Largely rebuilt in 1896 by the architect Bassett Smith in C14 style. Holy Trinity retains some features from C13 particularly the door and bay arches in the south aisle. The tower is C15 and built from Lias Limestone.

A large part of the manor of Churchover was owned by Kennilworth Priory the rents amounting to £4 12s 8d at the time of the Dissolution which was sold to William Dixwell. Other parcels of land were once part of the Combe Abbey estate and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries these reverted to the Duchess of Richmond who then sold the land to the tenant William Dixwell.

The west wall of the south aisle has a large monument to Robert Price (d1595) his wife (Mary), and her parents (Humphrey and Ann Dixwell). The two couples are kneeling and facing each other with their children underneath.

In a similar style to the earlier monument in the south aisle, this monumnet in the north aisle is dedicated to monument to Charles Dixwell (d1591) and his wife Abigail (d1635) and their four children William. Edgar, Humphrey, Basil, and Barbara. The style is very similar to the moment in the north aisle dedicated to Robert Price. It also consists of a couple kneeling, with their children below.

One family member John Dixwell the younger son of Edward (Edgar?) Dixwell, was raised by his uncle Basil Dixwell of Brome Kent. John became a lawyer and joined the Kent county committee and was a captain in the Kent militia. In 1646 he was elected to the Long Parliament as MP for Dover. In 1649 he was one of the 59 signatories of King Charles’s Death Warrant. Following the Restoration of the Monarchy, John Dixwell, fled to New Haven Conneticut where he lived under the name of James Davids.

The font is C12 an inverted cone with roll-moulding on the bottom edge, the cover is Jacobean and dated 1675. The east window is dated 1918 by Arild Rosenkrantz.

Tags: font, monument, stained glass, tower

An early C14 church with the addition of a clerestory in C15. The tower rebuilt in the C18.

At the beginning of the C11 Badby and the neighbouring village of Newnham belonged to Evesham Abbey. After the dissolution of Evesham Abbey in 1539, the manor that comprised Badby and Newnham was given to Edmund Knightley of Fawsley.

The eastern window in north aisle retains glass c1500 containing the Arms of Evesham Abbey, the Royal House of Tudor, and a monogram of Thomas Newbold Abbot of Evesham from 1491-1514.

A memorial window to those that died in the 1914-18 war features St. George and St. Michael. The pedestal of the font is C15 whilst the bowl is late Victorian. A mid C20 window memorial window depicting King david and Cecilia is dedicated to William Warner.

The chancel east window contains Victorian stained glass set into a C14 frame. The south aisle east window, by Ward & Hughes, is dated 1881 and was installed during the Victorian restoration.

Tags: stained glass, tower

This parish church was formerly the church of an Augustinian Priory founded early C12. Formally a fortified hilltop a monastery was established there by the C7. The first Abbot Hedda became the second bishop of Lichfield in 691.

The monastery was destroyed by the Danes and not re-established until the foundation of the Augustinian Priory in early C12, the church was remodeled in the C13 with a long and wide chancel which is today’s nave.

The church was really two churches in one, part of which was for the local parishioners and extended westwards from the central tower, the other part was for the priory which is essentially the present church.

By the C16 the nave and porch, which was the parish part of the church had become dilapidated, and after its dissolution in 1539 the Priory part of the church was sold by Henry VIII to Francis Shirely of Staunton Harold, as a burial place for himself and his successors. The Breedon parishioners were allowed to use the Priory church as their own was at that time in ruins.

In 1784 the church had again fallen into disrepair and the state of the roof and walls of the north and south aisles was such that services had not been held inside for several months and the church was nearly demolished. Though the cost of rebuilding was not raised the church was repaired leaving it in its present state.

Incorporated into the church are well preserved surviving fragments of friezes from the ancient monastery. They are dated to the C8 and stylistically similar to Book of Cerne (c820) and the ‘Hedda’ stone at Peterborough Cathedral. The above grouping has two sets of saints on either side of a central female figure giving a Byzantine blessing.

Other panels contain birds, beasts, figures, and a strange lion like creature referred to as the Anglian Beast.

Dedicated to George Shirley and family this immense alabaster tomb by Richard & Gabriel Royley of Burton-upon-Trent is almost the height of the north wall.

A gisant lies at the base of the tomb, above which are two coffered arched recesses with five large figures and two infants. The tomb dedicated to John Shirley (father of George) features a Knight in armour on a chest with armourial shields on the side.

Again on the north wall is the tomb dedicated to Francis Shirley (grandfather of George) one time Sheriff of Leicestershire and Warwickshire. The tomb contains effigies of Francis and his wife Dorothy, with pairs of mourners on the side holding shields.

All three tombs are of Chellaston alabaster and made by Richard & Gabriel Royley of Burton-upon-Trent.

Tags: alabaster, chellaston, font, monastery, priory augustinian, royley, saxon, tomb

The parish church of St. Leonard is mostly a C14 building with a broached spire on the west tower.

The early C14 south aisle window has Victorian stained glass and is dated 1878. The stained glass in the east window is Victorian.

The octagonal font is also C19 as are the pews, however some of the bench ends are reused C16.

The chancel contains two alabaster chest tombs. Against the south wall is the C16 effigy of Sir Michael Poulteney (d1567) in armour with helmet, crowned with a saracen’s head, and lion at his feet.

The tomb against the north chancel wall is a monument to to John Poulteney (d1637) has a plain black top and shields in strap work cartouches around the sides.

Tags: elizabethan, font alabaster, jacobean, leonard, spire, stained glass, tomb