The full and proper title of our parish is Covenham St. Bartholomew with St. Mary. For upwards of seven hundred years, from before 1219 A.D. until the year 1904, they were separate benefices, each with its own Rector. By Order in Council in 1889, they were united into One Benefice, which Order took effect in March 1904 the death of the Rev. John England Rudd, who had been Rector of Covenham St. Mary for almost fifty-six years, and was in his eighty-eighth year at the time of his death (born June 8th, 1816, died March 1904).

The first question the visitor asks is : ‘Why are there two churches so close together ? ’ that is to say, some two hundred yards apart! No satisfactory answer is as yet forthcoming. It has been suggested that St. Bartholomew’s was the Priory Church of the Monks, and this is supported by the fact that the head of an Abbot of Kirkstead Abbey—with his mitre— appears over the porch of that church; and that St. Mary’s was originally built as the parish church for the people. But in answer to that, it is said : If this were so the Prior would have been Rector, which it does not appear that he ever was from, at any rate, 1247 to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, 1536, and also that laymen would not have been patrons of St. Bartholomew’s, as they always were, in different families, through seven hundred years.

The name of Covenham, spelt at various times Coveham, Kovenam, Conventham, Covenhamense, contains history in itself. We know the familiar quotation from Shakespeare : “What’s in a name?” We are inclined to reply: A very great deal is in a name. The name of our village Covenhamense means a ‘ Community ’ or ‘ Convent ’, and its history appears to begin shortly after William the Conqueror had established his rule in this country.

In the year 1082, the Bishop of Durham, William de Karilepo, Chief Justice of England under the Conqueror, who had previously been a monk of the Abbey of St. Karilephus, in Normandy, made request to King William the Conqueror to build a Benedictine Priory at Covenham as a Cell to the Abbey of St. Karilephus. Accordingly a small Benedictine Priory was built here with Grange buildings (by which we understand farm buildings) and a chapel.

Domesday Book

The advowson (the legal, often inheritable, right of a patron to nominate a clergyman (priest or minister) for appointment to a specific Church of England parish) remained with the Bishop of Durham, and the Priory held the advowson of Covenham St. Bartholomew. Thus it appears that between 1082 and 1247 (in which latter year the patron was Sir Benedict de Rolleston, Knt.) the Prior was the patron of the Benefice of St. Bartholomew. William occurs Prior of Covenham in 1238, and Matthew Prior in 1262.

We have facts to mention that occurred earlier than that : the following is from Domesday book, which is a survey of the land of England drawn up in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. From this famous source we learn that there was already in 1086 A.D. a church here, and 60 acres of meadow and 2 salt pans rendering 3 shillings. In the time of King Edward (the Confessor) it was worth 60 shillings ; now 4 pounds : tallage (tallage was the sum paid to the lord by tenants) 20 shillings.

Continuing to quote from Domesday Book : In Covenham Esbern or Osborn had 2½ carucates of land assessed to the geld ’ (i.e. tax). Esbern is described as ‘The Priest ’. We may take it that the first priest was Osbern or Esbern. ‘

Note – Carucate – Nominal Size: It was generally reckoned at 120 fiscal acres.

There is land for 3 teams and 6 oxen.’‘ Now St. Karilef has it from the Bishop. There are 2½ teams (in demesne) and 12 villains [i.e. feudal serfs] and 6 sokemen with 1½ teams.’

Note – Demesne – A piece of land attached to a manor

In Skidbrook there is in land of Covenham 7 bovates.’ [Note.-A bovate was 20 acres of arable land, with meadow and rights of pasture attached, i.e. the land that could be cultivated by a one-ox team; a carucate—the term frequently occurs—equals 8 bovates, therefore a carucate would be no less than 160 acres of arable land.] ‘ There is land for 9 oxen. Saint Karilcf has 6 men there with two teams and 9 acres of meadow.’

Note – Sokeland – refers to medieval outlying territories in England. Historically, these were land areas under the judicial or administrative control of a manor or lord.

‘In Grainthorpe there is sokeland of Covenham 4½ bovates of land assessed to the geld.’6 villains have 1 team and 2 oxen there and 50 acres of meadow.’*

The Lindsey Survey

‘In Covenham Alsi and Chetel and Turner had 3½ carucates of land assessed to the geld. There is land for four teams. William has 3 teams there in demesne [i.e. the manor-house adjoining lands which a lord retains] and 18 villains and 17 sokemen [the lord had the right to take penalties imposed on sokemen] with 5½ teams and 5 salt pans rendering 2 shillings and 150 acres of meadow.’

In the time of King Edward (the Confessor) it was worth 110 shillings, now 4 pounds ; tallage 30 shillings. Chetel and Turner were brothers, and after their father’s death they divided the land, in such wise, however, that when Chetel was doing the King’s service he should have his brother Turner’s aid.

William Perci (he had 38 estates from the Conqueror) had Chatel’s and Alsi’s land from the King, but he and the same William bought Turner’s land from Anschetil, the late cook in the time of King William.

‘In Germundtorp [Grainthorpe] there are 3½ bovates of land assessed to the geld [tax].There is land for as many oxen. It is sokeland belonging to Covenham :

3 sokemen have 1 team there and 50 acres of meadow.’

The Lindsey Survey (1115-1118) has an entry as follows: ‘ The monks in Covenham 3 carucates and in Ludcna [Ludney] 1 carucate.’ Covenham monks had 4 carucates in all.

In about 1115 the tenants in chief in Covenham were the Bishop of Durham, Alan Percy, and the monks of Covenham.