St. Peter’s Church, Harborne

St. Peter’s Church
Harborne, England

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Historical Overview

Family significance: Twenty-year-old Theodore Turley and twenty-one-year-old Frances Kimberley were married at St. Peter’s Church in Harborne on 26 November 1821. Frances Kimberley’s signature on that parish marriage record is the only known example of her handwriting.

It’s unclear why Theodore Turley and Frances Kimberley traveled several miles away to the tiny parish church at Harborne to be married, but the location appears to have been important to members of both families. One of Theodore’s siblings and at least two of Frances’ siblings were married there as well.¹ While Frances had reached the age of maturity and could marry of her own accord, Theodore was still technically underage (only twenty years old). The marriage record reflects this fact by indicating that the parties had received consent from parents, presumeably Theodore’s.²

St. Peter’s Church in Harborne has a rich history. It’s thought that a church has been on the site for over a thousand years. The oldest element of the building is its distinctive sandstone tower, “a well known landmark for miles around.” The tower was built in the 14th century.³ Much of the building has changed since 1821, but I was lucky enough to find a drawing of the church from 1806, fifteen years before Theodore and Frances were married. This is likely what the building looked like at the time of their marriage.

If you compare the drawing with a modern photo, you’ll notice that the footprint of the church was significantly smaller in 1806. For example, the drawing shows the side of the tower was flush with the main building. That is no longer the case. The tower and its weathervane are likely the only two distinctive elements that remain from the church that Theodore Turley and Frances Kimberley would’ve known in 1821.

Many of the more weathered sandstone blocks on the face of the tower were carefully replaced in the 1980s. The church architect at the time “made sure that the three different colours of the stone were replaced to match the original.” The weathervane, a gilded cockerel, is from the late 1700s. It is likely the same one depicted on the drawing above.⁴

Major rebuilding has occurred multiple times in the last couple hundred years. In 1827, the church was expanded on the south side. In the 1860s, another renovation took place. It restored much of the earlier 14th century aesthetic, though it kept the building expansions. In the 1970s, a fire destroyed most of the interior of the church. It was subsequently rebuilt.

St. Peter’s has three lychgates in its churchyard. These distinctive roofed entrances are also sometimes called “resurrection gates.” The writing above the doorway states, “believe in the resurrection of the body.”

Related Links

• Website of St. Peter’s Church in Harborne. View a “Church Tour” in pictures on their website.
• Wikipedia page for St. Peter’s Church in Harborne.
• National Heritage List for England, entry for Parish Church of St. Peter. (Great exterior pics if you scroll down to the bottom.)
• William Dargue’s A History of Birmingham Churches from A to Y, “Ancient Parish of Harborne: St Peter” (Lots of pics in his Harborne gallery.)
• Ted Pyper’s report of his Brimingham trip in the October 2008 Theodore Turley Family newsletter.

• Luana Rogers’ report of her Birmingham trip with her brother, Brentnall Turley, in the March 2013 Theodore Turley Family newsletter.

From Theodore Turley: A Biography by Richard E. Turley, Jr.:

• 1: Early Life in England

From Ann Lewis’ website:

• “Theodore Turley Marries Frances Amelia Kimberley 26 November 1821, Harborne, Staffordshire, England”

Timeline

1821
November 26: Theodore Turley married Frances Kimberley at St. Peter’s Church in Harborne.⁵

1823
April 14: Frances Kimberley’s sister, Harriet Kimberley, was married to William Phillips at St. Peter’s Church in Harborne.⁶

1836
May 17: Frances Kimberley’s little brother, Thomas Henry Kimberley, was married to widow Jane (Hickman) Morris at St. Peter’s Church in Harborne.⁷

1844
February 18: Theodore Turley’s youngest sister, Charlotte Bradbury Turley, was married to Alfred Sowden Brown at St. Peter’s Church in Harborne.⁸

1. Charlotte Bradbury Turley was married to Alfred Sowden Brown at St. Peter’s in 1844, Harriet Kimberley was married to William Phillips at St. Peter’s in 1823, and Thomas Henry Kimberley was married to Jane (Hickman) Morris at St. Peter’s in 1836. Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937, Harborne, St. Peter, 1843-1847, p. 66, no. 132, marriage of Alfred Sowden Brown and Charlotte Bradbury Turley, 18 Feb. 1844, image at Ancestry.com; Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937, Harborne, St. Peter, 1822-1837, p. 13, no. 39, marriage of William Phillips and Harriett Kimberley, 14 Apr 1823, image at Ancestry.com; Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937, Harborne, St. Peter, 1822-1837, p. 226, no. 586, marriage of Thomas Henry Kimberley and Jane Morris, 17 May 1836, image at Ancestry.com.
2. Much appreciation to Rick Turley who pointed out this detail in his biographical installment, 1: Early Life in England.
3. St. Peter’s Harborne “Welcome to the Parish Church of St Peter Harborne in the Diocese of Birmingham” leaflet, in possession of Ted Pyper, shared as a scanned PDF.
4. William Dargue reports that the “weathercock” dates to 1777. William Dargue, “Ancient Parish of Harborne: St Peter,” A History of Birmingham Churches from A to Y, https://ahistoryofbirminghamchurches.jimdofree.com/harborne-st-peter/; St. Peter’s Harborne “Church Tower” leaflet, in possession of Ted Pyper, shared as a scanned PDF.
5. Frances Kimberley’s sister, Harriet Kimberley, was a witness to the marriage. Family Memorial for Frances Kimberley; Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937, Harborne, St. Peter, 1820-1822, p. 69, no. 206, marriage of Theodore Turley and Frances Kimberley, 26 Nov. 1821, image at Ancestry.com.
6. Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937, Harborne, St. Peter, 1822-1837, p. 13, no. 39, marriage of William Phillips and Harriett Kimberley, 14 Apr 1823, image at Ancestry.com
7. Thomas’ sister, Susanna (Kimberley) Locke, was a witness to the marriage. Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937, Harborne, St. Peter, 1822-1837, p. 226, no. 586, marriage of Thomas Henry Kimberley and Jane Morris, 17 May 1836, image at Ancestry.com.
8. Birmingham, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937, Harborne, St. Peter, 1843-1847, p. 66, no. 132, marriage of Alfred Sowden Brown and Charlotte Bradbury Turley, 18 Feb. 1844, image at Ancestry.com.