St Ebbe's Church, Oxford
St Ebbe's is a Church of England parish church in central Oxford. The church is within the conservative evangelical tradition and participates in the Anglican Reform movement.[1] It has members from many nations, many of whom are students at Oxford University. The rector is Vaughan Roberts who is also an author and conference speaker.
| St Ebbe's Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Pennyfarthing Place, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 1QE |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Conservative Evangelical |
| Website | stebbes.org.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | St Ebbe |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Oxford, St. Ebbe with Holy Trinity and St. Peter-le-Bailey |
| Deanery | Deanery of Oxford |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Oxford |
| Diocese | Diocese of Oxford |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | The Revd Canon Vaughan Roberts |
| Laity | |
| Churchwarden(s) | Paul Taylor and Jonathan Anelay |
History
The church stands on the site of one dedicated to St Æbbe before 1005. Most sources suggest that this was the Northumbrian St Æbbe of Coldingham,[2] but it has been suggested that Æbbe of Oxford was a different saint. The name was first recorded in about 1005 when the church was granted to Eynsham Abbey by Ealdorman Æthelmær the Stout, when it was already recorded as the "ancient St Ebbe's".[3]
The present church was built in 1814–16. It was enlarged and improved in 1866 and 1904. A Norman doorway of the 12th century has been restored and placed at the west end.[4] The church is the parish church for the parish of St Ebbes, a portion of which was demolished to make way for the nearby Westgate Shopping Centre in the 1970s. The church has a ministry among the remaining part of the parish, although most of its members live outside the parish. The church is a partner church of St Ebbe’s Primary School, a school within the parish.[5]
Present day
St Ebbe's continues to be highly active, with three meetings each Sunday at 9:45, 4:30 and 6:30, with the additional of a fourth 11:45 service during term-time. There are also a range of mid-week groups.
St Ebbe's is within the Conservative Evangelical tradition of the Church of England, and it has passed resolutions to reject the ordination of women and/or female leadership.[6]
Ministers
Rectors
- 15??-1550: Thomas Dobson
- 1550-1553: Ralph Rudde; Principal of St Edmund Hall
- 1553-1576: Vacant
- 1576-1585: John Paule
- 1589-1593: William Singleton
- 1593-1604: John Hilliard
- 1604-1631: Jacob Yate
- 1631-1641: Edward Wyrley
- 1643-1648: Hugh Boham; Chaplain of All Souls College
- 1664-1666: Richard Tapping
- 1690-1691: Thomas Shewring
- 1695-1696: Josias Dockwray
- 1696-1697: Henry Hellier
- 1697-1707: William Baker; later the Bishop of Norwich
- 1707-1714: John Knott
- 1714-1719: Matthew Panting; Master of Pembroke College
- 1719-1727: Bernard Peisley
- 1727-1734: Thomas Hillman
- 1736-1742: Nathaniel Bliss; later the fourth Astronomer Royal[7]
- 1742-1753: Thomas Camplin; Vice-Principal of St Edmund Hall and later the Archdeacon of Taunton
- 1753-1771: Robert Ewings
- 1771-1809: Henry Richards
- 1808-1868: William Hambury; later Chaplain to George IV
- 1868-1874: E.P. Hathaway
- 1874-1877: Thomas Valpy French[8]
- 1881: John Arkell
- 1901-1909: P.W.G. Filleul
- 1912-1926: John Stansfeld[9]
- 1947–1952: Maurice Wood,[10] later Principal of Oak Hill and Bishop of Norwich
- 1952–1964: Basil Gough[11]
- 1964–1985: Keith Weston[12]
- 1986–1998: David Fletcher[13]
- 1998–present: Vaughan Roberts
Curates
- 1816: John Penson
- 1822-1824: William Wilson
- 1825: Henry Bliss
- 1826-1831: Henry Bulteel
- 1831-1837: William Champneys
- 1837-1842: H.B. Whitaker Churton
- 1847-1860: G.T. Cameron
- 1860-18??: S.Y. Grittith
- 1934-1936: Pat Gilliat
- 1950-1952: Edward Saunders
- 1952-1956: Michael Farrer
- 1955-1958: David Pytches
- 1957-1960: Peter Dawes
- 1958-1960: Brian Ringrose
- 1960-1963: Patrick Harris
- 1961-1964: James Spence
- 1963-1966: Anthony Baker
- 1964-1968: Gilbert Gauntlett
- 1966-1972: Simon Starkey
- 1968-1971: John Wesson
- 1971-1974: Robert Hope
- 1973-1976: Anthony Burdon
- 1974-1976: Peter Toon
- 1976-1980: Robert Key
- 1980-1983: David Banting
- 1983-1986: Kevin Scott
- 1988-1991: Timothy Hastie-Smith
- 1991-1998: Vaughan Roberts
- 1995-2001: David Gibb
- 1999-2003: Anthony Jones
- 2002–present: Pete Wilkinson
- 2003-2008: Julian Bidgood
- 2008-2012: Phil Jack
- 2009–present: Dave Reid
- 2010-2014: Suresh Menon
- 2013-2018: James Fletcher
- 2013-2017: Alistair Gibbs
- 2017–2019: Matt Pope
- 2017–present: Joel Knight
Non-stipendiary ministers
- 2005-2008: Sam Allberry
- 2012-2013: Phil Jack
- 2015–present: James Poole
- 2016–present: John Miller
Deacons
- 1979-1991: Jean Ritchie
- 1991-1993: Patricia Whelan
References
- "Local churches linked to Reform".
- Hibbert, Christopher, ed. (1988). "St Ebbe's Church". The Encyclopaedia of Oxford. Macmillan. pp. 387–388. ISBN 0-333-39917-X.
- Victoria County History of Oxfordshire: Medieval Oxford.
- Alden's Oxford Guide. Oxford; Alden; 1958; p. 125.
- "Collective Worship Policy" (PDF). St. Ebbe’s C.E. (Aided) Primary School. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
- "Christmas 2016 Newsletter" (pdf). bishopofmaidstone.org. Bishop of Maidstone. December 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- "Nathaniel Bliss - MacTutor History of Mathematics archive".
- Stacey, Vivienne. Thomas Valpy French, First Bishop of Lahore (PDF). pp. 72, 121. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
- "John Stansfeld: Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Scheme". www.oxonblueplaques.org.uk.
- Townley, Peter (16 July 2007). "Obituary: The Rt Rev Maurice Wood". the Guardian.
- "Stella Gough: a life devoted to helping others". Oxford Mail.
- http://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/alumni/keeping-in-touch/obituaries/detail.asp?ItemID=2414
- "Doing the impossible - Evangelicals Now". www.e-n.org.uk.
Further reading
- Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). Oxfordshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 292. ISBN 0-14-071045-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)