The Early Church

The first definite evidence of a church in Barrow comes from the reign of King Stephen (1135 - 1154). 

This evidence states that during this period, Ranulph de Gernoniis, the fourth Earl of Chester, gave Barrow church, together with a chapel at Quorndon to the Abbott and monastery of St Mary Pratis in the meadows at Leicester.

Ranulph de Gernoniis died in 1152 proving that a church was present on the site before that date.  However this does not rule out the possibility that a Saxon church was present in the village.

The gift of the church to Leicester Abbey was confirmed by the fifth Earl of Chester and also by Henry II.  It was inspected later by Edward II who left a record of it in the words,

"Know ye that I have granted and in perpetual alms have confirmed to God and the church of St Mary in the meadows of Leicester and the Canons serving God there, whatever belongs to the said church from the gift of Ranulph, Earl of Chester, viz., the church of Barrow together with the chapel at Quorndon Given at our court of Windsor, May 10th 1318."

Barrow church was originally the mother church of three chapels, those of St Bartholomews in Quorn, St Marys in Woodhouse and St John the Baptist (later St Peters) in Mountsorrel. 

At that time one of the Vicar's duties to supply curates for the services at these outlying chapels.

The first recorded vicar of Barrow was William de Hungarton, who was presented around 1227 by Hugh Welles, the then Bishop of Lincoln.  It was noted that he should receive, in the name of the vicarage,

"...the moiety of all profits of the altar, and a third part of the tithes of sheathes, and he shall serve the same church, and bear on its behalf the episcopal and archdiaconal burdens, and he has the chapel of Querendon (Quorndon) which ought to be served three days in the week by the mother church."

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