Church of St Lawrence, Hatfield

The Church of St Lawrence is an active Anglican church in the town of Hatfield, in the ceremonial countyArea in England with an appointed Lord Lieutenant to represent the monarch's interest. of South Yorkshire. It is in the Archdeaconry of Doncaster, the Deanery of Snaith and Hatfield, the Diocese of Sheffield, and is a member of the BeneficeOriginally used in feudal societies to describe a grant of land as a reward for services rendered. In modern usage it refers to a collection of parishes working together under a single incumbent. of Saint Lawrence Hatfield.^[1]

According to the Venerable Bede there has been a Christian church on the site since at least 633 AD,^[2] but the oldest parts of the present-day church date from the 12th century. The arcadesSeries of arches carried on piers, columns or pilasters. Also used to denote a covered avenue with shops on one or both sides. were added in the 13th century, and the remainder of the church dates from the 15th century. Alterations were carried out by Thomas Jackson in 1872, and the church was restored by Edwin Dolby in 1882.^[3]

St Lawrence’s was designated a Grade I listed buildingStructure of particular architectural and/or historic interest deserving of special protection. in 1966.^[3]

Architecture

Exterior

The church is built to a cruciform plan, with a 100-foot (30 m) tall central tower bearing the arms of the Savage family, one of whom was Archbishop of York from 1501–1507. It is built of pebble, rubble and ashlarMasonry of squared and finely cut or worked stone, commonly used for the facing of a building. limestone, taken from Roche Abbey in Rotherham. The roofs are of lead and slate.^[2][3]

Interior

The font has a base dating from about 1300; the upper part is 19th century. The stained glass is mostly 19th century, designed by Charles Eamer Kempe, with a Millennium window added to the north transeptPart of a Christian church crossing the area between the nave and the chancel, forming a characteristic cruciform shape. in 2000. There is a dug-out chest made of bog oak, which is thought to date from the 12th century, and originally had ten locks. A suit of 16th-century armour formerly on display in the south chapel is now on long-term loan to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.^[2][3]