Repton
Encyclopedia
Repton is a village and civil parish on the edge of the River Trent
floodplain in South Derbyshire
, about 4.5 miles (7 km) north of Swadlincote
. Repton is close to the county boundary with neighbouring Staffordshire
and about 4.5 miles (7 km) northeast of Burton upon Trent
.
n royal family under Peada
were baptised in AD 653. Soon a double abbey
under an Abbess
was built.
In 669 the Bishop of Mercia translated his see from Repton to Lichfield
. Offa
, King of Mercia seemed to resent his own bishops paying allegiance to the Archbishop of Canterbury
in Kent who, while under Offa's control, was not of his own kingdom of Mercia. Offa therefore created his own Archdiocese of Lichfield
, which presided over all the bishops from the Humber to the Thames
. Repton was thus the forebear of the archdiocese of Lichfield, a third archdiocese of the English church: Lichfield, the other two being Canterbury and York. This lasted for only 16 years, however, before Mercia returned to being under the Archbishopric of Canterbury.
At the centre of the village is the Church of England parish church
of Saint Wystan
. The church is notable for its Anglo-Saxon
crypt
, which was built in the 8th century AD as a mausoleum
for the Mercian royal family. Wystan, or Wigstan, was a prince of Mercia who was murdered by his guardian in 849, in the reign of Wiglaf
. His remains were buried in the crypt at Repton and miracles were ascribed to them. Repton proceeded to become a place of pilgrimage
; Wigstan was later canonised and became the patron saint
of the church.
In 873/4 the Danish Great Heathen Army
overwintered at Repton, the only place in England where a winter encampment has yet been located, identified by a mass grave of some 250 individuals, covered by the kerb stone of its former cairn
. The Danes had commandeered the church as a stronghold on the cliff above the former course of the River Trent
, identified by a D-shaped enclosure formed by a rampart and ditch, no longer visible on the surface. The bones were disarticulated, long bones stacked together with skulls on top. Forensic study revealed that the individuals ranged in age from their late teens to about forty, four men to every woman. Five associated pennies fit well with the overwintering date of 873/4. The absence of injury marks suggest that the party had perhaps died of pestilence.
In the 20th century Sir Nikolaus Pevsner
described the Anglo-Saxon parts of St. Wystan's parish church as "one of the most precious survivals of Anglo-Saxon architecture in England". In addition to the crypt they include the chancel
, the northeast and southeast parts of the crossing and part of the north transept
. The crypt is a square chamber with a roof of three rows of three domical vaults supported by two pilaster
s on each wall and four free-standing pillars at the four corners of the central vault.
The Anglo-Saxon church was cruciform and may have had a tower over its central crossing. The nave has Medieval Gothic
north and south aisles that were rebuilt in the 13th century and widened early in the 14th century. The west tower and recessed spire
were added in 1340. The top of the spire is 212 feet (64.6 m) above ground level. In the 15th century the nave clerestory
with its timber roof and the two-storey porch were built and the tower windows were altered. Monuments inside the church include an alabaster
effigy of a knight from about 1400 and monuments to members of the Thacker family from 1563 and 1710. The tower has a ring
of eight bells, the oldest of which was cast at Leicester
in about 1500.
of Repton. When her husband Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester died in 1153 she granted St. Wystan's church to the Augustinian
canons
at the Priory of St. Giles, Calke
. Maud had a new Priory of the Holy Trinity
built at Repton. In 1172 most of the canons transferred to Repton and their former priory at Calke became a cell of Repton Priory. In 1538 Repton Priory surrendered all its estates to the Crown
under the Dissolution of the Monasteries
.
The priory buildings included the church plus a cloister
flanked by a chapter house
, refectory
, prior
's lodgings, hall and cellars, plus ancillary buildings short distance away. In 1557 the remains of these buildings were incorporated into the buildings of Repton School
, a public school
that Sir John Port
founded in that year.
This list does not include staff or pupils of Repton School
. Notable persons are listed in that article.
