Kirkdale, St Gregory’s Minster

Treasures from the Parish Chest: exploring North Yorkshire’s church history from archives to architecture

An important 11^th century Anglo-Saxon minster, the church was restored in the early-20^th century by noted architect Temple Moore

Standing in a picturesque spot in Ryedale, St Gregory’s was founded in the 7^th century as a minster church. In the pre-Conquest period before the establishment of parishes, minster churches were served by monks or priests who went out into the surrounding area to ‘minister to the people’.

By the 11^th century, the original church was in a poor state and was refounded by Orm, son of Gamal. We know this from the remarkable inscription on the church’s sundial. Described as being ‘all broken down and fallen’, the church was rebuilt between 1055 and 1065 in ‘Edward’s days the king’ (King Edward the Confessor) and ‘Tostig’s days the Earl’ (Tostig Godwinson, Earl of Northumbria).

The Anglo-Saxon sundial above the south door of the church and a translation of the inscription [PR/KRD 7/3/2]

Orm’s church was expanded over time with the north aisle added around 1200. The chancel and west tower are both 19^th century

During the Georgian era, the interior of the church was much altered, with the insertion of a gallery and box pews filling the north aisle. After the west tower was added in 1827 and the chancel was rebuilt in 1881, a drive was launched by the Reverend Powell to fully restore the church. Between 1907 and 1920, the church was sensitively restored by the respected architect Temple Moore. The Kirkdale parish collection includes a wonderful range of drawings and architectural plans detailing the interior restoration.

The original 11^th century west entrance to the church

The collection also features correspondence between Reverend Powell and Temple Moore on the progress of the restoration. Moore worked on St Gregory’s up to his death in 1920.