St Gregory’s Minster in Kirkdale stands alone in a peaceful valley, embraced by its pastoral churchyard and outer woodland setting. Its ancient structure, that which stands today, dates back to 1065 but its origins suggest it is one of the earliest churches in this part of Yorkshire.
Most renowned for its exceptional contemporary sundial, which is placed above the south doorway under an 18th-century porch, this 11th-century instrument is remarkably well-preserved due to being plastered over for centuries and sheltered. Additional Old English inscriptions reveal the church’s restoration by Orm Gamelson, a major landowner and man of status, married to Aethelthryth, the daughter of Earl Ealdred of Northumbria, who rebuilt the church after it had fallen into ruin during the period that Tostig was Earl of Northumbria (1055-1065). A further inscription translates as ‘This is the day’s sun-marker at every hour’ whilst another states ‘And Hawaro made me and Brand, priest’. From this, one can deduce that the earliest phase of the present building dates to the decade of Tostig’s rule.
Nonetheless, recent excavations suggest the site’s history may go back to c.750 or even earlier when it was likely founded as a daughter house of the monastic community at nearby Lastingham and likely comprised a two-cell structure which included a chancel—quite a rarity of Anglo-Saxon parish churches. The first church at Kirkdale was therefore a minster, a missionary church with satellites permeating from them as the mother church.
While significant restoration occurred in the 19th century, little alteration has occurred within since the 11th century making it a remarkable ecclesiastical time capsule. Notable are the narrow stone benches, the predecessors to pews and benches, upon which the elderly or infirm would perch, whilst the rest of the worshippers would stand in the nave during services.
Further surviving Saxon features for which it is famed include an original round-headed doorway, flanked by painted boards of the Lord’s Prayer and Ten Commandments, and several fragments of carved cross shafts. These pieces, along with two finely carved 8th-century stone grave covers, fragments of carved Saxon crosses and a 15th-century sculpture of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child, highlight the rich history of this ancient site, which continues to serve both as a place of worship and a monument to the past.
Try the walk from Kirkbymoorside here.
Address: St Gregory’s Minster: Kirkdale, York, YO62 7TZ
Books by Dr Emma Wells
