ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH

Soham, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom.

 The Early Church

 C. 630 AD St Felix built Soham Abbey

Soham is associated with a premier saint quoted in the annals of English Church history. He was St. Felix (meaning happy or joyful). In 613 AD Sigebert, the exiled son of Redwald, the first Christian King of East Anglia, succeeded his brother Earpwald as King. Sigebert, who had been converted to Christianity in France brought with him to East Anglia, Bishop Felix of Burgundy, who was later consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury as the ‘Apostle of the East Angles’. Felix is renowned as a great missionary and became the first Bishop of the East Angles. King Sigebert allowed him to establish his see at Domnoc, or Dommoc-ceastre. There has always been uncertainty about the location of Domnoc, many historians believe it to be what was once the seaside port of Dunwich in Suffolk, which is now lost to the sea, but modern research has revealed that Domnoc may in fact be Soham. Domnoc had been a Roman station and, besides the advantage of its port, its walls may still have been strong enough to afford some protection for the new Bishop. It was, moreover, connected with the interior by ancient roads. 
St. Felix is said to have founded a monastery at Soham around 630 AD and was consecrated by Archbishop Honorius in 631 AD. According to the chronicler of the times his episcopate was full of happiness for the cause of Christianity and the admirable historian, Bede, described his work with an allusion to the good omen of his name. Bede wrote that St. Felix "delivered all the province of East Anglia from long-standing unrighteousness and unhappiness. As a pious cultivator of the spirited field, he found abundant faith in a believing people. In no part of England was Christianity more favourably introduced".
Bede continues: "He (St. Felix) did not fail in his purpose and like a good farmer reaped a rich harvest of believers. He delivered the entire province from its age-old wickedness and infelicity and brought it to the Christian faith and works of righteousness, and in full accord with the significance of his own name, guided it towards eternal felicity".
An important feature of his mission was the combination of education with religion by means of a school such as existed at Canterbury in connection with the house of SS. Peter and Paul. This school, for which Felix provided teachers "after the model of Kent" was probably attached to the primitive East Anglian Cathedral but its actual location is not known.
"He had the see of his bishopric appointed him in the city Domnoc, and having presided over the same province with pontifical authority for seventeen years, he ended his days there in peace." Whether this was in Soham or Dunwich we cannot be certain. St. Felix died on the 8th March 647 AD and is represented as a Bishop with three rings on his right hand.
For 200 years the monastic settlement at Soham thrived until around 870 AD when the Danes made their destructive progress across the region, they destroyed the Abbey, stealing its treasures, killing the monks and burning the buildings to the ground.  The Abbey was never rebuilt, and the actual site remains a mystery, although, in 1120 AD, William de Malmsebury records that the ruins here were still visible.
Except for traces of Saxon masonry in the Norman Church of St Andrew, no physical evidence for the Abbey survives above ground.  Stone remains may well have been exported to assist in the rebuilding of the more easily defended monastery of St Etheldreda at Ely, which was brought down at the same time.
St Felix's remains were later removed by a monk named Etheric to Ramsey in Huntingdonshire, and there solemnly enshrined by Abbot Ethelstan circa 1030 AD.

An artists impression of Ranulph's modifications to the Cathedral of Luttingus. The majority of the building retained its Saxon character with early Norman additions. Note the long north transept and central tower that disappeared when the round bell tower was replaced at the end of the 15th Century

 C. 900 AD The Cathedral of Luttingus

It has been supposed that subsequent to the Danish raid, Soham was relinquished as a religious site, but it is recorded that Luttingus, a Saxon nobleman built a Cathedral and Palace at Soham. The original Saxon Cathedral would have been a classic example in its construction, with a simple stone building, traces of which still exist within the structure of the present church, and a separate round bell tower which was pulled down when the late Norman tower was built in its stead.  This would have been situated, along with other religious buildings, within a circular enclosure. Today the enclosure exists more or less in its original form although somewhat diminished in size.  Vestiges of early buildings discovered on the opposite side of the road to the enclosure, along with further burials, may have existed within the enclosure in Saxon times.  It is unlikely that this is the site of the original Abbey.

 Ranulph granted lands for St Andrews 1102 AD

The building of a great Norman Church at Soham is evidence that the Norman’s had a great presence here. In 1102 AD Hubert de Burgh, Chief Justice of England granted ‘Ranulph’ certain lands in trust for the Church of St. Andrew. This confirms to us that a Church was already in existence here.
Recorded as the first Vicar of Soham, Ranulph had a hand in designing the new church which would incorporate some of the original Saxon building completed by Luttingus.  The Norman design originally included a central tower, however, this was never built and it seems that the separate Saxon bell tower remained in use.
It is apparent that the Saxon Rectory of Luttingus was still in use at this time.  Records suggest that a separate Vicarage was created and endowed before 1291 when it is referred to for taxation by Pope Nicholas IV, and that the two were brought together in 1341AD during the reign of Edward III.
In 1496, right at the end of the Norman period, William Yaxle bequeathed enough money to build a new church tower, and requested that the old tower be removed and the new one built on its foundation.  The tower was built as specified, and a new bay was added to the Church in order to join it to the tower.

