St Michael & All Angels is a Grade I listed church whose story stretches back nearly a thousand years. Parts of the building date from the twelfth century, but the church you see today reflects many different periods of change: Norman stonework, medieval expansion, seventeenth-century repairs, Victorian alterations and modern conservation work. Through all of that, it has remained at the heart of village life: a place of worship, memory and community.

Before the Norman Church

The story of worship at Kniveton almost certainly begins before the building you see today. Look carefully at the stone lintels in the doorway and near the south window and you can still see traces of carved Saxon crosses. These are believed to be reused grave markers, built into the church when the Normans constructed the present building. Someone’s memorial became part of the fabric of the new church, carrying the memory of an older place of worship into a new age.

Close by lies Wigber Low, a Bronze Age burial mound that was reused in Roman and Anglo-Saxon times. Ancient places like this often remained important for centuries, and it is likely that a simple timber church, or perhaps just a stone cross, stood here before the present building was constructed.

The ancient yew tree in the churchyard, thought to be up to a thousand years old, may well have stood beside that earlier place of worship. It remains one of the oldest living witnesses to Kniveton’s long history.

The Norman Church (12th Century)

After the Norman Conquest, churches across England began to be rebuilt in stone. At Kniveton, the most striking survival from this period is the south doorway. Its rounded arch, simple proportions and solid stonework are unmistakably Norman. A carved head sits at the centre of the arch, while rough corbel carvings survive at either end.

Inside the church, set into the south wall, is a small circular stone carved with a simple crucifix. It was rediscovered during nineteenth-century alterations and may also date from the Norman period. Though worn and rough in appearance, it is one of the oldest devotional objects in the church.

Kniveton appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as “Cheniveton”. By the twelfth century the church was connected to the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield, a relationship that continued for centuries. Some early records suggest that the church may originally have been dedicated to St John the Baptist rather than St Michael.

Read more about the Norman doorway and crucifix roundel on the Artefacts page.

The Medieval Church (13th – 15th Centuries)

The thirteenth century saw the church expand into something much closer to the building we know today. The west tower was added, together with a short spire, and the nave and chancel were enlarged. Much of the basic plan of the church still reflects this medieval rebuilding.

The font almost certainly dates from this period too. Its circular bowl stands on a cluster of eight columns and is decorated with carved detail around the rim. Although it bears the date 1663, that appears to record later restoration work rather than the date when it was first made. The font is still used for baptisms today, linking each new generation with all those baptised here before.

Fragments of medieval stained glass survive in the south chancel window. These include the coat of arms of the Kniveton family, who took their name from the village and became some of the most important local landowners in the area. Other surviving fragments appear to come from a much larger medieval Crucifixion scene that once filled the east window.

By the late Middle Ages, the church had become both a place of worship and a symbol of the status of the Kniveton family, whose influence can still be seen in the glass, monuments and furnishings that survive today.

The Kniveton Family

The family whose name the village carries were among the most important landowners in Derbyshire for several centuries. Beginning as local landholders in the early medieval period, the Knivetons rose to become patrons, benefactors and prominent figures in county life.

Their story is closely tied to the church. Their heraldic glass survives in the south chancel window, while gifts of plate and other memorials reflect their long connection with the building. During the Civil War the family supported the Royalist cause and suffered financially as a result.

Although the family eventually disappeared from Kniveton itself, traces of their presence remain throughout the church. Their name, their arms and the objects they gave continue to link the building to the family that shaped so much of the village’s history.

Read the full story on the Kniveton Family page.

Reformation, Civil War and the 17th Century

The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries brought major changes to churches across England, and Kniveton was no exception. In 1549 the rectory and its lands were leased to Thomas Gell, reflecting wider changes in church ownership and administration following the Reformation.

Despite the upheavals of the period, parish life continued. Registers survive from 1592 and record baptisms, marriages and burials through years of political and religious change.

The date 1663 carved on the font probably marks a time when the church was repaired or reordered after the Civil War period. Rev. W. M. Heather, writing in The Reliquary in 1884, recorded that locally it was believed that the bowl once carried a fuller inscription: “Mr Thomas Gaunt replaced this font, 1663”, though everything except the date had been chiselled away by the time Heather saw it.

Thomas Gaunt, whose birth and burial are recorded in the parish registers, also gave the church its second bell in 1665. He appears to have been a significant benefactor during the church restoration after the disruptions of the Civil War.

Victorian Restoration

Like many English churches, St Michael’s was altered significantly during the Victorian period. In 1842 the interior was reordered and new pews were added. The carved poppy-head pews that remain in the church today date from this period. A gallery was also built at the west end of the church. Originally it was reached by an external staircase and doorway, traces of which can still be seen on the west wall.

It was during this nineteenth-century work that the small crucifix roundel was rediscovered and built into the wall for protection. The medieval stained glass was also rearranged, probably at the same time. By the 1870s, antiquarians such as J. Charles Cox and Rev. W. M. Heather were recording the church and helping preserve knowledge of its earlier history.

Much of what visitors see today, from the pews to the gallery and several of the windows, reflects these Victorian changes layered onto a medieval church.

The 1907 Restoration

By the early twentieth century the church needed more substantial repairs. In January 1907 a public meeting was held to discuss the future of the building. Despite deep snow, parishioners attended in large numbers and agreed that the church should be restored.

The work that followed included roof repairs, new floors, repairs to the tower and bells, and the addition of the vestry. The gallery entrance was moved inside the church, giving the building a more coherent appearance. The two medieval bells were recast by John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough, with their original inscriptions preserved.

The restoration was carried out with unusual care for its time. The vicar, Rev. T. S. Hatfield, said that the church should be restored on the principle of “not touching any stone that could safely remain in its place.” That approach still guides the care of the building today.

The Church Today

Today St Michael and All Angels remains an active parish church and an important part of village life. Regular services continue, while visitors come to enjoy the church’s history, architecture and peaceful setting.

Recent conservation work has repaired important stonework in the chancel and windows, helping to secure the future of the building. At the same time, the churchyard has been developed as a space for wildlife, reflection and community use, with new planting, paths and seating.

After nearly nine centuries, the church remains what it has always been: a place shaped by the people of Kniveton and cared for so that future generations can continue to use and enjoy it.

Sources and Further Reading

The history of this church has been pieced together from several important sources. J. Charles Cox’s Notes on the Churches of Derbyshire (Vol. II, 1877) provides the earliest detailed description of the building and its artefacts. Rev. W. M. Heather’s article “Kniveton Church, Co. Derby, and the Kniveton Family,” published in The Reliquary (Vol. XXV, July 1884), adds considerable detail on the family history and offers a vivid picture of the village. Reports from the 1907 restoration appeared in the Ashbourne Telegraph, and quinquennial inspection reports, the John Taylor Bellfoundry archive, and local research – especially the work of J. Hartle and Jane Methuen (2009) – have all contributed to our understanding of the building.