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Our church was founded in 1866, making it the youngest of three Anglican Churches in Devizes, but it has a colourful and fascinating history. It has been served by a number of talented and enthusiastic Vicars. Our Parish Paper editor, Terry Gaylard, wrote in his 125th Anniversary (1866-1991) A History of the Church and School:
'As you enter the Church, the first impression is of the purpose of the building - designed for worship, to glorify God.
'Its congregation is drawn not only from the parish itself, but from much further afield.
'People seeking sustenance for their spiritual needs have found in St Peter’s a haven of rest, a centre of inspiration and teaching, a place of prayer and re-dedication for their lives. Today at St. Peter's the "worship of God in the beauty of holiness" - as the well known hymn so aptly puts it - is expressed in an atmosphere of devotion, reverence and spirituality.'
In the first 68 years of its history St. Peter's had only three Vicars. The picture below taken from Terry's book is an early postcard of St Peter's with a picture of the third Vicar, Canon Frederick Phipps who held the office from 1901 to 1934,
Resources for Researchers
1. Terry Gaylard's History of St. Peter's
A copy of Terry's book, with a Foreword by a previous Vicar, Father Brian Tigwell, may be purchased in the Church for £3 or borrowed on free loan.
It may also be downloaded in PDF format - click here to download. Note that this PDF file is over 7 Mb in size and the download will tie up your telephone line for some time if you do not have broadband.
2. Wikipedia Article on St. Peter's
The navigation bar on the left above includes a link to the Wikipedia article on St. Peter's. This article includes a brief summary of the Church's history, including the years after 1991, which are not covered in Terry's book.
3. A Famous MP Commemorated in St Peters
2009 was the year when MP's expense frauds came to light and brought Parliament into disrepute. It was also the year when the background was discovered to a window in the Sanctuary of St Peter's dedicated to 'William Ewart Born 1st May 1798 Died 23rd Jan 1869'. It transpired that this William Ewart was an MP living at Broadleas, near Devizes who was accurately described as "of complete integrity" - something difficult to imagine of an MP in 2009. In 38 years in Parliament he carried though a number of reforms that benefited the poor, one of his reforms being commemorated in a special edition of the 50 pence piece in 2000. To read the notes that were compiled as a result of the research into him click here.
