports the spire in 1998, and after a thorough survey of the whole building the following year more problems were uncovered. A seven-phase programme of repair was drawn up by architect Michael Dales. In the sixteen years which followed, the tower was secured with 262 steel anchors, and voids in the walls were filled. Eroded stone was replaced and cement pointing changed to lime mortar. Other hitherto unknown defects were uncovered and dealt with right around the church, the result of the use of cement, the weather, extreme old age and long-term effects of the fire. Twenty-three Kempe windows in the nave were removed and repaired and other windows were dealt with in situ. Two roofs were recovered others repaired. A new external corbel figure was added to the east wall of St Hugh's chapel to mark completion of this work, it is of Terry Warburton who fundraised and steered the sixteen-year project.
Work came to a completion in May 2016 with a special service of thanksgiving. Total cost of this project is nearly £2m.
LIST OF VICARS OF LEIGHTON BUZZARD
1277 Thomas de Kyrlington 1292 Jacobus de Freston 1293 John de Hamton 1302 John Hostage 1329 John Crok 1335 Ralph Chivaler 1349 Thomas de Penne 1349 John de Govere of Lathbury 13- Thomas de Foxton 13- William Gregby 13- Dom† Nicholas Pirre 1389 Dom† William Lynne 1397 Robert de Maryng 14- Dom† John Wadupp 1407 Dom† Nicholas Pirre 1415 William Taillow 1420 Dom† Thomas Wykes 1420 Robert Horewood 1440 William Baylay 1442 Dom† John Smarte 1443 Dom† John Dulmont 1452 Dom† Thomas Wyrely 1469 Dom† John Ypping 1470 Mag† John Asshby AB 14- Mag† John Grist 1526 Dom† Robert Watson 1549 Mag† Thomas Googe 15- John Burge 1569 George Conyngham 1571 Anthony Sclater 1624 Christopher Sclater MA 1642 William Rathband 16- John Goodwin 1645 (Jacob Tomkins, intruded†) 16- (Samuel Clarke, intruded†) 1658 (Thomas Capper intruded†) 1658 (William Annand†) 1665 John Thresher MA 1673 Joshua Pulford MA 1710 Joshua Pulford MA 1712 William Whip MA 1719 Thomas Snow MA 1733 William Hawtayne MA 1748 Octavian Reynolds MA 1759 Richard Reynolds MA 1773 Henry Osman BA 1781 William Oddie BA 1786 John Wilson BA 1788 John Wilson BA 1849 Joseph Stevenson MA 1862 Thomas Wallis Richards MA 1901 George Frederick Hills MA 1933 Sidney Ernest Swann MA 1937 Arthur Thomas Stephens MA 1943 Stanley John Forrest BA 1954 Canon John J F Scammell AKC 1981 Peter Harold Whittaker AKC 1992 Canon John Anthony L Hulbert MA 2003 Canon Grant Fellows BD AKC 2019 Catherine Frances Irvine BA(Theology) Dip Th
- †Note: "Dom" signifies "Dominus", a courtesy title for clergy, much as "Reverend" is today.
- "Mag" is an abbreviation of "Magister" or "Master"and signifies someone with a special qualification much like a specialist degree today.
- Those shown as "Intruded" were not priests in the catholic understanding of the Apostolic Succession in that they were installed during the Commonwealth era when the state religion was Presbyterian.
