Early history of St Peter's church

Building and restoration

Anglo-Saxon times
The very earliest history of St Peter's is, to say the least, obscure. We have no detailed information about the building which stood here before the 15th century. It seems likely, however, that on the site of this present building, there has stood a church of some kind well back into Anglo-Saxon times, but our certain starting date is 1086, the time of the Domesday survey.

The Domesday Book
The first reference to St Peter's Church by name is in the Domesday Book. This suggests that in 1086, the church was well established in the town and of some importance because it is said to have two priests. The first named Rector we know of is Thomas in 1180. St Peter's is the only church in Colchester, apart from Greenstead parish, mentioned in the Domesday document but in references to the town generally, there is mention of seven priests. This indicates the existence of other ancient churches at the time, sharing the offering of the town's worship, one of which would have been Holy Trinity whose Saxon tower is still to be seen. St Peter's was particularly well endowed but later, in 1318, its rich endowments were taken from it by the Priory of St Botolph's, whose Prior became Rector, and since then the incumbent of St Peter's has been a Vicar. Apart from its wealth, St Peter's imposing site on the crown of the hill and the fairly spacious interior of what by then must have been a re-erected church on the site of an older building, must have made it an important church in the life of the town from very early times.

In the 14th Century its appearance was different from that of the modern and several-times restored building, for the mediaeval church had a central tower, as can be seen on mediaeval prints of Colchester, and was probably cruciform in plan.

In the 15th Century alterations were made which widened the building by the addition of the north and south aisles, and at the same time altered what was probably cross-shaped into the present oblong shaped church. Indications of St Peter's place and importance in the 15th and 16th centuries, when the weaving industry had established itself in and around Colchester, may be noted in the memorial inscriptions in stone and brass to be found in the church. The number and interest of the mural brasses are greater here in St Peter's than in any other Colchester church. More detailed reference to these is made on another page.

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