Blanche Parry

Early History

This lovely Church of Bacton, overlooking the Golden Valley, is dedicated to Saint Faith. The site is an old one. A Roman fort stood in the meadow below, by the River Dore. The earliest known Christian dedication of this Church was to Saint Foi (or Moi / Tyfoi), a disciple of Bishop Dubricius or Dyfrig, the greatest of Herefordshire's early saints. Reputedly born in nearby Madley, his 6th century preaching circuit included Moccas and Hentland.

Bacton is Old English meaning 'Bacca's enclosed homestead' and the nearby field named Cwm Sayce (tithe no. 22) means the Saxon/English valley. According to the 1086 Domesday Book, Edwy and Alfward were the last Englishmen to hold the area before the 1066 Norman Conquest. Then by 1086 Gilbert held the manor from Roger de Lacy. His motte–and–bailey castle was built ¾ mile north of the Church, which was then in the gift of a lay patron. In 1166 William de Bacton held a knight's fee in the area. A later Gilbert, a knight, was said to have granted a ploughed field (perhaps Lower Monk homs, also called Bacton ham, tithe 58) to Dore Abbey while drunk! In 1240-1241 Robert de Strettun was the lay patron of Bacton Church. In 1452 the castle site was a part of the outbuildings for Newcourt built by Harri Ddu ap Gruffudd (Griffith) the Lord of Bacton, first Steward of (Cistercian) Dore Abbey, Steward of Ewyas Lacy, adherent of the Herberts and of the Duke of York. Newcourt is shown on Christopher Saxton's 1577 map.

Bacton Churchyard's Yew Tree

Bacton Church's yew tree is male. Its girth measures 6.40 metres. Therefore its age is c. 1,350 years old.

Churchyard yews can be older than the present Church building, suggesting re-use of an existing sacred site. Growing very slowly, with girth increase of about 0.2 inches per year, they become hollow, though new growth can occur within the hollow. So dendrochronology, tree-ring counting, is not easily done and yew trees are usually dated by girth size...

Girth of 2.50 metres indicates a yew of c.200 years
Girth of 5.50 metres indicates a yew of c.1,000 years old.

Saint Faith

During the medieval period Saint Foi was equated with Saint Faith, the virgin martyr whose cult centre was in Conques, France. Saint Faith's feast day was 6th October and this date was remembered as Bacton's feast day as late as 1796. Her image would have been placed in the chancel where the organ now stands, with a candle, or light, before her for special Services. Most Churches were full of colourful statues of saints – nearby Vowchurch had 16 images.

At Bacton, these included the Rood (Christ on the Cross with the Virgin Mary and Saint John) which was placed in the rood loft, above the rood screen that divided the Church into chancel and nave. The steps to reach this rood loft can still be seen built into the north wall.

Architecture

The oldest parts of the present Church, dating from the early 13th century, are the west wall and parts of the north and south walls. These are constructed of sandstone rubble, with dressings in sandstone and in the local sandy limestone. The stoup in the chancel is late 12th–early 13th century. A second recess is east of the main door. The doorway from the nave to the tower, the probable original entrance, is 13th century as is the window above it. This now contains