St Peter Mancroft

St Peter Mancroft is a parish church in the Church of England in the centre of Norwich, Norfolk. After the two cathedrals, it is the largest church in Norwich. It was originally established by Ralph de Gael, Earl of East Anglia, in circa 1070. It was later rebuilt, between 1430 and 1455. It stands on a slightly elevated position, next to Norwich Market. St Peter Mancroft is a member of the Greater Churches Group.^{[citation needed]}

St Peter Mancroft is dedicated to Saint Peter; The earliest evidence of a dedication to a prince of the apostles comes from a charter issued by King Henry I (r. 1100–1119), describing it as "the church of St Peter which is in the market". While some historians state that the church had an unofficial dual dedication to Saint Paul, supported by carved stone shields the late Middle Ages over the west door which depict crossed keys for Peter and crossed swords for Paul, this was conventional during this time and is not direct evidence of the church being dedicated to both saints. Wills and inventories of the church do not evidence the presence of imagery or ornaments related to Paul.

References to "St Peter of Mancroft" do not appear until the early 13th century. The toponym 'Mancroft' likely derives from the Old English germane croft meaning 'common field', 'common land', or 'common enclosure', though it is also frequently said to have been derived from the Latin magna crofta meaning 'great field'. Both of these names reference the field which lied to the south of the church; the college known as St Mary-in-the-Field, on which Assembly House now stands, was also named after this field.

Between 1069 and 1075, circa 1070, the church was founded by Ralph de Gael, the powerful Earl of East Anglia, in the first decade of England's Norman rule. This founding took place during a period in which William the Conqueror and the papacy were political allies, prior to attempts by Pope Gregory VII to assert authority in England. The church's positioning was prominent in the marketplace of the French Borough, a new urban quarter built to accommodate the Bretons who came with de Gael to England in 1066. It was positioned such that its building aligned with the street Sadelgate, now known as White Lion Street, with a clear prospect from the foot of Norwich Castle bridge to the east end of the church until the 14th century. Its churchyard is sloping, positioned on the west side of the Great Cockey valley. No foundation-era fabric of the building has yet been discovered, though it likely had a single-vessel nave, a similarly single-vessel chancel, and two transept arms. This was likely later expanded with one or two nave aisles and a north chancel chapel. Its chancel's exterior width was about equal to that of the interior width of the main vessels of the present church at about 23 feet (7.0 m).

In the late 11th century, the church changed hands twice; from Ralph de Gael to William the Conqueror following a failed rebellion by de Gael in 1075, during which time it was administered by the King's deputy and sheriff Roger Bigod and Bigod's priest Wala, and then to Gloucester Abbey in 1086 or 1087 as the abbey was a favoured institution of William, also being dedicated to Saint Peter. It is possible that Wala himself remained a priest at the church, serving on behalf of the abbey. Evidence of a 12th century nave aisle and transept on the south side of the building, in the form of two limestone bases, was discovered in 2018; within a century of its foundation, the church was already a major building in the city. In 1254, a valuation given for a taxation was £8 13s 4d, of which £3 6s 8d went to Gloucester and the remainder went to the incumbent. This evidences that Mancroft was the richest parish church in Norwich at the time. The total valuation rose to £20 13s 4d by 1291 and remained at that level in 1368.

The church's benefice remained under the Abbey until the 1380s when the College of St Mary in the Fields, in Norwich, appropriated it. The College was partially within the parish of St Peter Mancroft, and was gaining an expanded role in Norich's religious and civic life with support from Bishop of Norwich Henry le Despenser. The change also corresponded with a 1380 royal charter which gave more power to the city's baliffs and aldermen. Under the new arrangement, rectorial revenues were appropriated with Gloucester retaining some income, and the church was served by chaplains. During the Late Middle Ages, there was almost certainly a song school at the church, intended to teach reading and writing.

The present building results from a major rebuilding in 1430 on the site of an existing church, and the church was completed and consecrated in 1455. This rebuilding took place when the church was in the wealthiest parish in the city. Historians disagree on the pace of its rebuilding, with Francis Woodman arguing that it took place 'in fits and starts' and Zachary Stuart arguing that a coherent vision from 1440 was carried out and completed around 1465 with few amendments to this original plan.

The church is present on William Cuningham's 1558 map of Norwich, with what is now known as Bethel Street running up to its tower entrance. In about 1568, a bell was gifted to the church by Sir Peter Reade, and this benefaction is noted in a memorial panel of about 1646 which includes a depiction of the bell. John Whitefoot delivered a funeral sermon at the church in honour of Bishop of Norwich Joseph Hall on 30 September 1656, and this was later published in London as Death's Alarum in 1658. In 1766, a survey of Norwich by Samuel King noted that White Swan Lane was the street that ran to the church's entrance, calling into question Cuningham's 1568 map.