Church of St Michael, Alnham

The Church of St Michael stands on a slope in the small village of Alnham, Northumberland. It is a medieval building dating from about 1200 and was constructed on the site of a small Roman camp. The church is mentioned in records from 1291 and is a Grade I listed building. It is dedicated to St Michael, a popular saint in north Northumberland with eight churches named after him in the Archdeaconry of Lindisfarne. The church is part of a parish situated in the northwest of Northumberland, near the Scottish border. The village lies within 8 miles of the border. The church’s history is tied to the Earl of Northumberland and the monks of Alnwick Abbey. William de Vesci granted Alnham Church to the monks in 1184, and they rebuilt it in their usual style. The church’s value was recorded in tax assessments, rising from £31 in 1291 to £37 13s. 4d. in 1340. It was valued at £3 7s. during the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The church has Saxon quoins in the nave and features from the 16th and 17th centuries, including a porch and doorway. Inside, the church has a small bowl font from 1664 with heraldic devices linked to the Percy family. The communion plate includes a cup, paten, flagon, and brass alms dish. The bell, inscribed "Alnham," dates to November 1759. The chancel floor holds tomb slabs, and the church grounds contain several tablets and gravestones. The north transept was once used as a Sunday school, and the church has undergone multiple restorations, including work by architect F. R. Wilson in 1870. The building retains elements from different periods, reflecting its long history.