St. Peter's Church, Drayton

St. Peter's Church in Drayton consists of a chancel, nave, north and south aisles, and a western tower. It is mainly of 14th-century date, but the plain font is earlier. The nave is separated from the aisles by arcades of 3 arches and is surmounted by a contemporary clerestory. One of the nave pillars has a capital carved with sculptured busts of knights with interlaced arms which are similar to those found at Bloxham and elsewhere in north Oxfordshire. The south aisle has a piscina and sedilia.

No major alteration to the main structure was recorded before the early 19th century. A gallery, paid for by subscription, was erected in 1738, the church was ordered to be whitewashed in 1755, and in 1773 communion rails were set up at the rector's expense. The tower, being in a ruinous condition and beyond repair, was pulled down and rebuilt in 1808 on a smaller scale. Its low roof can be seen in Buckler's drawing of 1820. 

By the early 19th century the fabric generally was much in need of attention: in 1813 the chancel was reported out of repair and in 1818 the roof. The latter was repaired in 1822 and in 1826 further unspecified repairs were in progress. In 1877 a vestry decided to petition for a faculty for the restoration and enlargement of the building. It was planned to alter the tower and to add a spire, a south and a north porch, and an organ chamber and vestry on the south side of the church. The roof of the nave was renewed, the roofs of the aisles were releaded, and general repairs were carried out. The chancel floor was re-laid and new seats were provided both in the chancel and the church. The architect was Edwin Dolby of Abingdon. The elevation of the new tower shows that it was to have a belfry and stone spire in the Early English style, but this part of the plan was not carried out.

Besides an unidentified medieval tomb (? 13thcentury) in the north aisle, there are two medieval memorials to the Grevilles. The tomb of Lewis Greville (d. 1438) was once in the chancel. The alabaster slab which covered it is now on the belfry floor. It bears the incised figures of Lewis Greville (almost obliterated) and of his wife Margaret and their arms. The tomb of his son and heir William (d. 1440) is in the vestry. There are also memorials to several rectors: Robert Cleaver (d. 1640); Thomas Lodge (d. 1651); Richard Coghlane (d. 1668); Adam Morton (d. 1683); John Dover (d. 1725). Elizabeth Metcalfe (d. 1791), the donor of a charity, is also commemorated. Her ledger stone bears a coat of arms.

The earliest silver is a chalice inscribed 1808. 

The new tower of 1808 was built so that it might contain the present 3 bells: one is dated 1634 and the other two 1670. 

Two sums of £50 each for the upkeep of the churchyard were left by David Robert Smythe in 1920 and Emmanuel and Elizabeth Jones in 1924. The amalgamated stock in 1958 was £126 and the annual income of £5 was less than the average labour cost for the previous five years. 

The registers date from 1577; there is a gap between 1686 and 1721.

Historical information about St. Peter's Church is provided by 'Parishes: Drayton', in A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 9, Bloxham Hundred, ed. Mary D Lobel and Alan Crossley (London, 1969), pp. 103-112. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol9/pp103-112 [accessed 31 January 2023].

St. Peter's Church is a Grade II* listed building. For more information about the listing see CHURCH OF ST PETER, Drayton - 1369591 | Historic England.

For more information about St. Peter's Church see Parishes: Drayton | British History Online (british-history.ac.uk).