 The Church of St Andrew

On 3rd August 1451, Soham Parsonage and Vicarage were granted to Pembroke College. This was confirmed by the signature of King Henry VI in 1454.  The College still maintains a strong connection with the Church today. The earliest church registers date from 1558 onwards.

 Mary D'Aye

In 1638, on receipt of a large inheritance from his maternal uncle, Thomas Steward, Oliver Cromwell moved his family to Ely. His infamous rise to power is a celebrated part of English history. See Ely On-Line for more details about Oliver Cromwell in Ely.
Although he died in 1658, his connection with this area lived on through his descendants. A large memorial situated to the left of the main door of St. Andrew's Church marks the grave of his Great-grand daughter Mary D'Aye, daughter of Elizabeth Cromwell and William Russell, Elizabeth being the daughter of Henry Cromwell, Lord Deputy of Ireland.

 Olaudah Equiano - b.1745 d.1797

Perhaps the most famous marriage at St. Andrew's Church, Soham in Cambridgeshire was between Olaudah Equiano (The African) and Susannah Cullen (Spinster of the Parish of Soham) on the 7th April 1792. Slavery was still in force at the time of their marriage. Olaudah Equiano otherwise known as Gustavus Vassa was the African slave who gained his freedom and became an activist for the abolition of slavery in the 18th Century. He wrote his celebrated Autobiography - 'The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African 1789' which is still available to buy to this day. Evidence to suggest that the couple took up residence in Soham comes from the fact that both of their children were born here. He had two daughters Anna Maria Vassa born on 16th October 1793 and was baptised in St. Andrew's Church on 30th January 1794. His second daughter, Joanna Vassa was born on 11th April 1795 and baptised in St. Andrew's Church on 29th April 1795. Susannah was always thought to have died during Joanna's birth, however, records show that she died a year later, and is believed to be buried in Soham as 'Susanna Vassa, wife of Gustavus the African on 21st February 1796, aged 34'. Gustavus died on 31st March 1797, aged 52, his death occurred in London, but the whereabouts of his burial is unknown. Sadly Anna Maria died a few months later on 21st July 1797, aged just 4 Years and is buried in St. Andrew's Church, Chesterton, Cambridge where there is a commemorative plaque in her memory. Joanna Vassa inherited a sizable estate from her father equivalent to £100,000 in todays money. She went on to marry the Reverend Henry Bromley and they ran a Congregational Chapel at Clavering near Saffron Walden in Essex, before moving to London in the middle of the nineteenth century. Joanna died in March 1857 at the age of 61 and is buried along with her husband in Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington. It's not yet known whether Joanna had any children. The Slave Trade was finally abolished on British ships 10 years after the death of Olaudah Equiano, in 1807. It took a further forty years to see the abolition in the British colonies.

 Stained Glass Window in St. Andrew's Church Depicting St. Felix 

 In Memory of Wallace Turner
 20th October 1914-22nd May 2000

A stained glass window in St. Andrew's Church in memory of the late Wallace Turner was unveiled and dedicated at a special service held on Sunday 8th September 2002. Some 400 people packed into the Church to see the new window which features St. Felix, who founded the monastery in Soham, and to hear Irish singing sensation, Daniel O'Donnell - Wallace's favourite singer - perform during the service. Mr Turner, known to many Soham people as 'Wal', who passed away on 22nd May 2000. The weekend also saw the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Wal's daughter Winnie and her husband Eric Day. Many Congratulations to both of them. The new window was formally dedicated to the greater glory of God on the Saturday 14th September 2002.

The designer, Helen Whittaker has written the following description of the window:-

"The focal point of the window is a life-size representation of St. Felix, vested as a bishop. He is shown holding a book in one hand and his other hand is raised in blessing.
The middle panels of the flanking lights show the good works of St. Felix. The left panel depicts St. Felix and Sigbert planning the education of the people, with the arms of the University of Cambridge beneath: the right panel depicts the foundation of an Abbey.
In the background is the church of St. Andrew's, which was founded after the Abbey was destroyed by the Danes in 870, with the arms of the Diocese of Ely below it. The See of Dunwich is represented by the rock upon which St. Felix stands.
The Tree of Knowledge is shown rooted in the soil of East Anglia, represented by local scenes at the bottom of the side lights. The Tree rises, through the decorative borders, to the tracery lights, which are filled with leaves. Here can be seen the emblems of the four Evangelists."