Victorian Church
The church – changes through time
The church outside and inside looks very different from the building Walter Skirlaw paid for. Walter’s original chantry chapel, a place of private prayer for Walter’s soul, gradually became a place for parish worship with the fixtures and fittings for that being installed. These were altered or replaced over time as religious beliefs and practices changed until we arrive at what you see today. A tower and porch were added, windows replaced – explore the changes through time here.
The Reformation and the Civil War
Within less than 100 years of Walter building his chapel it was being adapted to be suitable for the village to use as their church, even though they remained within the larger parish of Swine. These changes included installing a ‘rood screen’ which separated the public part of the church (the nave) from the altar area. This was where the priest would read the Gospel and would have been topped by a large cross. But within a few decades again there was religious change which saw the rood screen and stone altar removed. You can see the scars in the walls where the screen was once attached.
The Civil War and Commonwealth under Cromwell left their mark on Skirlaugh church. Fighting in this area was quite intense at key moments in the war and at least two people here at the time decided to leave their initials and the date carved into the stonework. We don’t know if they were parishioners, or soldiers from either side – perhaps they were bored by a long Puritan sermon!
The Georgian church
After the religious upheavals and divisions of the 16th and 17th centuries, the 18th century saw a focus on hearing lengthy sermons and reading Scripture. Skirlaugh church was very well suited to this so-called ‘preaching box’ style of worship being one large open space with large windows. A tall ‘three-decker’ pulpit was installed halfway along the north wall and box-pews filled the nave around it. The top level was for the preacher, with a ‘sounding board’ above him to reflect the sound back into the body of the church. It is thought it was in this period that the remains of the late-mediaeval rood screen were finally removed.
The three levels of the pulpit had accommodation for the parish clerk at the bottom, the priest (or other celebrant) to read the lesson from the second tier and the pulpit at the top for the delivery of often lengthy and pre-printed sermons. People sat in box-pews with doors for which they paid rent and which they sometimes furnished with cushions, carpets, and small braziers for warmth. Holy Communion was often only celebrated four times per year and attendance was a legal requirement.
The Victorian church
The Victorian period saw a religious revival and a renewal of church furnishings, with more emphasis on the altar and the celebration of Holy Communion. Many churches, including Skirlaugh, were ‘restored’ as the Gothic style gained popularity, with new furniture bought including open, forward-facing pews and the pulpit moved east. The changes to the liturgy of the Church of England was, in part, a response to the rise in popularity of the Non-Conformist churches, such as the Methodists, which was challenging the dominance of the church in society. This had a direct impact on Skirlaugh.
The popularity of hymn singing led to a demand for organ accompaniment to replace the collection of local musicians, often called ‘west gallery musicians’ who had accompanied the congregation until the late 19th century. Skirlaugh’s organ was built and installed by Forster and Andrews of Hull in 1902. It’s a small romantic organ with tracker action. In the Romantic period, in 19th century, organs became larger and louder and pneumatically assisted action became the norm to offset the extreme key weight caused by high wind pressures. Our organ was originally hand pumped but later it became electrically operated.
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