St Peter's, Maxey

Maxey is an ancient village, which sits close to King Street, the old Roman road, which ran from Castor and Ailsworth to Ancaster. The earliest part of the existing church date to 1113 but tombstones excavated in the church grounds confirm that there was a church here in Saxon times. In 1013 the church and the village were both burned by Vikings.   In the first quarter of the 12th century, the first stage of the Norman tower was built. It is thought that the same masons who built the magnificent church of St Kyneburgha at Castor were responsible for the building here. Looking at the western wall of the west tower, I can certainly see where that theory has come from. At this time the nave roof was thatched.   The tower was raised in 1140 and shortly after that the clerestory windows were added, which were later to be replaced, and the north and south aisles added. In 1315 the tower was raised again, to its present height. This extra weight caused a crack to appear in the tower and buttressing had to be added to the north west corner of the tower.   There are six bells hanging here. One is dated 1853 and was cast by Mears of London. Two bells wer cast by Thomas Osborne of Downham in Norfolk, with both of these being dated 1800. One of these was subsequently re-cast by Taylor of Loughborough in 1906. The other three were made more locally, each being cast by Thomas Norris of the Stamford Bellfoundry. Each of these are dated 1661, with one being inscribed with the names W King and J Freeman, who would have been the church wardens of the day.

Maxey Cambridgeshire