St Nicolas' Church, Abingdon
Encyclopedia
The Church of Saint Nicolas is an Church of England parish church
in Abingdon
in the English
county of Oxfordshire
(formerly within Berkshire
).
Abbey of Saint Mary
around the year 1170. While the monk
s used the abbey church, St Nicolas's was built for their lay servants and tenants. The Normans propagated the cult of Saint Nicholas
and many English churches are named after him. The earliest documentary evidence of this church's existence is in a ruling about tithe
s in 1177 by Pope Alexander III
. Saint Edmund of Abingdon
worshipped there as a child and his mother was initially buried there. A tower was added and the chancel rebuilt in the 15th century.
. The new parish consisted of scattered pieces of land at Fitzharris, Northcourt and Bayworth
, which were granges of the Abbey, as well as a mill on the River Ock
and the precincts of the Abbey itself. The purpose of the new parish was to provide an income to the Abbey, after the devastation caused by the Black Death
and the sacking of the Abbey in 1327. The two parishes were reunited in 1989 to form the single ecclesiastical parish of Abingdon.
For civil purposes the parish joined Abingdon St Helen's to form the civil parish
of Abingdon in 1894.
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:...
in Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
(formerly within Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
).
History
The church was added to the gateway of the already-existing BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Abbey of Saint Mary
Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey was a Benedictine monastery also known as St Mary's Abbey located in Abingdon, historically in the county of Berkshire but now in Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
around the year 1170. While the monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s used the abbey church, St Nicolas's was built for their lay servants and tenants. The Normans propagated the cult of Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
and many English churches are named after him. The earliest documentary evidence of this church's existence is in a ruling about tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s in 1177 by Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
. Saint Edmund of Abingdon
Edmund Rich
Edmund Rich was a 13th century Archbishop of Canterbury in England...
worshipped there as a child and his mother was initially buried there. A tower was added and the chancel rebuilt in the 15th century.
Parish
The church became a parish church in 1372, when the parish of St Nicholas was carved out of the parish of St Helen'sSt Helen's Church, Abingdon
St Helen's Church is the parish church in the town of Abingdon on the banks of the River Thames in Oxfordshire , England....
. The new parish consisted of scattered pieces of land at Fitzharris, Northcourt and Bayworth
Bayworth
Bayworth is a hamlet in the civil parish of Sunningwell about south of Oxford. Bayworth was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
, which were granges of the Abbey, as well as a mill on the River Ock
River Ock
The River Ock is a small English river which is a tributary of the River Thames. It has as its catchment area the Vale of White Horse, a low-lying and wide valley in South Oxfordshire and flows into the River Thames, at Abingdon on the reach above Culham Lock.-Course:The River Ock rises near the...
and the precincts of the Abbey itself. The purpose of the new parish was to provide an income to the Abbey, after the devastation caused by the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
and the sacking of the Abbey in 1327. The two parishes were reunited in 1989 to form the single ecclesiastical parish of Abingdon.
For civil purposes the parish joined Abingdon St Helen's to form the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Abingdon in 1894.