The Church
of St Michael and All Angels
Churches with this
dedication often stand on high ground and
some believe it is indicative of an ancient
foundation. The present church was built
around 1130 in the Norman style. Originally
it consisted only of the present nave and a
shorter chancel. Some of the Norman masonry
can be seen on the outside on either side of
the tower. Inside there is a small Norman
window above the arch leading into the
tower.
In the 14th century the
church was lengthened to its present size
and the walls were raised to their present
height. Chapels were built on the north and
south sides of the old chancel and the
chancel was lengthened to its present form.
The north aisle was added in the 15th
century and the south aisle a little later.
The lower part of the tower is 14th century
work, the upper 15th and the spire of a
later date.
A rare feature of the
interior is the absence of a structural
division between the nave and the chancel.
The two were originally separated by a large
rood loft reached by a spiral staircase on
the south side. The 14th century painted
panels depicting the life of Christ may have
formed part of the rood screen. The 16th
century choir seats came from Lichfield
Cathedral.
The most significant
monument in the church is the Cotton tomb,
which dates from the reign of Henry VIII.
The Cottons were lords of the manor from
1375 to 1517. In the south aisle and outside
in the churchyard there are monuments to the
Stronginthearm family. They were yeoman
farmers, unusual in having their own coat of
arms, which appropriately shows strong arms
uplifting swords.
There is very old stained
glass, some of it 14th century, in the south
chapel which is dedicated to St Cecilia.
This includes coats of arms of the de
Ridware, Cotton, Fitzherbert and Leigh
families; a depiction of Dame Alice Cotton
and a female saint with crozier - possibly
St Werburga. Nine of the 12 apostles are
represented in beautiful stained glass in
the north aisle. St John is depicted holding
a chalice with a serpent coiled within it.
In the south aisle, just
inside the door, is a photograph of the
Hamstall Ridware chalice and paten. These
rare objects, designed to hold the wine and
bread at Communion, were made around 1350
and were discovered in 1817 by a farmer,
William Jaggard, who was digging a ditch.
They were securely wrapped and had been
buried on an old road near the manor. It is
possible that they were buried to save them,
either at the Reformation or at the time of
the Civil War. The small cup (less than five
inches high) and the plate (less than five
inches across) are made of silver and gilt.
The paten has in the centre a hand raised in
benediction. Very little church silver from
this period survives and these beautiful
items are extremely rare. Upon their
discovery, Mr Jaggard, who was the tenant
farmer at Hamstall Hall, gave them to the
lord of the manor, Lord Leigh. He had them
restored and returned to the parish, where
they were used at Christmas and Easter, but
they were eventually removed to the Victoria
and Albert Museum. They are now on display
at St Mary’s Heritage Centre, Lichfield.
Other evidence of medieval
religious life in Hamstall Ridware comes
from the Ridware Chartulary. This document
consists of 68 folios of parchment, which
are filled on both sides with handwriting of
the early part of the 14th century and bound
into one quarto volume. It was compiled by
Thomas de Ridware and was probably inscribed
by a monk of Merivale. It records that
William de Rydeware and his son William le
Sage gave two virgates of land in Nethertown
to two hermits of Hamstall Wood in exchange
for land where they could build a house and
live. This transaction took place in the
late 12th or early 13th century.
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