Early historical accounts make it clear that the area near the present church known as the Fishlake ‘Fysshlake Landing’ and ‘Cuthbertehaven’’ was known as the most southerly place at which St Cuthbert’s coffin was, sometime in the 9th Century, allegedly carried by faithful monks from the boat bearing him to a temporary resting place of safety from the then current Viking raids on Christian communities in the north-east of England. 

The earliest written record of this event is a document compiled by Prior Wessington in circa 1416, in his own handwriting, in which he recorded the journeys of St Cuthbert’s coffin over a period of seven years, which included visits to ‘Pesholme’, ‘Fysshlake’ and ‘Acworth’.   The document was originally placed over the door of the choir in the monastery of Durham and appears to have been well-known.  Recent research by the Library of Durham Cathedral suggests that by 1935 the document was missing and its whereabouts today is unknown.  Nobody today can be certain that the body of the Saint actually visited these places but, and for some reason, the record was made and there is every certainty that Eardulf and his companions did wander across a large area of the land encompassed between the Humber and Tweed in the ‘Northumbria’ of those times.

To those who doubt that St Cuthbert’s coffin actually visited Fishlake, perhaps the following may be of interest. In the Registry of the Dean and Chapter of Durham, there is a document dated 22nd September 1438 in which it is recorded that in an “Agreement between the Prior and Convent of Durham, and Richard Wryghte of Fysshlake, yoman, the latter becomes a tenant under that body of a piece of ground forming a portion of the garden of the Rectory of Fysshlake” and refers specifically to “Cuthbertehaven” (Latin translation by Canon G Ornsby)”.  In a paper in 1857 Canon Ornsby claimed he could identify the spot historically known as ‘Cuthbertehaven’ to “almost within a yard”. Whatever actually happened after St Cuthbert’s death we may never fully know, but something occurred that connected his journey to ‘Fysshlake’ that has endured for over a millennium.   With the kind support of the Library, the Archives and the Chapter of Durham Cathedral, the Church now has a copy of this agreement.

Nobody today can offer certainty as to the veracity of the legends surrounding the journeys of St Cuthbert’s coffin to Fishlake, but something took place that gave rise to the legend of the visit of the saint’s coffin to the settlement of ‘Fiscelac’, as it was recorded in the Doomsday Book. ‘Fiscelac’ was part of lands owned by the de Warenne family, granted by the Conqueror post 1066 to William de Warenne (later appointed the 1st Earl of Surrey) as part of his rewards for fighting at the Battle of Hastings. To give context, the ‘Fee of Conisborough’ was a Royal Manor comprising 28 townships which extended over a wide area of South Yorkshire, certainly past Conisborough along the river Don to Hatfield and included the large area of land then known as Hatfield Chase.

As would have been natural for these times, if the alleged visitation of the monks carrying St Cuthbert’s coffin on to dry land at the Fishlake Landing actually happened, the site became famous. Thus apparently having become such an important historical site, it helps to understand why the establishment of a significant church at Fishlake dedicated to St. Cuthbert was so well supported by the landowners, the de-Warenne family of Lewes in Sussex. 

The earliest records suggest the origins of the present building were built sometime in the 1100s, perhaps between 1140 and 1150 which included the famous south doorway, which was carved by a team of monks and artisans from Cluny in France. The reputation of the church, funded and built by the de Warenne family, grew such that it was deemed fitting to enlarge it in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries to its present level of architectural magnificence. For such a large church to be constructed in what was then probably an almost entirely agricultural community, indicates its perceived importance with respect to the connection with St Cuthbert and perhaps the battles to establish Christianity in the north of England. 

One feature of the church often queried by visitors is the statue mounted on the west face of the tower, namely a statue representative of St Cuthbert, on which the saint is portrayed as holding a human head, thought to be representing that of the Christian King (St) Oswald of Bernicia (later called Northumbria) who died in battle at Oswestry on August 5th 642 against the pagan King Penda of Mercia. According to legend, King Oswald’s body was dismembered after the battle and parts sacrificed to the Viking god Odin, but the head allegedly was saved and ultimately placed in the St Cuthbert’s coffin sometime after the saint’s death on March 20th 687.

Observant visitors may notice that the central statue of the font facing the altar has been carved to represent the clothing of a pope holding a church in his right hand, thought by many to represent Pope St Gregory the Great, the Apostle of the English. To the right hand side of St Gregory the Great, is a statue of a Bishop with a child at his feet symbolising baptism, thought to represent St Nicholas of Myra.

What is not so clear today due to erosion, is the nature of the statue to the left hand side of St Gregory the Great which, if examined very carefully, shows a Bishop with a scroll at his feet holding a human head in his right hand, which is thought to represent St. Cuthbert cradling the head of the dead English king Oswald, a minor edition of the major unblemished statue on the external west wall of the tower. As the font is thought to date from the 14th century, it suggests the connection with the legend of St Cuthbert to have been sincerely believed at that time. 

