A History of
St. Peter's at South Weald
The church is large for such a small village and stands proudly on the top of the hill at South Weald, two miles from Brentwood in Essex in England. The Saxons settled here and the place is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
St. Peter's is the mother church of the neighbourhood and until the middle of the 19th century, Brentwood, with its chapel, came under the jurisdiction of South Weald. The present church dates from about 1150, although the south door with its chevron ornamentation is the sole remaining Norman feature. The present memorial chapel at the end of the south aisle was originally Weald Hall Chapel. Within it are commemorated former holders of the manor of South Weald. Sir Anthony Browne, the founder of Brentwood school, Erasmus Smith and the Tower family are all represented. The latter were the local squires from 1752 onward.