- William Annand was episcopally ordained
PREBENDARIES OF LEIGHTON BUZZARD to 1926 As recorded in "Leighton Buzzard and Its Hamlets", published 1928 by Robert Richmond
Theobald de Busar - Vicar of the Church in the time of King Richard. His surname was added to "Leyton" to give the town its name. 2.Robert de Hardres (died 1207) - Archdeacon of Huntingdon. 3.1207 William de Ely - King John's Treasurer. 4.1240 John de Sancto Egidio - Chancellor of Lincoln, 1239. Archdeacon of Oxford 1236 - 1244. 5.Peter de Audeham (died 1269) - Archdeacon of Bedford 1259 - 1269. 6.1277 Nicholas de Heigham. He granted part of the Prebend's income to the Vicarage. He died 1288, leaving suffient in his goods for the completion of the Church at Leighton. 7. Thomas Sutton (resigned 1292). 8.1292 John Fleming. 9.1302 Edward St John. 10.1314 Gilbert Middleton. 11.- James de Berkeleye. 12.1319 William de Ayremynne (Airmin) - Bishop of Norwich 1325 - 1337. 13.1324 William de Weston. 14.1329 John de Podio Barsago - An Italian appointed by the Pope. Archdeacon of Stow and afterwards Archdeacon of Winchester. He died in 1343. 15.- (John Dufford) - Presented by the King in 1342, under the assumption that John de Podio Barsago had died. The appointment was revoked 18 May 1342. 16.- Hugh de Normanton (died 1343). 17.1343 John de Pipa - King's clerk. Died 1361. 18.1361 William de Pipa (collated 1361). 19.1365 William Ginewell - Presented by the King 10 March 1365. 20.1386 John Evot. 21.1387 John de Stacy. 22.1389 William de Packington Rector of Ivinghoe, Archdeacon of Canterbury and Dean of Lichfield 1380 - 1390. 23.1390 John Thomas (Not in Lincoln Register). 24.1391 Henry Bowett (Not in Lincoln Register) Archdeacon ofLincoln. 25.1391 Thomas Butiller (Not in Lincoln Register). 26.1391 William Ashton, LL.D. 27.1392 Richard Clifford, LL.D. (succeeded 1392) - Dean of York and Bishop of Worcester 1401 - 1407. 28.1400 John Elvet. 29.1405 John Prophet Keeper of the King's Seal, Dean of Hereford 1393 - 1407, Dean of York 1407 -1416. Died 8 April 1416. 30.1416 Thomas Field - Dean of Hereford. 31.1419 Thomas Walton. 32 - Richard Wyot (died 1439). 33.1439 William Wallesby. 34.1443 Thomas Walton (possily same as 31). 35.1451 Peter de Asterio. 36.1451 John Holland. 37.1458 Peter de Taster. 38.1466 Edward Woodville (Woodevill). 39.1470 John Ashby. 40.1471 Lionel Woodville (Wydevill) Bishop of Salisbury 1482 - 1485. 41.1478 Robert Fleming - Dean of Lincoln 1451 - 1483. 42.1483 William Pikenham - Dean of Stoke Chase Collegiate Church, Suffolk. 43.1497 Hugh Oldham, A.M. - Bishop of Exeter 1505 - 1519. 44.1504 Thomas Routhall - Bishop of Durham 1509 - 1523. 45.1509 John Chambers, M.D. 46.1549 Christopher Massingberd. 47.1553 John Madewe (Maydew?), S.T.P. . 48.1553 William Taylor, M.A. - Installed by proxy in October 1553, but deprived 24 August 1554. 49.1554 John Pope, LL.B. - Archdeacon of Bedford 1554 - 1558. Buried in Lincoln Cathedral. 50.1558 Gabriel White, A.B. 51.1574 Thomas Godwin - Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. Bishop of Bath and Wells 1584 - 1593. 52.1583 Christopher Folderby, A.M. 53.1612 Amon Alnwick. 54.1621 Theodore Price, S.T.P. - King's Chaplain. Buried in Westminster Abbey. 55.1631 William Warre. 56.1641 James Duport, B.D. - Dean of Peterborough. Died 1679. 57.1679 Abraham Campion, S.T.P. - Dean of Lincoln. 58.1701 Samuel Harris, A.M.. 59.1708 Edward Wake, A.M.. 60.1732 Octavian Reynolds . Son of Dr. Reynolds, Bishop of Lincoln. He was Rector of Wheathampstead from 1732. Died 1773 and buried at Harpenden. Vicar of All Saints from 1759 to 1772. 61.1773 Robert Dowbiggen, M.A.. 62.1749 Edward Harvey Maltby, A.M. - Bishop of Durham 1836 - 1856. 63.1831 James Morton Died 1865. No record of a prebendary from 1865 - 1868. 64.1868 Arthur Brook - Vicar of Holbeach 1866 - 1872. Rector of Hackney, London 1872. Retained prebend until 1890. 65.1890 William Glaister - Vicar of Grantham. 66.1908 Thomas Skelton - Prebendary of Southwell. Died 1915. 67.1915 James Foster- Vicar of Tathwell and Haugham. Died 18 December 1926. 68.1926 Thomas Erskine Swanzy, M.A. - Vicar of All Saints, Lincoln, 1919.
Misericords
All Saints' has 25 late 14th-century misericords (seat supports). The weathering on the stalls probably indicates that they were in a builder's yard for some time, which is not as unusual as it may seem. Their origin is unknown, some think they may have originated at St Albans Abbey, which was pretty much gutted at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, other suggestions range from Fountains Abbey (there is an historical connection) and more locally Chicksands Priory. It is also worth noting that the fan-shaped slots at the free ends of the stalls are indicative that they have been shortened at some point.
Organ
The organ was rebuilt following the fire of 1985 by Harrison and Harrison of Durham. A specification and photographs of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[1] Following restoration work of the past seventeen years on the building a thorough organ overhaul was undertaken in 2018.