St. Wystan’s Church, the Crypt and Repton Priory with Colin Kitching

The audio clips were recorded by Dave Kitto in July 2005. To listen to them you will need Windows Media Player 9 or 10, or similar software such as Winamp or Real Player. Audio clips are accompanied by the icon

This remarkable historic site in Repton has been the location of four important institutions; Firstly the Anglo-Saxon Abbey in the 7th century AD, which the followed the arrival of Christianity in the Midlands and was destroyed by Viking armies in 873-4. Secondly the parish church dedictaed to St. Wystan from the Anglo-Saxon remains and enlarged in the 14th and 15th centuries. Thirdly an Augustinian Priory was established in 1172 next to the church, until its dissolution in 1538 and finally Repton School was founded in 1557.
Furthermore, the site is one of two Viking burial grounds discovered in Britain, the other being nearby at Foremark, in The National Forest. Although outside the boundary of the Forest in 2005 this site has historical significance for the area which would have been part of the Kingdom of Mercia.

At the east end of the church stands the Anglo-Saxon Chancel and below it the famous crypt. The church has been much extended and even the chancel took over 2 centuries to complete in the 8th and 9th centuries. Other parts of the church were developed in the Middle Ages.

The doorway on the right is an entrance to the crypt and the gravel was ground level in Anglo-Saxon and Viking days. Why has the ground level raised so much? The Repton Archaeological Dig here from 1974 – 1988, answered this question when archaeologists found a vast number of burials here. In fact a large area extending across from the church was massive cemetery in Saxon days and from from the number of burials they found here, it was estimated that about 16, 000 people were buried in the around the church and Repton School.

The crude stone-work of the Saxon chancel is interesting to compare with the much more uniform and neat work of the Norman period, of 1172. In Saxon stone was cut as effectively as possible, but in Norman days builders had learnt to cut stone to a uniform size, shape and weight in the quarry.

During the dig a Viking burial mound was discovered under the Vicarage lawn, with the remains of 249 people. Forensic examination determined that 200 were Viking warriors, who had died over the course of a winter spent at Repton and 49 skeletons were Anglo-Saxon women, the skeletal make-up being quite different. The presumption is that these women were camp followers, voluntarily or otherwise.

The crypt from the outside...

Also found during this dig, and now in Derby Museum, was the Repton Stone, one of the most important survivals of Anglo-Saxon archaeology. The stone depicts a man riding a horse, carrying a shield and a dagger. It is believed to represent King Ethelbald of Mercia, the man responsible for building the crypt. It is the oldest known portrait impression of any English monarch and dates from about 757 AD