Purton's Church - an Echo of Malmesbury Abbey?
Purton is one of the settlements along the North Wessex Way, sitting on the high ground overlooking the upper Thames valley, roughly half way between Malmesbury and Highworth.
When researching Purton, I came across mention that Purton Church is one of only three in England that has both a west tower and spire. However, no-one seemed to know why. Perhaps the reason lies deep in the history of the village?
If you go back to the early mediaeval period, in the late 600s AD, 35 hides of land in Purton was granted to Aldhelm, the first Abbott of Malmesbury Abbey by King Cedwella of Wessex.
For the next one hundred years or so, Purton remained in the hands of Malmesbury Abbey until it was seized by King Offa of Mercia, likely in the early 780s as he started to encroach on the Kingdom of Wessex to the south of the River Thames. King Offa died in 796AD and was succeeded by his son Ecgfrith. Ecgfrith’s sister was married of Beorhtric, King of Wessex. He persuaded Ecgfrith to return Purton to Malmesbury Abbey. This wasn’t an altogether altruistic act on behalf of Ecgfrith; he demanded that the Abbey pay a sum of two thousand shillings of pure silver in exchange for the land.
At the time, this must have been quite a pressing diplomatic issue between the Kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia because King Ecgfrith’s reign only lasted one hundred and forty one days, and by December 796 he had died, possibly assassinated.
And so, for the next seven hundred and forty two years up until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in King Henry VIII’s reign, the land and Manor of Purton was owned and managed by the Abbot and monks of Malmesbury Abbey. Purton was the largest of the Abbey’s land holdings and there would have been monks living in the village, possibly where Purton House now stands, adjacent to the church. Purton would also have become a stopping off place for travellers between Oxford and Malmesbury.
There was undoubtably an early church in Purton of which nothing remains. The earliest part of the current church building dates back to the 1200s with further renovations and additions over the next two centuries. As the Patrons of the church, the Abbot and monks of Malmesbury Abbey would have been responsible for approving the architectural designs for the building works at Purton Church. Did they decide to build it to reflect Malmesbury Abbey?
At that time, Malmesbury Abbey was an even more impressive building than we see today. Not only did it have a west tower, but it also had a spire that was reputed to be even higher than that of Salisbury Cathedral. It would have been a truly impressive sight and visible on the skyline for miles around. The spire collapsed in a storm in 1500 and was never rebuilt; but could it have been this inspiration for the monks in the 13th and 14th centuries as they worked on the designs for Purton Church?
Today the spire of Purton Church appears to be very strong and has survived much longer than its much larger relative eleven miles to the west. Standing below the spire, you can look up and see that it is built from solid stone and will hopefully be around for several centuries more.
So next time you pass Purton Church, stop and wonder for a moment – imagine it five times the size and you will start to get a sense of how magnificent Malmesbury Abbey would have been in its heyday.