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SIRMON FAMILY GENEALOGYWyre Piddle, Worcestershire, UKUK History: The Church of St. Anne |
Like the ever moving waters of the River Avon which flow past the village Church so the people who dwell on the banks are part of the continuing stream of history and the Church is a continuing memorial to the history of the village.
Wyre Piddle is a chapelry in the parish of Fladbury. 
When the Church was restored in 1888/89 the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings considered it to be of particular historical interest. To quote, Wyre Piddle is fortunate in possessing one of the now scarce examples of the original type of English, we might almost say British, Churches. The simple square cell for the Altar with its narrow entrance and the equally simple but rather larger shelter for the congregation was the earliest form of Parish Church in England. Successive enlargements have in most places destroyed or all but effaced the remains of this simple plan. At Wyre Piddle it is still unchanged after perhaps eight centuries.'
Wyre Piddle has always been regarded as a very ancient place. In the Domesday Survey of 1086, it is recorded a Pidele. The Church stands on the elevated north bank of the River Avon, a site with extensive views over the surrounding countryside, typical of those chosen for settlement by man from prehistoric times. The Saxon remains found at Wyre Church during the restoration 1888/89 are proof of its very early existence. No-one anticipated the historical secrets that would be revealed in the course of its partial demolition. The discoveries made at the site upon which the Church now stands prove that it must have been a spot greatly distinguished as a burial place before churches and monasteries were erected in Mercia or the rites of Christian burial had been generally adopted.
When removing soil from the west end of the Church for the purpose of lengthening the nave, at a spot about two yards from the west wall two skeletons were discovered buried in a sitting position to face north-east. Both were the remains of men of large stature, one had been placed to sit behind the other, a little more westward. Near the front skeleton two iron bosses were found which formed the centre of wooden shields. It is believed these two skeletons belonged to the pagan period when barrow burials were still used just prior to the introduction of Christianity into this area towards the end of the seventh century.
The first Church for Christian worship may have been erected on this site by the overlord of the estate, a site already sanctified for other reasons (in this case the burial ground of his ancestors) but it would remain subservient to a mother Church at Fladbury. Or the Minster at Fladbury which flourished at the end of the seventh century may have erected a 'field church' at Wyre to serve the needs of an outlying community.
Further evidence of the antiquity of the site was found in the masonry of the south and east walls which had to be taken down prior to rebuilding. A rudely carved stone was found supposedly representing the open jaw and teeth of a demon and a capital carved with acanthus leaves possibly from an earlier Saxon stone-built Church of considerable size. The 'beast head', a label stop, is unique to the county. It is similar to the ninth century protruding beast heads on the West tower of Deerhurst Church. The acanthus leaves are tenth century work.
The present Church was originally built in the Norman period probably during the first two decades of the 12th century 
but it has been so much rebuilt at various periods that very little of the original work can be seen. The Norman font dating from circa 1140 AD. was found to be in a good state of preservation at the time of the Restoration but sometime since then iron bands inserted into the bowl for strengthening damaged the bowl to such an extent that in 1986 it had to be replaced with an exact replica of the original.
Prior to the Restoration of the Church it was generally believed that the narrow chancel arch was the only example of Saxon work in the County. Expert opinion now places it in the early Norman period. The openings or hagioscopes on either side are not contemporary with the arch but were pierced some two centuries later.
The Saxon objects are displayed in the glass-fronted recess in the north wall of the vestry together with a small 14th century candlestick or monstrance. A typical 12th century pillar piscina with square bowl stands on the south side of the sanctuary.
The bell-cote dates from the 13th century. Constructed to hold two bells it now only has one. This was cast by Abraham Rudhall the Gloucester bell founder and bears the date 1794 with the inscription 'Come away make no delay'.
The stone altar slab is mediaeval. It was found embedded in the floor of the altar step and was restored in the 19th century to its proper position.
All the tracery and glass of the windows date from the Restoration of 1888/89 except the West window which contains some fine pieces of 15th century glass. This window is of three lights, and enough of the old glass remains to show that the centre was originally occupied by a Virgin and Child, with St. John the Evangelist on one side (the demon or serpent emerging from a chalice is his symbol), nothing remains of the other light. At the top of the tracery is a Majesty with a long forked beard, moustache and long hair.
The encaustic tiles are mediaeval and amongst the designs can be seen the popinjay and badge of the Talbot family (a dog).
Before the enlargement of the Church at the Restoration accommodation presented a problem. To overcome this a gallery was erected in 1830. This was removed when the Church was restored.
In 1838 the Rector of Fladbury,
the Revd. Frederick Gauntlett found the Church in such a ruinous state that he proposed it should be taken down and rebuilt, whereupon six Wyre residents - John Partington, Thomas Bomford, John Howse, John Watkins (blacksmith), Fred Bick, William Williams, (publicans) - wrote to Lord Northwick protesting strongly to this suggestion. The Rector wrote to Lord Northwick asking him to forgive their impertinence in writing to him but the Church stayed.
In 1845 it was repaired and repewed but no major structural alterations took place. In the early 1880's the Diocesan Architect found the Church sadly out of repair and very damp. Major restoration was necessary. It is recorded that 'on the 16th day of December 1886 a parish meeting was held to consider arrangements necessary to be made with respect to the promotion of the determination already arrived at by the parishioners to restore their parish Church'. The restoration was a major undertaking for the community of about two hundred and fifty inhabitants. The whole of the work cost about £700, today's equivalent is £24,000. This sum was raised by donations, subscriptions and Church collections. The Lord Bishop of Worcester preached at the re-opening ceremony Thursday 29th August 1889.C M Hammond, 1989