All Saints Church - 800 Years of History

All Saints' Church was founded in 1180 by Lady Geva Ridel, a very wealthy person. The site is believed to have been occupied by a Saxon church, there is certainly reference to a Saxon Tower but that may have been a lookout point. Just below the church, where the present War Memorial is sited, was a spring and the area was populated in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.

Lady Geva Ridel was the wife of Geoffrey Ridel, one of King Henry I's 'new men'. Geoffrey was part of the King's army of followers fighting in France in 1120 and was drowned when returning from the successful battles in what is known as the White Ship disaster. Many Royalty and Noblemen were drowned when the ship was rowed into rocks in darkness by the drunken crew.

Lady Geva Ridel never re-married but founded Canwell Priory and gave land and funds to build the church which was largely re-built in the 15th century.

A Browse Through the Church Yard

A graveyard can provide a fascinating insight into the social and religious lives of former inhabitants if we can interpret the clues which can still be seen. Dunton was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 and the Christian church was, for centuries, an integral part of a local community. Hundreds of bones lie beneath the ground because then, as now, all residents in the Parish have a right to be buried in the church yard regardless of their religious beliefs. So many burials over hundreds of years and limited ground space, explains the appearance of many churches to have sunk into the surrounding land. In fact the land around the church has been raised by the addition of so much material over the centuries.

Church burial records reveal only names and ages of former parishioners but additional information can be gathered from those gravestones that still exist. The earliest gravestone dated 1671, is small, inscribed ‘Richard Hickson, Gent’ which would in those days have signified wealth and standing in the community.

Swithland slate memorial stone inscriptions can still be clearly read. Many have classical biblical symbols of mortality and resurrection; an urn, an hourglass together with a cross, a tomb and implements associated with the crucifixion. Graves were often clustered in family groups, frequently with a eulogy of the deceased and a biblical quotation.

But information on gravestones also revealed a darker aspect to family life. Parents lost many children through disease and poor sanitation. Women died during child birth and widowers had to seek second and even third wives to bring up their children. Yet, others thrived and lived to a ripe old age, though accidents cut short many young lives. One memorial tells of a tragic event when two men from Leire fell down a well and were killed. The growing popularity of cremations could mean that the churchyard will look very different in years to come.