When St. Cuthbert’s coffin finally reached its ultimate resting place in Durham Cathedral in 1104, it rapidly became an important place of pilgrimage in the north of England. It therefore is not surprising that the places associated with the Saint’s name and the wanderings of his coffin acquainted greater significance; hence sometime in the 12th Century what at that time existed in Fishlake was re-constructed into an early Norman church. 

Amongst many celebrated aspects of the church constructed at Fishlake, is the architecture of the south doorway, how it arose to be situated at Fishlake is quite a remarkable story. Historic records show that William de Warenne and his newly married wife Gundred, believed to be a daughter of William the Conqueror, at sometime between 1078 and 1082, travelled to Cluny in France. Of French extraction de Warenne had fought at Hastings in 1066 and rewarded by the Conqueror with extensive lands and townships in Sussex and South Yorkshire. Cluny was at that time a beacon of learning and a shining example of the fruit of Christian devotion and, while staying at Cluny, it seems the de Warennes became impressed with the learning of the Abbot and monks and sought to encourage the Abbott to establish a priory in England. 

It was recorded that during the voyage back to England from France and in a very violent storm, the newly-wedded de-Warennes vowed that if they survived the storm, he would build a priory in England. At some time after their visit to Cluny and impressed with the devotions and skills of the Cluniac Community, they persuaded the Abbot to send some monks to England in order to build a priory. The result was the commencement of construction of the magnificent Lewes Priory on de-Warenne lands in Sussex thereafter. 

Sometime later on after de Warenne’s death in 1088, teams of skilled monks and artisans were employed on the de Warenne lands elsewhere, perhaps at Pontefract Priory but very probably at Fishlake St Cuthbert, where they created the truly magnificent south doorway. If current interpretations are correct, the architecture of the south doorway would most likely have been designed by someone who possessed a deep understanding of the Holy Scriptures, and understood the exposition of the then current Christian doctrine emanating from Cluny in those times.

As de-Warenne died in Lewes castle on 24th June 1088 and was buried alongside his wife who had died 3 years earlier, it is a remarkable tribute to the faithfulness of his successors that the family funds remained available for a further 100 years later to facilitate the completion of the building of Fishlake St Cuthbert in circa 1170, perhaps providing an indication of its perceived importance in those times.

The church has been altered a number of times over the intervening ~845 or so years since it was completed and it seems that it was extensively altered the first half of the 13th century and alterations continued through the following two centuries. The source of funds for these alterations carried out over some 300 years is of current interest, noting they may have come from the same source as the original funds, and it is the subject of ongoing research. 

Known alterations:

• An early sacristy on the north side of the chancel was removed at an early stage and, if the external wall is studied, a piece of an early wooden lintel can be seen remaining in the external wall

• The only early examples remaining of Norman church building can be found by the south chancel Priest’s Door

• The rest of the external features of the church, specifically the tower, the nave and its high quality high level clerestory windows are largely 15th century. A study of the inner wall of the south aisle ceiling reveals the position of the original window ledges, as does the masonry on the internal walls of the nave.

• At some point in history, the chancel had a higher design of pitched roof, both internally and externally, the signs of which can be seen on the eternal face of the end wall of the nave

• Again at some point the high level chancel clerestory windows were added, but the quality of building works and masonry of the chancel is very much less than that of the nave

• The rood screen dates from circa 1500 and parts of the cresting were re-made in the 1850s when, by the great kindness of the Patrons The Dean and Chapter of Durham, the chancel along with the rood screens were restored

• The stained glass in the north chancel window above the Marshall tomb is possibly original ancient glass, perhaps older than that of the east window of the south chapel, the Trinity Chapel

• The tower contains two rooms, a clock chamber and a bell chamber. 

The clock chamber contains a magnificent turret clock, designed by Lord Grimthorpe, made by Smith of Derby and installed in 1901. The Cambridge chimes were added in 1907 and the winding was electrified in 2013 from the proceeds of a legacy left to the church by the late Keith Cowlishaw. The bell chamber contains six bells, possibly rearranged in 1704, noting there is no known record of the installation of the present bell-frame which may not be original. The 6 bells consist of the following:

Bell No. 1 = note C#, 31.50” diameter, dated 1706, bell founder - Samuel Smith

Bell No. 2 = note B, 33.88” diameter, dated 1706, ditto

Bell No. 3 = note A, 36.25” diameter, dated 1706, ditto

Bell No. 4 = note G#, 38.50” diameter, dated 1641, bell founder - William Oldfield

Bell No. 5 = note F#. 40.48” diameter, dated circa 1500, bell founder - Mellours

Bell No. 6 = note E, 45.13” diameter, dated 1868, bell founder - John Warner & Sons