Stydd, Ribchester

St Saviour's Norman Church and Font

I had been looking forward to visiting the remains of the roman fort at Ribchester and the Parish Church of St Wilfrid's, a medieval church that stands on the site of the old roman fort, being relatively new to the area a bit of planning and research was needed before my trip. I was pleasantly surprised to find this delightful 12th century Norman church in the neighbouring hamlet of Stydd. What a beautiful find! The style of architecture in the north wall, the rounded arches of the windows and the chevron or zig zag decoration in the moulding above the blocked doorway, all point to late 12th century. The lancet windows in the east and west walls, plus the pointed dooway in the south wall, were probably inserted sometime during the 13th century. The two straight headed 15th century windows, also in the south wall, were inserted in the 17th century. These two windows are believed to have come from St Wilfrid's in Ribchester. The porch was added to the church later.

Sadly the capitals and columns of the Early English style pointed doorway, pictured below left, are quite worn but the mouldings are still in good order, amazingly it still retains the original door, now covered with graffiti. It has been suggested that the bulge in the bottom of the bottom half of narrow lancet window, in the centre of the south wall, may have been a leper's squint. Leprosy was widespread in medieval England, especially during the 11th-14th centuries. The Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St John of Jerusalem acquired the site in the latter half of the 13th century. The early gravestone, with a simple cross, pictured below right is tradionally believed to cover the resting place of St Margaret Clitherow, but there is no documentary evidence to support this belief.