St. James. Wigmore
St. James. Wigmore
was founded as a collegiate church by the powerful Mortimer family. It lies on the site of
an earlier Saxon building. The building has a very early Norman nave. Herringbone
masonry is visible on the outside of the north wall.
The church stands above the village, and with the ruined castle, dominates the village and
surroundings of Wigmore. The churchyard cross is much restored. It stands on a 14th
century base, with an ogee-headed niche. This feature is found in a number of churches
along The Marches.
More rare inside is a piscina high on the south wall by the chancel arch. This is a legacy of
the original rood screen which, unusually, had an altar on it.
Since 2007 , work on the roof and the internal walls exposed some more Saxon
Herringbone brickwork. Sections of this brickwork has been left exposed for viewing. It is
dated around 1050.
The Weather Cock was restored and re-guilded for the millenium and the clock
mechanism has also undergone restoration.
Reverend Alexander Cloggie Vicar of St. James Wigmore (1614- 1698),
tells it in his book Vox corvi of an incident where a young boy believes
that he has been told by a raven to read the passage from Colossians
chapter 3 verse 15.
This image was taken on Christmas Day 2011
PARISH of WIGMORE ABBEY