SCA Lecture: Chiz Harward - Holy Trinity, Minchinhampton

'Your Church Newly Built' excavation and research at Holy Trinity Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire. The church of the Holy Trinity in the small Cotswold town of Minchinhampton traces its origins back to Domesday, but much of the medieval church was destroyed during a major rebuilding in 1842. A recent reordering led to extensive archaeological fieldwork and sparked extensive research into the development of the church, bringing together the standing remains, the archaeological excavations and a remarkable set of documentary sources which includes churchwardens’ accounts, eyewitness records, and contemporary illustrations and plans of the church. There are tantalising glimpses of the Norman church and Early English alterations, followed by a major rebuilding in the early 14th century including the remarkable south transept, whilst the events leading up to the 1842 rebuilding tell a fascinating story of patronage and community. The story of the church is not just one of architecture, but also of people, practices and the changing church and society. The results are now publushed as a book.