St. Stephen’s - Our Connection with History
There are hundreds of churches, of all denominations, around the world named after St. Stephen. More than twenty are in England and several more in Scotland and Wales.
Some are in unlikely places like Iran, Sri Lanka, and India.
Some are in unlikely places like Iran, Sri Lanka, and India.
Iran
Sri Lanka
India
One such church is in St. Albans, a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, and its oldest town, located just 20 miles north of the center of London, off the M1.
It lies beside the site of a Catuvellauni settlement (20 B.C.) and the Roman town of Verulamium on the River Ver. Before the 20th century, St Albans was a rural market town, a Christian pilgrimage site, and the first coaching stop of the route to and from London. Victorian St Albans was small and had little industry. The railway arrived relatively late, in 1858. In 1877, in response to a public petition, Queen Victoria issued the second royal charter, which granted city status to the borough and Cathedral status to the former Abbey Church. The new diocese was established in the same year, in the main from parts of the large Diocese of Rochester. In the inter-war years it became a center for the electronics industry and in the post-World War II years, it expanded rapidly as part of the post-War redistribution of the population out of Greater London. It is now a popular tourist destination.
St Albans has a thriving cultural life, with regular concerts and theatre productions including the annual prestigious international organ competition and festival at The Abby Cathedral.
The city of St. Albans derives its name from the 3rd century saint. Alban was a pagan living at the Roman settlement of Verulamium at a time of Roman persecution of Christians. He gave shelter to a Christian priest trying to escape his persecutors. Alban watched his devotion to his rhythm of prayer and vigils, and after a while he was so touched by the grace of God that he began to follow the priest’s example. The priest gradually instructed him concerning salvation, and eventually Alban turned away from the darkness of idolatry and sincerely accepted Christ.
After the priest had been with Alban for some time, the civil power in Verulamium came to know that he was in hiding there, and ordered his soldiers to search carefully for him. Alban dressed in the priest’s long cloak and surrendered himself, allowing the priest to escape to safety.
The judge was furious that he had presumed to turn to Christ and had exchanged places with the priest, threatening him with severe torture and ordered him to be flogged, tortured and finally executed by beheading.
Alban was led out to a hill above Verulamium, where he was put to death, becoming the first English martyr. St. Alban’s Abbey was later founded near this site and the city was renamed ‘St. Alban’s’ in the saint’s honor. The date of Alban’s execution has never been firmly established, and a range of years from 209 to 313 has been suggested.
In approximately AD948 three parishes where establish and churches were built in each. One of the three stone churches, just 34’ w by 38’ l was built about ¾ of a mile south-west of St. Albans Abby. That church, though modestly enlarge is mostly medieval and is still today an active, lively and friendly place of worship. It is named St Stephen’s and is our heritage church.
It even looks remarkably similar to our St. Stephen’s.
For more than 1,000 years St. Stephen’s church has served the Christian community.
A History St Stephen, Hertfordshire, England
According to the thirteenth century monk and chronicler Matthew Paris, the parishes of St. Michael, St. Peter and St. Stephen were created at the behest of Ulsinus, the sixth abbot of St. Albans Abbey in AD948. The abbot also directed that a church be built in each parish. The precise date for Ulsinus’s rule is not known, though a mid-tenth century date is widely accepted. However, sufficient physical evidence remains ‘locked-into’ the structure of the church to confirm a late Anglo-Saxon dates in the tenth century.
Tenth Century
The Anglo-Saxon building was approximately 34 feet wide by 38 feet long and was probably divided into two interconnected rooms. The larger of the two rooms acted as the nave and the other the chancel. Consistent with other Anglo-Saxon churches, it is unlikely there would have been a tower. It is from this simple building that the present day structure has developed over ten centuries of adaptation and alteration.
Twelfth Century
About 50 years after the Norman conquest of 1066, the church was enlarged during the abbacy of Richard de Albini. The new building was consecrated by Gilbert, Bishop of Limerick. From documentary evidence it would appear that a north aisle was added about 1170 whilst Robert de Gorham was abbot. The new structure was dedicated by Ralph, Bishop of Durham. However excavations carried out in the 1960s failed to find any physical evidence of its existence.
Thirteenth Century
The Lady Chapel was constructed in 1220 during the rule of abbot William of Trumpington. Shortly afterwards a south aisle was added.
Fourteenth Century
In 1320 the two eastern bays of the south aisle were remodeled in the ‘decorated’ style.
Fifteenth Century
During the middle of the fifteenth century many works took place. A belfry was formed over the western bay of the south arcade. The heights of the walls of the nave were increased and windows inserted at high level to allow more light to penetrate the interior of the church. This window feature is known as a clerestory. The chancel was enlarged and the wooden framework of the chancel arch dates from this time.
