All Saints - Swinderby, Lincolnshire - Medieval Churches on Waymarking.com

The first church at Swinderbywas probably built during the Anglo Saxon period. Prior to this there may have been a preaching cross and services would have taken place in the open air. It is impossible to be totally accurate regarding the development of the early stone building. However, evidence would suggest that the tower was probably free standing and dates from 1066-1200 as do the Norman arches and south wall.
An extension to the church was the north aisle built during Norman times (1066- 1200). The original north wall was replaced with the Norman arches that can still be seen today. The tower was probably fully integrated into the main body of the church in the 13th century as can be evidenced by the pointed tower arch. The font dates from 1335-1530 and although now placed at the base of the tower it would have originally stood against the Norman pillar opposite the south door.
In the 18th Century at the back of the church, a singing and musicians gallery was constructed and pews put in for the first time. However, for five centuries very little major building changes occurred. Then in the 19th Century there were many alterations to the church, for example the gallery was removed, a new north wall was built which enlarged the building, the rounded apse was added at the east end of the church, the porch was constructed and the chancel arch enlarged.
If you look at the south door from the inside of he church you will see the outline of another possible door. The arch on this door is rounded and suggests an earlier Anglo-Saxon or Norman entrance. Why this possible doorway was so large is open to suggestions. During the period of the crusades the Knights Templar were based in the area and Swinderby Church was associated with this order.
The 1549 Prayer Book required the priest to meet the deceased at the entrance to church yard. Lychgates were built to provide shelter for the priest and the bearers prior to the service beginning. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word lych meaning corpse or body. The Victorian lych gate at Swinderby was restored during the early 1990s.
There have been many interesting people associated with Swinderby Church but one of particular note is John Disney. He was vicar from 1770 to 1782. In 1771 he undertook a survey of the inhabitants of Swinderby and their occupations, an early census. The Disneys were an important family within the area having originally come from a town near Bayeux. They were given land by William after the Battle of Hastings and Henry VIII gave the Manor and Rectory of Swinderby to Richard Disney in 1579."

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Building Materials: Stone

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