Old St. Bartholomew Church – Phillip Barker
This little church is a quite remarkable survival. It is tucked away in a deep and remote little valley and it may be this remoteness, and the fact that the road to it leads nowhere, asks the reasons for it’s survival.
Sapey is first mentioned in a deed of 781 and is called Sapie at Domesday in 1086. The derivation of the name is obscure, but E.Ekwall says it may derive from ‘Sapey,’ ‘full of Sap’ – presumably because the land was very fertile and the Domesday entry says there were 11 ploughs here and there could be 3 more – fertile indeed. There was also a mill, presumably worked by the little stream nearby, but, more important, there was a priest here and a priest implies a church. The question is, whether there was a priest and a church here in Anglo-Saxon times, or, whether he was the incumbent of one of the hundreds of churches built by the Normans in the 20 years between the Conquest and the Domesday Survey.
There is no sign of a pre-Conquest church – architecturally this is a simple two-cell building of sandstone with tufa quoins, a rare example of an almost unchanged rustic Norman church and it is this, primarily, which gives it it’s importance.
Over the centuries it has, of course, been modified from time to time, usually to provide more light by inserting larger windows.
The Norman east window has been blocked and replaced in the ?13th century (though VCH says 19th century); there is a late 14th century window in the south side of the chancel and a wide pointed window has been inserted in the nave in the late 18th or 19th century, partly destroying what appears to be a Royal Coat of Arms, of which only a fragment of the lion survives. There are also wall paintings elsewhere.
The north door and the priest’s door in the chancel have both been blocked and a western gallery was inserted in the 19th century together with a small square window at the west end.
The base of a font is preserved at the west end – the font itself is in the ‘new’ church at Harpley. There is also a fine 14th century timber south porch.
The most drastic alteration was the removal, probably in the 19th century, of the chancel arch, perhaps because it had become unsafe. Remarkably, the church has managed to survive without it.
The timber roof has had a ceiling inserted, perhaps in the 18th century.
When the new church at Harpley was built in the 1870’s, this church was condemned to be demolished down to a height of six feet above ground level. Happily, for some reason, this was never carried out and the church has remained, consecrated but empty, ever since.
THERE IS NO DOUBT WHATEVER ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS BUILDING, ARCHITECTUARALLY, HISTORICALLY AND ARCHAEOLOGICALLY, IN ADDITION, IT IS ONE OF A CLASSIC GROUP OF BUILDINGS WITH THEIR ORIGINS IN MEDIEVAL TIMES, IF NOT EARLIER, SET IN A SUPERB AND REMOTE LANDSCAPE.
Phillip Barker. Archaeologist.
1. Since Phillip Barker penned his archaeological report further discoveries have come to light. After a landslip in the churchyard, a skeleton was discovered, positioned facing East and with arms crossed over his chest, suggesting a Christian burial. This was archaeologically exhumed and carbon dated. He was found to have lived in the 730s AD, meaning there must likely have been a church here in Anglo Saxon times.
2. During the re~interment of the skeleton, a rubble floor was found. It is thought to be either the floor of a free standing bell tower or part of the floor of a pre~Conquest church.
3. After expert analysis of the Royal Coat of Arms it was discovered that there were four sets of wall paintings here, one painted over each previous one.