Nineteenth Century
By 1840 the church was in an advanced state of disrepair and a parish vestry meeting (a group of people responsible for the governance of parish matters) voted that St. Stephen’s be demolished. It was resolved that a new church be built “in a more populous part of the parish using the materials of the old church. The following month the decision to demolish St. Stephen’s was reversed and agreement was reached to build a ‘chapel of ease’ at Park Street. This was completed in 1842 using new materials, financed primarily by public subscription. In 1859 the parish boundaries were redrawn and the chapel of ease was rededicated as the Holy Trinity Church of Frogmore.
Twentieth Century
At the beginning of the 1960s the wall between chancel and Lady Chapel was removed and replaced by a square-headed arch. In the course of this work a mediaeval squint was destroyed along with some of the decorative work undertaken in 1860.
At the beginning of the 1960s the wall between chancel and Lady Chapel was removed and replaced by a square-headed arch. In the course of this work a mediaeval squint was destroyed along with some of the decorative work undertaken in 1860.
In 1989 work began on building the parish centre to the north of the church. Access to the centre was made by inserting a door in the ‘blocked’ Norman arch and opening to an enclosed link corridor connecting the two buildings. The centre was dedicated on September 2 , 1991 by the Bishop of St. Albans, The Right Reverend John Taylor MA. In 1992 the centre received a St. Albans Civic Society Award for its sympathetic design.
St. Stephen’s bells
The first written mention of St. Stephen’s bells was in 1300 when, as the Abbey chronicler Thomas Walsingham relates, Robert of Winchelsea, the Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote to the Abbot saying that he wanted to visit St Albans and stay in the Abbey. The Archbishop expected that St. Stephen’s bells would be rung to mark his arrival on the outskirts of St. Albans. As they were not, he placed St. Stephen’s under an interdict. The Abbot said that St. Stephen’s was under his jurisdiction and the Archbishop had no authority over it so the interdict was ignored and people at St. Stephen’s carried on ‘ringing, celebrating and doing everything that they should’.
Up to the beginning of the nineteenth century, the church had just four bells
In 1803, the bells were recast into a ring of six by Thomas Mears of Whitechapel at a cost of £145-12-5 plus £3-2-6 for taking the old bells to London and the same amount for bringing the new bells back. This was paid for out of the rates. In 1892, they were made into a heavier ring, by adding a
new tenor bell and recasting the old fourth. This was funded by a bequest and followed advice from Lord Grimthorpe that the tower could accommodate a heavier ring. By 1915, it was apparent that this was not the case. Modifications were made to the frame but they did not solve the problems. When ringing re-started after the second world war, the tower moved considerably and the weathercock on top of the spire went round in circles whenever the bells were rung. As a result, it was decided to recast the bells into the current lighter ring in 1957.
Up to the beginning of the nineteenth century, the church had just four bells
In 1803, the bells were recast into a ring of six by Thomas Mears of Whitechapel at a cost of £145-12-5 plus £3-2-6 for taking the old bells to London and the same amount for bringing the new bells back. This was paid for out of the rates. In 1892, they were made into a heavier ring, by adding a
new tenor bell and recasting the old fourth. This was funded by a bequest and followed advice from Lord Grimthorpe that the tower could accommodate a heavier ring. By 1915, it was apparent that this was not the case. Modifications were made to the frame but they did not solve the problems. When ringing re-started after the second world war, the tower moved considerably and the weathercock on top of the spire went round in circles whenever the bells were rung. As a result, it was decided to recast the bells into the current lighter ring in 1957.
Ringing at St. Stephen’s
Up until the end of the nineteenth century, bells were not rung for services, but local ringers were paid to ring on special occasions. Payment could take the form of cash or beer and was an important supplement to low wages. In the eighteenth century, St. Stephen’s churchwardens’ minute books for 1742 onwards mention payments to the ringers for about five ‘ringing days’ each year at a rate of six shillings and eightpence a day. Later, after the fee had risen, the ringers were paid 10 shillings to ring on August 12 1817 for the Prince Regent’s birthday, a further 10 shillings for November 5 and the same sum on February 2 1818 for the Queen’s birthday.
The practice of ringing for Sunday services did not become firmly established at St. Stephen’s until well into the twentieth century, as it was impeded by concerns about the safety of the tower. After the bells were recast in 1957, a new band was started, and regular ringing restarted. Unfortunately, in 2017 it had to stop there were just not enough people available to ring so for the time being the bells are only rung on special occasions.
A Proud Connection
So there you have it. Not only is there a long history to St Stephen’s here in East Haddam dating back to 1791 but a connection to a church that dates back to medieval times - as well as churches named for St. Stephen around the world.
The remarkable physical similarities to St Stephens in the UK, the field stone construction, the portico,
the three segment stained glass window,
and, traditions surrounding bells and bell ringing is remarkable. Perhaps we should not be surprised given our founder’s immigration heritage and connection to the Church of England.
It is not inconceivable that there isn’t, somewhere in our past, a true, direct connection.
