A History & Description of St Peters Church, Swingfield

From that time the Church at Swingfield was held in plurality with the adjoining Parishes of Wooton & Denton, served by a ‘Perpetual Curate’. The Lord of the Manor of the time (probably the Manor of Denton) was established as Patron of the Curacy which was in his personal gift. Only in 1928 was the appointment of an incumbent reverted to being in the gift of The Archbishop and Diocese of Canterbury, in which it currently remains.

St Peters, even in its earliest days, was not as is sometimes claimed, strictly a Templar Church, although the Templars are recorded as having their Preceptory and Convent on the site of the nearby Commandery at the time that the Church was established. It was most certainly part of the Bailiwick of the Order of St John (Knights Hospitalers) which covered an extensive area in and around Swingfield from the 12th to the 16th centuries. (extensive and detailed records are held by the Order).

St Peters Church, The Street, Swingfield, Kent CT15 7HA
Friends of St Peters: Email - swingfieldchurch@aol.com / Telephone - 01303 844244