Last Updated On: 31/08/2010
St Peter And St Pauls Church
Minnis Lane
River
Dover
01304-821831
During the 16th Century the Parish was greatly affected by the Reformation. St. Radigunds Abbey was dissolved in 1538 and with this came the departure of the monks who maintained a very close association with the Church and the life of the village for over 300 years. The Abbey property, which included parts of the village, passed to the Crown and was either sold or given to private families.
In the 1550s there was a brief return to Roman Catholicism and during Mary's reign there was a brief return to Catholicism. During Mary's reign there are accounts of parishioners being persecuted for taking part in acts of sacrilege. But as traditional Catholicism was gradually swept aside Protestantism became firmly established, and in fact many clergy became increasingly ultra-puritan in their beliefs and teaching. The following extracts record this trend: -
1608 Nicholas Lingham and his son went hunting with his dog on Sunday to the offence of well disposed. Nicholas Hobday did travel with his wagon during the hours of Divine Service to the Offence of well and godly disposed people.
1638 The vicar, Patrick Brown, broke down the Altar because it held cavities containing the relics of the saints. He was also reported to have taken the Rood screen and destroyed the Stoup of the Holy Water near the door.
There is evidence too that, following the Reformation, the church fell into an increasingly poor state of repair. Records of 1572 state the Church became "very ruinous", even the seats and pews would, in a short time, mould and fall to pieces. The fabric of the building gave the parishioners much cause for concern, particularly the chancel roof "when it raineth"! In 1596 records refer to the churchyard being unfenced and the church being unglazed, with its Bible torn and rent. In 1607/8 a request was made for a collection of various services to be allocated to the churchwardens for repairing the decaying steeple and recasting a cracked bell. Between 1661 and 1678 records indicate that the Church had deteriorated to such a degree that it had partially fallen down and was no longer fit for Divine Services. This was the culmination of years of neglect possibly aggravated by the plague of 1665 when it is believed as many as 900 people died in Dover. However the Stuart Royal Coat of Arms over the north door would indicate that the repair of the church was completed by 1688.