Stokeham
St Peter

History

St Peter’s, Stokeham is not mentioned in Domesday Book. Much of the church building dates back to the 13th century, including masonry and the lancet widows. It also contains a 12th century Norman font, with original iron staples, and a possibly 13th century chest. A 13th century, separately listed, stone coffin is in the churchyard.

St Peter’s, Stokeham, has long been linked with St Peter’s, East Drayton. The patronage of Stokeham church, along with East Drayton and Askham was held by the Chapter of York at least by the 12th century. Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, Earl of Essex, renounced all rights over East Drayton and its associated chapels in favour of the canons of York around 1199-1213.

There is no mention of Stokeham in the 1291 taxation of Pope Nicholas IV, most probably because its annual value was too low. Similarly, there are no records in the 1341 Nonarum Inquisitiones, nor in the 1428 subsidy of Henry VI.

In 1242/3 Nigel de Lysures held in Fledborough, Normanton, Stokeham, and Staythorpe, two Knight’s Fees of the Bishop of Lincoln in an ancient enfeoffment. At an inquisition in 1302/3 John de Lysures held half a fief (Knight’s Fee) in Stokeham of the Bishop of Lincoln (but it is unclear if Lincoln had any interest in the church itself at these times). However, it was later found, by an inquisition in 1349, that the hamlet of Stokeham had been parcel of the manor of Fledborough ‘from the time of the conquest’ and that the manor was held of the bishop as of the barony of Newark by the service of three knights' fees. Accordingly the current landholder, John de Lysures, was ordered by the king to pay £6 for the three knights’ fees rather than 20 s. for the half fee that John claimed. The issue of land rights was clearly a long-running problem as, earlier, in 1343, the king had ordered the Sherriff of Nottingham to desist from preventing John de Lysures to have his rightful view of his tenants in Stokeham and an inquisition found that the tenants of John [de Lysures] in Woodcotes, Normanton, Sternthorpe, Stokeham, and East Drayton have been tenants of his said manor from the time of the king's grant to him ‘and from time out of mind’.

By 1428 the tenurial overlordship of Stokeham had passed to Thomas Basset, but once again for half a knight’s fee.

In the will of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, in 1461 he appears to offer the appropriation of Stokeham church to Bisham Priory in Berkshire. The context and reasons for this are unclear.

In 1472, the York Fabric Rolls record a visitation that cited both Stokeham and Askham as having defective boundaries, but mention no other faults, so presumably all was otherwise well with the fabric at that date.

The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1534 records that Edward Herlying was the vicar of East Drayton and the parson of Stokeham which, along with Askham had an annual income of £9 3s 2d which included, amongst other items, a sum of 10s 2d paid annually from the Chapter of York, pigs and eggs 3s, chickens and pigeons 3s, and eggs 1s 8d.

In his will of 1542, John Bassett of Fledborough left to Drayton and Stokeham the sum of 6s 8d. Stokeham church is mentioned in records of the 1559 visitation to the Diocese to ensure the adherence to Elizabeth I’s Act of Uniformity and other new regulations. Parishioners of Stokeham presented the vicar of Drayton, linked to Stokeham parish, for neglect of the church. The visitors ordered the vicar to serve the churches alternately up to the ensuing Easter, then to supply Stokeham with a curate at his own cost. The parishes of East Drayton and Stokeham remained annexed until the 1980s.

Stokeham’s first parish register began in 1618.

A south aisle of the church appears to have been pulled down in the 17th or 18th century. The arches from the south arcade were blocked up at the same time and are visible in the masonry of the south wall.

Thomas Herring, Archbishop of York, toured the diocese in 1743. The visitation report includes details of St Peter’s, Stokeham. It records 8 families in the village and no dissenters. The curate, Walter Pallisser, resided in the parish and read a public service every two Sundays in three.

There is no return for Stokeham in the 1764 visitation of Archbishop Drummond.