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
floodplain in South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote....
, about 4.5 miles (7 km) north of Swadlincote
Swadlincote
Swadlincote is a town and unparished area in South Derbyshire, about southeast of Burton-upon-Trent and about south of Derby. It is the main town of South Derbyshire and the seat of South Derbyshire District Council....
. Repton is close to the county boundary with neighbouring Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
and about 4.5 miles (7 km) northeast of Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
.
History
Christianity was reintroduced to the Midlands at Repton, where the MerciaMercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
n royal family under Peada
Peada of Mercia
Peada , a son of Penda, was briefly King of southern Mercia after his father's death in November 655 until his own death in the spring of the next year.In about the year 653 Peada was made king of the Middle Angles by his father...
were baptised in AD 653. Soon a double abbey
Repton Abbey
Repton Abbey was an Anglo-Saxon abbey in Derbyshire, England. It was founded in the 6th century....
under an Abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
was built.
In 669 the Bishop of Mercia translated his see from Repton to Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
. Offa
Offa
Offa may refer to:Two kings of the Angles, who are often confused:*Offa of Angel , on the continent*Offa of Mercia , in Great BritainA king of Essex:*Offa of Essex A town in Nigeria:* Offa, Nigeria...
, King of Mercia seemed to resent his own bishops paying allegiance to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
in Kent who, while under Offa's control, was not of his own kingdom of Mercia. Offa therefore created his own Archdiocese of Lichfield
Diocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England...
, which presided over all the bishops from the Humber to the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. Repton was thus the forebear of the archdiocese of Lichfield, a third archdiocese of the English church: Lichfield, the other two being Canterbury and York. This lasted for only 16 years, however, before Mercia returned to being under the Archbishopric of Canterbury.
At the centre of the village is the Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Wystan
Wigstan of Mercia
Wigstan , also known as Saint Wystan, was the son of Wigmund of Mercia and Ælfflæd, daughter of King Ceolwulf I of Mercia.Wigstan may have been sub-king, or ealdorman, of the Hwicce, and may have ruled Mercia briefly in 840, before resigning the throne. Wigstan was killed by his successor,...
. The church is notable for its Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
, which was built in the 8th century AD as a mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
for the Mercian royal family. Wystan, or Wigstan, was a prince of Mercia who was murdered by his guardian in 849, in the reign of Wiglaf
Wiglaf of Mercia
Wiglaf was King of Mercia from 827 to 829 and again from 830 until his death. His ancestry is uncertain: the 820s were a period of dynastic conflict within Mercia and the genealogy of several of the kings of this time is unknown...
. His remains were buried in the crypt at Repton and miracles were ascribed to them. Repton proceeded to become a place of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
; Wigstan was later canonised and became the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of the church.
In 873/4 the Danish Great Heathen Army
Great Heathen Army
The Great Heathen Army, also known as the Great Army or the Great Danish Army, was a Viking army originating in Denmark which pillaged and conquered much of England in the late 9th century...
overwintered at Repton, the only place in England where a winter encampment has yet been located, identified by a mass grave of some 250 individuals, covered by the kerb stone of its former cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
. The Danes had commandeered the church as a stronghold on the cliff above the former course of the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
, identified by a D-shaped enclosure formed by a rampart and ditch, no longer visible on the surface. The bones were disarticulated, long bones stacked together with skulls on top. Forensic study revealed that the individuals ranged in age from their late teens to about forty, four men to every woman. Five associated pennies fit well with the overwintering date of 873/4. The absence of injury marks suggest that the party had perhaps died of pestilence.
Parish church
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
described the Anglo-Saxon parts of St. Wystan's parish church as "one of the most precious survivals of Anglo-Saxon architecture in England". In addition to the crypt they include the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, the northeast and southeast parts of the crossing and part of the north transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
. The crypt is a square chamber with a roof of three rows of three domical vaults supported by two pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s on each wall and four free-standing pillars at the four corners of the central vault.
