St John the Baptist

St Mary The Virgin, Staverton

Staverton Church can claim to be the high church of the 25 Daventry Deanery parishes on one of the highest points of the Northamptonshire Heights. The 200 or so dwellings and around 500 residents that make up this ancient village lie a couple of miles west of Daventry on the A425, once the Daventry turnpike.

A place of Christian worship has stood on the site of St. Mary’s for well over a thousand years although the name of Staverton’s first vicar does not appear until records began in the year 1220. For hundreds of years before this a burial ground existed on the site, as evidenced by the raised churchyard. The main structure we see today dates mainly from the 14th century, although traces of older architecture still remain, such as a lancet window from the Norman period.

The church houses an abundance of original architectural and historic features and beautiful stained glass windows. The North Porch is used as the main entrance into the church. This dates back 500 years whereas the South Porch is believed to be 100 years older. The original door and roof timbers still remain. In 2018 lead was stolen from the north aisle roof, which has since been repaired with stainless steel and the embossed lead sections recording earlier repairs have been relocated to the Chancel roof.

Bell ringing: the Church if St. Mary the Virgin has a lovely peel of six bells cast in 1938 by John Taylor. Regular bell ringing practice meetings, open to all ages, are held every Thursday evening from 7.45pm until 9.00pm. New ringers – learners or experienced – are always made welcome. Please contact the Vicar for further details.

The church is usually open during the day time and the churchyard is maintained by village volunteers, while inside cleaning and flower arranging follow a monthly rota.

St Mary & St Edmund