The History of Charney Bassett

St Peter’s Church is a Grade 1 listed building and its early history in what must have been a tiny church in a remote marshland settlement is sadly undocumented.

It is possible that there was a Christian Community at Charney Bassett as far back as the 7th Century when the church or chapel would have been made of wood, and that today the existing Norman Church was erected on the site of an earlier Saxon church. 

The Norman church which forms the basis of the present building, dates from the early 12th century, maybe within 50 years of the Norman Conquest. The carvings and parts of the south wall of the nave are from that earlier building. The window in the south wall of the chancel dates from the late 13th century. The enigmatic tympanum carved in stone inside the church belongs to the first half of the 12th century. (More details about the tympanum below).

The beautiful house, known as Charney Manor, next to the church was originally built as a grange by Abingdon Abbey. Abingdon Abbey was one of the great Benedictine establishments of Europe until 1538 when it was dissolved by Henry VIII. The Abbey naturally owned the advowson of St Peter’s Church but whether a priest was appointed is unclear. It may have had special status as a private chapel to the Abbey’s bailiff due to its proximity to Charney grange.

In the year 1322 there was a Visitation from the reigning Abbot of Abingdon and possibly the church was improved at this time because the square-headed two-light window in the south wall of the nave is 14th century.

In the 15th century there was a major programme of rebuilding during a period of economic progress in southern England. 

Little was done for the next few hundred years except that sometime during that period the little bellcote with its six stone finials was added.

After the Dissolution, the church lost whatever protection the overlordship of Abingdon Abbey gave it and became a chapelry attached to Longworth, and is thought to have suffered long periods of neglect.

The Vicar of Lyford recorded St Peter’s “re-opening” in 1878.

There is a plaque on the north wall of the nave which records the names of six men of Charney and seven of Lyford who lost their lives in the war of 1914-18. A second plaque records that of David Whiting who lost his life in World War II. The church was damaged by the explosion of a Lancaster Bomber (more details on world wars page).

The church and its bells were restored in the mid 1980s.

THE DESCRIPTION BELOW OF ST PETER’S CHURCH  IS TAKEN FROM KELLY’S DIRECTORY OF BERKSHIRE 1899:

CHARNEY BASSET is a chapelry annexed to this parish, about 3 ½ miles south from Longworth village and 5 ½ north-west from Wantage Road station on the Great Western railway, on the river Ock. The chapel of St. Peter is an ancient edifice of stone of the Norman period, consisting of chancel, nave, north aisle, south porch and a Jacobean double bell-cot of stone containing 2 bells: the east window is Perpendicular; both doorways are Norman, that on the north side having a richly-carved tympanum, representing a robed figure between two grotesque animals, apparently griffins, within a border of addorsed [‘placed back to back’] scroll-work: the south doorway has a kind of cusped border, supporting rudely-carved heads, all within a cable moulding: the chancel arch is also Norman: the nave has a Perpendicular roof of low pitch and Transition Decorated windows: the font is plain Early English and there is a Perpendicular wooden pulpit: there are 100 sittings. The registers of this chapel have entries of baptisms and burials from 1700 to 1812; and of marriages from 1754 to 1811, previous to which entries were made in the Longworth registers. The area is 1,200 acres; rateable value is £999; the population in 1891 was 202.

Longworth Parish Magazine, June 1908. Charney:-

We are again indebted to the generosity of two parishioners: to Mr Kerridge for a taper-holder and candle-extinguisher, and to Miss Atkinson for the carved hymn-board now hanging in the church.

The following are extracts from the Newbury and District Field Club [Founded in 1870 the Field Club is Newbury’s local history society with additional interests in all aspects of the Newbury district’s natural history, geology etc.]

Volume 9/2-4, between 48 and 49 [Pub : 1948-1950]

LIST OF CURATES SIGNING BISHOP’S TRANSCRIPT

Berkshire Records office Ref D/P83B/5/1. This is the account book of the church from 1765 until 1945 ‘no accounts for 1940,41,42,43,44 JW Cole‘. A memorandum on the final page reads: ‘Large window in south wall badly damaged and several panes of glass broken in other windows by the explosion of one of our Lancaster bombers which crashed with a full bomb load south of Lyford Church at 2.15AM April 8th (Sunday). Many windows blown out and ceilings brought down in the village‘. This is the last entry in the book and comes under a heading of 1945. On the same page, above, in payments is given ‘Repairs, renewing lintel of large window in south wall. 26 pounds‘, it is not clear whether or not this relates to the explosion damage.