A look at the history of St Michael’s Church, Coxwold, with Dr Emma Wells

St Michael’s Church stands on a slight rise at the western edge of Coxwold, its tall octagonal tower dominating the village skyline. Although there has been a place of worship on this site since at least the 8th century, the present church was built between 1420 and 1430 in the Perpendicular Gothic style.

Approached from the village street, the church features a distinctive three-stage octagonal tower, delicate tracery, pinnacles and battlements. Yet stepping inside reveals a very different atmosphere. The nave has a distinctly Georgian character, with a flat oak ceiling, box pews and a pulpit dating from the 18th century. The pews are arranged to face the parson, a layout traditionally associated with the church’s most famous curate, the novelist Laurence Sterne.

Gothic church with tall tower and stone facade under cloudy sky

The chancel, rebuilt in 1774, contains one of the church’s most remarkable features: an unusual tongue-shaped altar rail designed to create additional space for communion services. It is also home to a series of imposing monuments to the Bellasis (Belasyse) family, Earls Fauconberg of nearby Newburgh Priory. These richly carved memorials, ranging from Jacobean to Gothic Revival in style, dominate the space and testify to the family’s long influence in the area. Recent restoration work, funded through generous legacies from local residents, has ensured their preservation.

St Michael’s is inseparable from the story of Sterne, author of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. Sterne became curate at Coxwold in 1760 and lived at nearby Shandy Hall, where he completed most of his celebrated novel and wrote A Sentimental Journey. Although he was originally buried in London after his death in 1768, his remains were later reinterred in the churchyard at Coxwold. His original gravestone is now preserved in the church porch, and a replacement gravestone identifies the site of Sterne’s reburial beside the south wall of the chancel.

Address: St Michael's Church, Thirsk Bank, Coxwold, York YO61 4AB

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