St Gregory's Minster is an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

church with a rare

sundial A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...

, in Kirkdale near

Kirkbymoorside Kirkbymoorside () is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is north of York; midway between Pickering and Helmsley, and on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. The parish had a population of 3,040 in the 20 ...

Vale of Pickering The Vale of Pickering is a low-lying flat area of land in North Yorkshire, England. It is drained by the River Derwent. The landscape is rural with scattered villages and small market towns. It has been inhabited continuously from the Mesolithic ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England. It is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The minster was built on the site of an earlier church, and is dedicated to St Gregory, who was

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

from 590 to 604. Major modifications were completed in the 15th century and in the 1800s. The church was restored during 1907–1909. The building is similar in style and age to that of St Hilda's,

Ellerburn Ellerburn is a village in the county of North Yorkshire, England, situated near Thornton-le-Dale, about east of Pickering, North Yorkshire, Pickering. It is located in the North York Moors National Park. It was part of the Ryedale district b ...

. The church is open during the day; volunteer stewards provide information to visitors and services are offered weekly. The maintenance of the fabric of the building is helped by financial contributions from The Friends of St Gregory's Minster. The Friends' Annual General Meeting is followed by the Kirkdale Lecture about the parish and its environs.

Parish status

The Parish of Kirkdale is a

local ecumenical partnership In England and Wales, a local ecumenical partnership (or project) is a partnership between churches of different denominations. First piloted in 1964, over 850 now exist to promote unity between different Christian denominations. The missiolog ...

with * St Saviour's Church, Harome *St Hilda's Church,

Beadlam Beadlam is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 250, reducing to 229 at the Census 2011. It is situated about west of Pickering, near the southern boundary of the North Yo ...

*All Saints’ Church,

Nunnington Nunnington is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The River Rye runs through. Its population, including Stonegrave, taken at the 2011 census was 361. It is rich in listed historic buildings. From 1974 to 2023 it was part ...

*St John the Baptist's Church,

Pockley Pockley is a small village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is about 1 mile north-east of Helmsley turning north from the A170 road. Its short, winding lane passes six thatched cottages in a quarter mile before turning back towa ...

St Gregory's Minster in Kirkdale.jpg, Aerial view from the north-west AStGregorysMinsterH9a.jpg, From the west AStGregorysMinsterH3b.jpg, Interior from the west AStGregorysMinsterH4c.jpg, Interior from the east AStGregorysMinsterrgelH13b.jpg, Stained glass AStGregorysMinsterFontH7b.jpg, Font AStGregorysMinsterrgelH6c.jpg, Organ AStGregorysMinsterrgelH14a.jpg, Weathercock AStGregorysMinsterrgelH15b.jpg, Roof

Sundial

The

above the church door dates to the 11th century (). The inscription is in Anglo-Saxon and is translated as follows by

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

: "Orm Gamal's son bought St. Gregory's Minster when it was all broken down and fallen and he let it be made anew from the ground to Christ and St. Gregory, in Edward's days, the king, and in Tosti's days, the Earl. This is day's Sun marker at every tide. And Haworth me wrought and Brand, priests." The name Tosti refers to

Tostig Godwinson Tostig Godwinson ( 102925 September 1066) was an Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold Godwinson. After being exiled by his brother, Tostig supported the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada's invasion of England, and was killed ...

, the Earl who rebuilt a monastery in

Tynemouth Castle and Priory Tynemouth Priory and Castle is a historic site located on a promontory at the mouth of the River Tyne, Tyne at Tynemouth. The medieval Benedictine priory was protected by walls, towers, and a gatehouse. The heraldry of the metropolitan borough o ...

Tynemouth Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, England, River Tyne, hence its name. It is east-northeast of Newcastle up ...

, during the reign of

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

, in about 1065.

References

External links

* * * *
"Kirkdale"
Ormerod.uk.net, description of the Minster reproduced from guides published by the Parochial Church Council * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Gregory's Minster, Kirkdale Kirkdale Kirkdale Kirkdale Kirkdale Kirkdale