St Peter ad Vincula
Hampton Lucy, Warwickshire
Architects Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson built this village church on a cathedral scale in the 1820s.
One of the most interesting features of the church is its 14th century font, which, like others in Warwickshire, has carved heads round the base of the bowl. Time has weathered and chipped at these faces so that their expressions are enigmatic, perhaps ensuring that they are as powerful now as when they were first carved.
The church has several literary connections. Poet Richard Jago was a curate here in the 18th century, and was buried in a vault in the church in 1781. His poems have not weathered as well as the faces on the font; they include a long account of the Battle of Edgehill, which took place nearby.
William Shakespeare's family came from Snitterfield, and his grandfather Richard was a churchwarden. His Uncle Henry had a farm in the village, but had a poor reputation with regard to the church, being fined for dressing inappropriately at church, and eventually excommunicated for non-payment of his church tithes.