The Anglo-Saxon church was cruciform and may have had a tower over its central crossing. The nave has Medieval Gothic
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
north and south aisles that were rebuilt in the 13th century and widened early in the 14th century. The west tower and recessed spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
were added in 1340. The top of the spire is 212 feet (64.6 m) above ground level. In the 15th century the nave clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
with its timber roof and the two-storey porch were built and the tower windows were altered. Monuments inside the church include an alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
effigy of a knight from about 1400 and monuments to members of the Thacker family from 1563 and 1710. The tower has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of eight bells, the oldest of which was cast at Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
in about 1500.
Priory and public school
In the 12th century Maud of Gloucester, Countess of Chester held the manorManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Repton. When her husband Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester died in 1153 she granted St. Wystan's church to the Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
canons
Canons Regular
Canons Regular are members of certain bodies of Canons living in community under the Augustinian Rule , and sharing their property in common...
at the Priory of St. Giles, Calke
Calke
Calke is a small village in the south of Derbyshire, England. It is the home of Calke Abbey although the normal entrance to the abbey is in Ticknall....
. Maud had a new Priory of the Holy Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
built at Repton. In 1172 most of the canons transferred to Repton and their former priory at Calke became a cell of Repton Priory. In 1538 Repton Priory surrendered all its estates to the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
under the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
.
The priory buildings included the church plus a cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
flanked by a chapter house
Chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
, refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
, prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
's lodgings, hall and cellars, plus ancillary buildings short distance away. In 1557 the remains of these buildings were incorporated into the buildings of Repton School
Repton School
Repton School, founded in 1557, is a co-educational English independent school for both day and boarding pupils, in the British public school tradition, located in the village of Repton, in Derbyshire, in the Midlands area of England...
, a public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
that Sir John Port
John Port (the younger)
Sir John Port 'the Younger' was an English Knight of the Bath and Justice of the Common Pleas. He founded Repton School, an almshouse at Etwall and also has a secondary school named after him.-Biography:...
founded in that year.
Notable residents
- King Æthelbald of Mercia was buried here in 797 AD.
- Beornrad of MerciaBeornrad of MerciaBeornred was briefly King of Mercia in 757, following the murder of Æthelbald. However, he was defeated by Offa and fled.According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in 757:...
was buried here - Saint GuthlacSaint GuthlacSaint Guthlac of Crowland was a Christian saint from Lincolnshire in England. He is particularly venerated in the Fens of eastern England.-Life:...
of Croyland was a monk here in about AD 697. - Russell OsmanRussell OsmanRussell Charles Osman is a retired England international footballer.-Playing career:Osman was born in Repton, Derbyshire, the son of Rex Osman who played a handful of games for Derby County in the early 1950s...
, international footballer, was born here in 1959. - King Wiglaf of MerciaWiglaf of MerciaWiglaf was King of Mercia from 827 to 829 and again from 830 until his death. His ancestry is uncertain: the 820s were a period of dynastic conflict within Mercia and the genealogy of several of the kings of this time is unknown...
was buried here - Saint Wigstan of Mercia was reburied here
- Industrialist Walter SomersWalter SomersWalter Somers was an English engineer and businessman who established a forge company, later known as Walter Somers Limited, producing a range of steel products including items for military use by the British Admiralty during World War I.In 1866 Somers was given a loan of £100 by his father and...
was born in Repton in 1839. - Elsie SteeleElsie SteeleElsie May Steele was, at age , the oldest person in the United Kingdom and the oldest person in England following the death of 111-year-old Annie Turnbull on 3 September 2010....
(1899–2010), the oldest documented person in Britain at the time of her death, lived at The Dales Residential Home in Fisher Close during the final few years of her life.
This list does not include staff or pupils of Repton School
Repton School
Repton School, founded in 1557, is a co-educational English independent school for both day and boarding pupils, in the British public school tradition, located in the village of Repton, in Derbyshire, in the Midlands area of England...
. Notable persons are listed in that article.