| Date |
Event Related to St Lawrence Church |
| c.120-400 |
Romans in Towcester. A public building was erected and maintained on the site of St.Lawrence's. |
| c.700-800 |
During the 8th century Watling Street became the frontier between the Kingdom of Wessex and Danelaw. |
| 917 |
Alfred the Great's son, King Edward, fortified the town and it seems possible that a Saxon church may have been established. |
| 1170-1200 |
A late Norman `Transitional' church laid and is the basis of the plan of the present church |
| c.1210 |
Embellishment work of the `Early English' Gothic style. |
| 1300 |
1300-1360. Extensions and embellishments in `Decorated' style. |
| 1422 |
Archdeacon Sponne becomes rector of Towcester. |
| 1448 |
Archdeacon Sponne died. His will stated that at his funeral 13 poor men were to carry 13 torches and wear white gowns with a hood. Also that the poor were to be fed and 1000 Masses were to be said for his soul [Baker p. 334] |
| c.1470 |
Edward IV gave forty square feet of stone from his quarry at Handley in the forest of Whittlebury for building and repairing the steeple, church and churchyard at Towcester. [Baker p. 328]. |
| 1480-1485 |
Major 'Perpendicular' style tower constructed in brown ironstone. |
| 1483 |
Richard III confirmed grant by Edward IV for stone for church. |
| 1538 |
Thomas Cromwell ordered that an English Bible should be set up in every parish church. |
| 1548 |
Rood dismantled. |
| 1561 |
The church register dates from the year 1561. |
| 1614 |
Date in roof, north aisle. |
| 1626 |
James Keene of Woodstock supplied a set of five bells for tower. |
| 1627 |
Gallery erected at West end of nave by Henry Newby, a citizen of London and native of Towcester. [Whellan 1874] |
| 1640 |
Chancel re -roofed by Sir Robert Banastre of Passenham. |
| 1714 |
Nave re-roofed. |
| 1726 |
William Henchman contributed a sixth bell. |
| 1727 |
Churchwardens accounts - six pence given to a woman and six children to leave the town. |
| 1755 |
25th March - Rt Hon Earl of Pomfret gave a large bason & ewer double gilt for use of the church. |
| 1774 |
5th April - £20 11s 6p paid for chandelier for church. [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1776 |
9th October - making and putting up weathercock.[Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1781 |
Church paved. [Ref 1] |
| 1784 |
26th September - Painting and gilding weather cock £1 13s 0p [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1786 |
16th October - For writing inscription on board of Richard Hicks, benefactor, and fitting in church £3 12s 4p [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1790 |
5th August - Paid William Inns for a desk in church and stairs to the desk and pulpit in best Norwegian Oak [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1795 |
Whelan in his 1874 Directory of Northamptonshire records two side galleries added [Ref 2] |
| 1795 |
8th June - Paid William Inns for erecting and furnishing a gallery in the North Aisle of the church £21 4s 0p [Ref 1] |
| 1795 |
26th October - Gallery South Aisle £19 16s 11 and half a pence. [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1798 |
Church white washed [Ref 1] |
| 1798 |
3rd September Window glass and lattice in belfry door. 8s 0p [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1799 |
24th August - 2 chandeliers £10 10s [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1807 |
New bellframe installed at a cost of £70. |
| 1823 |
The tenor bell cracked and was recast by Taylors of Oxford. [TDLHS, Ref 3] |
| 1817 |
The Rt. Hon. George Earl of Pomfret gave the organ. |
| 1826 |
26th October - `At a meeting it was resolved that the front seat of the South Gallery ought to be, and was agreed, for the sole use of Samuel Wood and his family. Being the present tenant of one of the houses belonging to this charity' [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1836 |
21st October - Clock bill £60 0s 0p. Beer for men erecting scaffolding for clock 2 shillings. [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1836 |
The chancel of St Lawrence Church was lowered to the same level as the nave and seating provided. [Towcester burials register Ref 7.] |
| 1836 |
Church repaired and restored by E.F Law in 1835-36. [Whellan, Ref 2] |
| 1836 |
Archdeacon Sponne's grave was broken into. His skeleton lay perfect and then fell into dust. [Towcester burials register Ref 7.] |
| 1837 |
Lead relaid on chancel roof. High box pews introduced. |
| 1837 |
23rd November - Cost of lighting church 2 shillings and six pence per sitting. [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1847 |
Restoring clerestory windows and other works £100 [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1848 |
17th January - Mr. E. F. Law the architect employed in the restoration of the church window paid £9 0s 0p [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1872 |
The new chancel arch was inserted, there being none before. [Towcester burials register Ref 7.]. Lead re-laid on chancel roof. Chancel walls stripped of their whitewash and mortar. |
| 1872 |
High box pews from the chancel were removed and open oak benches arranged stall-wise instead. The choir was brought from the west gallery into the upper chancel. New chancel tiles. |
| 1882 |
Under-floor heating ducts installed. |
| 1883 |
Sponne monument decapitated and wooden hands and feet from Sponne tomb removed. |
| 1885 |
1st April - Bill for rebinding and restoring the Bible £10 10s 0p [Hicks, Ref 1] |
| 1885 |
The church cemetery was closed [Kellys, Ref 4] |
| 1886 |
New public cemetery opened on Brackley Road. [Kellys, Ref 5] |
| 1897 |
Weather vane on church tower richly gilded. |
| 1898 |
New East window erected, by public subscription, to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. |
| 1903 |
Chimes were added to the clock which strikes the hours and chimes the quarter hours. The cost was met by the Hicks Charity and public subscription. |
| 1906 |
In 1906, the vaulted crypt under the eastern part of the chancel was completely restored by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. |
| 1935 |
The cracked treble bell was recast and the frame strengthened by Mears and Stainbank of Whitechapel [TDLHS, Ref 3] |
| 1938 |
Restoration of Sponne Chapel. |
| 1955 |
The tower and vestry roofs were restored in 1955-56. |
| 1957 |
The nave roof was rebuilt by G.Forsyth Lawson. It has heavy tie-beams whose ends are masked by feathery decorations carved like wings to conceal lighting. |
| 1961 |
Roof of north nave aisle renewed with oak beams and purlins and chestnut boarding. |
| 1971 |
South aisle roof and nave floors renewed. |
| 1975 |
South porch and roof renewed. |
| 1978 |
Organ from the redundant church of St Edmund in Northampton was installed. |
| 1976 |
Repairs after fire in Vestry |
| 1981 |
Crypt ventilation. |
| 1982 |
Automatic winding mechanism installed in church clock. |
| 1983 |
Ironwork to rood stairs, vestry, glass doors, alter crosses and candlesticks. |
| 1984 |
Renewal of floors in north and south aisles. |
| 1987 |
Restoration of tower windows, south aisle and chancel external repairs. |
| 1990 |
Twelve bells installed in the tower. |