The 1851 Religious Census states that '[East Drayton] church and that at Stokeham forms a post of one incumbency'. The parish was endowed with a tithe worth £120, a glebe worth £20 and tithes 1 or 2 shillings. The church could accommodate 60 people, but the average attendance at Sunday morning services was 4-5 and at evening services 10-12 people. The rector of East Drayton, the Rev John Goodacre, reported that Stokeham was 'a Rectory but a very small parish consisting of only eleven dwelling houses; viz 5 farmers, 6 cottages.'

By the mid-19th century the church building was in a very bad condition and was largely unused. It seems that most of the population of the village were Methodists. A Wesleyan chapel was built in the village in 1856. Also villagers who attended church travelled to the neighbouring church in East Drayton.

In December 1856 an ecclesiastical inquisition was held in East Retford to consider an allegation made by William Otter, a churchwarden of Stokeham, against the Rev William Goodacre, the vicar of East Drayton, Stokeham and Askham. The vicar had been accused of 'certain improprieties of conduct unbecoming a clergyman.' Goodacre was a widower and employed the unmarried Sarah Johnson as housekeeper who the previous year had given birth to a child that had died shortly afterwards. Johnson refused to name the father but it was rumoured to be Goodacre. However, after examining witnesses the court concluded that the charge was not borne out by the evidence and the vicar was acquitted.

White’s Directory of Nottinghamshire for 1864 mentions that restoration work was done on the church in 1862 at the cost of £20. Kelly's Directory of 1900 reports later restoration work on the chancel in 1881 at the cost of £120.

Cox (1912) observed in July 1911 that in relation to Stokeham church ‘Everything [is] in grievous plight’ and that the chancel was boarded off so it could be used for an occasional service.

An article in the Church Times of 29 September 1911 also highlighted the dilapidated condition of Stokeham church:

'The church of Stokeham is in a condition which is an absolute scandal to all concerned. There is a good deal of interest in the fabric and its fittings, including a circular Norman font, but the small building is in an appalling state of dilapidation: a small portion of the chancel being boarded off for occasional service. The churchyard is rank with weeds and grass, whilst the building itself is choked up with overgrown elder trees, touching the walls and as high as the eaves.'

Between 1911 and 1915 Edward Hoskyns, Bishop of Southwell, carried out a thorough visitation of Southwell Diocese. The bishop visited Tuxford Deanery in early 1914 and in his visitation report highlighted the serious difficulty arising from 'the strain thrown upon a tiny Parish in preserving the fabric of the Church building' and cited 'The ruin of Stokeham church’ as one of the ‘outward signs of the changes which are coming upon us in agricultural districts’. He described how the burden of church upkeep used to be shouldered by large landowners, but increasingly larger properties were sold and small communities of farmers and labourers became responsible for their church buildings. At this time Stokeham church was only able to accommodate 25 people. The incumbent, shared with East Drayton, was the Rev A F L Wilkinson.

In 1921 villagers received a grant of £100 to rebuild the west wall and repair the chancel windows. In 1924 the Rev J Wardle settled in East Drayton, but took weekly services in the chancel of St Peter’s. He supported fund-raising to complete the restoration. The February 1928 issue of Southwell Diocese Magazine listed Stokeham church as one that the Church Extension Society had not been able to assist. The parish had applied for aid in restoring the nave at the cost of £150.

The church during the 1928 restoration

However, before long funds were available for a full restoration of the church. This included installing four new cross beams to the nave, rebuilding the south porch, repointing the walls, re-flooring the nave, re-glazing windows and installing new seating. Before the restoration the church contained box pews. The work cost about £500 and was also assisted by volunteers. The restored and refurnished church was rededicated on 9 August 1928 by the Venerable E. Hacking, the Archdeacon of Newark.

In 1929 the church was presented with two oak Sanctuary chairs in memory of Mrs Miller, by Mr Miller and Mrs Dodsworth, his daughter.

A window in the west wall of the nave was unblocked and restored to commemorate the fallen of the First World War. It was dedicated in May 1930.

In celebration of the millennium a plaque was installed in St Peter’s naming all villagers in residence on 1 January 2000. Also the church participated in countrywide bell ringing at midday.