St Peter's Church, Abbots Morton
The parish church, dedicated to St Peter, stands on the site of a Saxon church. The current Grade I-listed building is the result of rebuilding and alterations performed since the 12th century. The list of Rectors of Abbots Morton stretches back to Petrus le Meare in 1288.
The oldest part of the church is the north wall which dates from the 12th century, and is now supported by a modern buttress. The chancel was rebuilt in the 14th century, with the east window being added later in the same century. The Lady Chapel on the north side of the church, now used for the organ and choir, was added at about the same time.
The tower was built in the late 14th century. The oldest bell, the tenor, dates from the 15th century and may have been hung soon after the tower was completed. It is one of the few remaining "Royal Head" bells, where the stops between the words of the inscription "Virgenis Egregie Vocor Campana Maria" represent the heads of Edward III and Queen Philippa. The 2nd bell is dated 1633, while the 3rd and treble bells were cast by Thomas Mears of London in 1842.
The south doorway, now the only entrance to the church, was constructed during the 15th century, and two pews from this period are incorporated into the porch. A second doorway, now blocked-up, can be seen in the north wall; this may have been used by the monks from the abbots' retreat to the north of the church. The exposed roof beams, many of them roughly-shaped branches rather than carefully cut timber, have also been dated to the 15th century. In 1955 the residents of the parish raised over £1,300 (worth more than £25,000 today) to preserve the beams.
Parish registers are available for the following years:
| Held at the Worcestershire Records Office: | |
| Baptism registers* | 1728-1965 |
| Marriage registers* | 1728-1963 |
| Burial registers* | 1728-1964 |
| Bishops Transcripts† | 1611-1728 |
| Copies held at the London Family History Centre: | |
| Baptism registers | 1728-1964 1611-1662 (transcripts) |
| Marriage registers | 1728-1964 1611-1660 (transcripts) |
| Burial registers | 1728-1964 1611-1663 (transcripts) |
| Bishops Transcripts† | 1611-1701,
1820-1861 (baptism, burial) 1820-1836 (marriage) |
| * Information from later registers is available from the Rector
† The Bishops Transcripts are not a complete record: information for some years may be missing |
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