This stunning Grade I Listed church, dates back to 1290, the oldest building in Kingsland. In the late 13th Century, Kingsland’s lord of the manor was Roger Mortimer III, a member of the powerful Mortimer family. Roger had married Maude de Braose, whose father had owned Kingsland Castle.
After Roger’s death in 1282, Maude undertook to start the building of the church at Kingsland before her death in 1301, after which her son Edmund and daughter in law, Margaret, took over the construction
It’s part of local folklore that the church was built 3 times at Lawton Cross (crossroads to the west of the village) but was pulled down by the devil each night! Eventually the building work was moved to the site of a former church.
You can still see the traces of this earlier church in the 2 small lancet windows (one of which can be seen from outside)
During the Reformation of 1534-1538, churches across the country suffered damages to their structure as the shift from Catholicism to Church of England began. St Michael’s and All Angel’s survived largely intact but lost a piscina, the rood screen and wall paintings. Any statues and reliquaries would have been removed and some of the stained glass had to be hidden to prevent destruction.
From 1660, when Charles II was restored to the throne, 29th May became Oak Apple Day where, in Kingsland, great oak boughs would be dragged to the top of the church tower in a celebration that lasted well into the 1930s.
Unfortunately, the precious pre-Reformation plate stored at the church was stolen in 1770 and never recovered. Police say the case is still open, and inquiries are ongoing.