Skidby, East Yorkshire, UK

Skidby's 'St Michael's Church' is situated on Main Street, at approximately the middle of the village.

Originally built in 1227AD by Walter De Gray, 17th Archbishop of York, it is built from a combination of  ashlar, brick and rubble.

The churchyard was closed for burials in 1898, although in 1975 an area to the east of the porch was allocated for the interment of ashes after cremation.

The present day vicar is Rev Angela Bailey

Cemetery

The porch (below)
was added in 1777

The porch bears the date 1777 (now
eroded as are church wardens names,
J. Fisher & J. Harker).

St Michael's History

In 1227 'land for a building' was provided by Walter De Gray, 17th Archbishop of York, from 1215-1255.

The earliest recorded evidence of the building and its contents was in 1552. It is built of ashlar, rubble and brick and has a chancel and nave with a south porch and west tower. The plain ashlar base on the tower may well date back to the 12th or 13th century, but it has no datable features. The chancel was rebuilt in the early 14th century and there is a window of similar date in the south wall of the nave. The nave and bell tower were consumed by fire in 1424 and the brick tower was erected in 1827 on its original base. The original north wall doorway although bricked up can still be seen from the outside of the church. There are four memorial tablets inside the Church, one on the wall and three on the floor.

Inside the church there are two piscinae (which is unusual) together with a low side window through which one can easily see into the chancel from the churchyard. Internal restoration work was carried out in 1855. The organ is believed to have been a gift although an exact date is not known. It was re-sited within the Church in 1975. Mr Alec Hardey presented the stained glass window in the western window of the north wall, in memory of his wife Gladys.

For much of its life the church in Skidby was under the control of the vicars and sectors of Cottingham. The parish of Skidby was made into a separate entity in 1857, the first vicar of the new parish being the Reverend H. W. Sanders MA. Much work and fund raising had been done by the Reverend Charles Overton, vicar of Cottingham 1841-1849 to create the new parish.

 

Skidby, War Memorial transcription:

SKIDBY WAR MEMORIAL
ERECTED BY
PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION
IN HONOUR OF THOSE WHO
SERVED THEIR KING & EMPIRE
IN THE GREAT WAR
1914-1918
KILLED IN ACTION

PTE.R.W.CHARLTON, 12th E.YORKsR.
PTE.H.GRANTHAM. 23rd M,F,
PTE.G.B.HARBY. 13th EYORKsR
CORPl.W.H.HOYLES, 2nd LINCsR.
LCE.Cpl.T.N.INGRAM. ?th E.YORKsR.
PTE.T.A.STAMP. 16th C??. C??.
PTE.L.T.THACKERY 1ST C???C??.

WORLD WAR
1939-1945

KILLED IN ACTION
CPL. G.DALE Y.K.L.G.
ORD. SEAMAN R.S.?URS?Y. R.N.
SGT. I.T.WELBURN. E.Y.R.



The Skidby War Memorial is situated in the grounds of St Michael's Church, where it was placed in remembrance of the bravery of the men who 'fought for King & Empire' during the First World War (1914-1918) & second world war (1939-1945). This section contains a transcription of the carvings found on the monument.
 

TOGETHER WITH FOURTEEN OTHERS.