The mediaeval St Peter's of Nocton

'In 1773, St. Peter's Church and vicarage which stood only a few yards from the Hall, was completely demolished and rebuilt on the present site of All Saints. Sir William's monument and the font were preserved and installed in the new St. Peter's which was little bigger than the original church inside the park. The graves and stones adjacent to the Hall were heaped together and buried in a mound south west of the new Hall and left of the present drive as it turns eastwards to the hospital.'

Source: 'The Revelations of an Imp' - Douglas Craven-Hodgson (Chapter 10)

'George Hobart came to the conclusion that the vicarage and the church was inconveniently near the Hall; so by a deed of exchange, he gave the site of the present vicarage and church in exchange for the old one. He destroyed every vestige of the old church, which had been dedicated to St. Peter (except the font or Judge Ellys' monument), so we cannot tell its size or style of architecture, or any particulars about it; tho' the site may be recognised by the level of the ground to the West of the Hall, it stands high by reason of hundreds of coffins and bodies that lie beneath.'

Source: Handwritten notes by MH Footman.  These notes seem to form the basis of his public lecture entitled 'The Story of Nocton', delivered on Monday 23rd October 1911. However, much of the content also appears in: 'Some Notes for a History of Nocton - Kate Norgate and Maurice Henry Footman. The reference to St Peter's Church appears on pages 21/22.

'The next church in Nocton was dedicated to St Peter and was close to Nocton Hall.  However, the owners of Nocton Hall, George Hobart (3rd Earl of Buckinghamshire) and his wife Albinia Bertie, did not like the church being "too inconveniently close to their mansion", possibly because of Albinia's taste for gambling (which led to the Nocton estate being temporarily mortgaged in 1786 to pay her debts).  George and Albinia therefore had the church (illegally) demolished and a replacement built on the site of the present church.  The location of St Peter's is marked by a rise in the ground south-west of the Hall.'

Source: All Saints, Nocton

If you wander around the site of Nocton Hall, you will have noticed the mound of St. Peter's has become terribly overgrown over the years. It is covered with weeds, brambles, dead wood and multiple saplings, all but obscuring the site.

This neglected aspect, alongside the already deteriorating Grade II listed Nocton Hall, does nothing to discourage fly-tipping, thefts and vandalism of our local historical site. I therefore give up a little of my time every couple of years to clear the encroaching undergrowth which threatens to overwhelm the cultural heart of our village. If you frequent the area often, you may see a difference in the vegetation from time-to-time and may even see a lonely figure toiling away.

Let's hope 2012 brings some progress with Nocton Hall and its grounds.

Happy New Year folks.

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