St Michael's Church Upton Warren History

Upton Warren Village

This pen and ink drawing was by William Albert Green, born in Birmingham 1907.  He began drawing in his teenage years and concentrated on historic buildings in the Midlands.  His method was to make a pencil sketch on location (travelling by bycycle or public transport) from which he would later trace the outline onto cartridge paper and then complete the drawing using Indian Ink and a fine mapping pen. W A Green moved to Shropshire in 1952 and died in 1983.  Other pictures can be seen by visiting www.ewgreen.org.uk

When was the Church Built?

It is difficult to be precise about exactly when the church was built and over the years it will have changed. It is thought the tower was errected in the 13th century, although the lower windows are later 14th century.  The windows in the remainder of the church with their 'Y' tracery are clearly of a period later than the mediaeval tower.

A note in one of the registers says~

" the Chauncell of Upton-Warren was re-built in year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twenty four by Thomas Cox, Rector".  It cost £23.

Between 1793 and 1798 the nave was taken down and rebuilt; it opened again for Divine Service on April 8th 1798.

The pipe organ was built by Eustace Ingram (b 1839) of London.

Descriptions of the Interior

Bill Gwilliam, in his book "Worcestershire's Hidden Past", tells us some thing about the standard and quality of church music which up until the mid-nineteenth century usually featured three instruments: fiddle, flute and double bass, sometimes helped by a 'serpent' (a wind instrument shaped like a snake); generally the band only knew three or four tunes. He says that Upton Warren church was typical of smaller Worcestershire churches:

''the church was aisleless and in the middle passage, with high pews on each side, led to the chancel arch in which was a fifteen-foot three decker pulpit.  The clerk wore a wig and immense horn spectacles.  He was a shoe maker, dressed in black with a white tie.  In the gallery sat the 'music', but it did not always play, and the clerk would sing the psalms in a majestic tone, all alone.  The melody was likened to the braying of an ass'

The three decker pulpit mentioned by Gwilliam was part of the 1798 rebuild that also included oak ' box pews, 5 sittings at the west with 9 or 10 sittings for farmers at the east.  In 1889 the now old fashioned seating was removed and open pitch pine seats introduced.'

The Font

Is thought to date from around the time of the 1794 rebuild or soon after.  It is well carved with a small octagonal bowl and stem; in Victorian times it had a complex top (complete with flying buttresses - now confined to the gallery), the lid is much simpler now.

Previous Priests

Of the many priests perhaps one of the most famous was The Reverend F J B Hooper, Rector for 52 years until his death aged 78 in 1888.  A numerologist and exponent of symbolism his marble cross, atop 3 granite steps, can be found beside the south wall of the church.  On it facing the path is carved the Christian symbol of a fish and the Latin phrase 'carpe diem' - enjoy the moment. What puzzles many is the crostic on the back of the cross, Vivian Bird provided an explanation.  It seems that Rev. Hooper, in an obscure book,  explained that the middle letter of the Greek word for fish 'has the numerical value of 9, or the square of 3, the number of the Trinity, thus stamping the superlative of the Trinity on the central point of the Cross....18 is the number of the Beast' . He went on to say that since 6 additions on the pedestal (3 down, 2 diagonal and 3 sixes across) add up to 18, he believed that 'the Cross, or the Kingdom of Christ, tramples on the darler pedestal of his advisary the Devil'.  With such logic and the fanaticism to design his own head stone one wonders if his parishioners found the Rev. Hooper's sermons as obscure as the above might suggest!

Previous Priests at St Michael's

1657  Joseph Bennett
1659  John Hill
1801  Joseph Ingram
1806  H Price (Curate)
1834  George Biggs
1836  Rev.F J B Hooper (until his death in 1888)
1882  C R Aldred (Curate)
1886  Edward Gathercole (Curate in Charge)
1889  Rev Wm Philip Vincent
         R M Browne (Curate)
1897  Rev Clement Erskine
1905  Rev Craven Jervis Vincent (Chaplin to Earl of Shrewsbury)
1911  Curate Jonathan Evan(s)
1919  Rev E Clement Prior
1960  Rev F Marks
1971  Rev J R Hunter-Bailey
1979  Rev Harold Goddard
1992  Rev Peter Emmerson
1998  Rev Dennis Wight
2003  Rev Roger Antell