Building record 713/1 - St Wilfrid's Church

<1> Chester Courant, 1878-1990, The Cheshire Sheaf, 13/54 1916 (Newspaper-Magazine). SCH3105.

Church of St Wilfrid,Church Street, Davenham. A 'church and priest' at Davenham are mentioned in Domesday.

<2> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, 3/243 (N) (Book). SCH1389.

Mainly a 19th century rebuilding.

<3> Department of the Environment, 1971-2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, /2/26 (Report). SCH1934.

Church 1844-1870, by Edward Sharpe. Red sandstone ashlar with slate roof. Gothic. West tower, nave with aisles and transepts, chancel, south-west porch. North-east vestry and south-east chantry chapel. Full architectural description.

<4> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, 195-196 (Book). SCH3078.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ67SE8/1964 (Index). SCH2487.

<6> University of Manchester Archaeological Unit, 1995, St. Wilfrid's Parish Church, Davenham, Cheshire: An Archaeological Survey of a Burial Vault and its Contents, R2138 (Client Report). SCH2987.

During extension work at the Church a vault was discovered on the north west side of the church. The vault was 6.5m long by 4.43 m wide and 1.6m deep. It overlay a sand layer in which one complete lead-lined coffin and three partial or destroyed lead-lined coffins were observed. The vault was built of stone and brick and contained five coffins dating from 1821 to 1862, being the coffins of James and Sarah Topping and their three daughters. The vault is preserved under the new church extension. Full report and photographic record.