The Friends of St Nicholas Churchyard are delighted to share the news that the Reverend Allen Bower, presently Vicar of St Saviour’s Sunbury in the Diocese of London, has been appointed Priest in Charge, Rector Designate, of St Nicholas Sutton, subject to the completion of the necessary procedures.
This appointment has been made by the Bishop of Southwark in partnership with the Hertford College Advowson Trustees. We offer Reverend Bower a warm welcome and assure him of our support as he prepares to begin his ministry in Sutton.
As a heritage group rooted in the long story of this place, it seems fitting to reflect on what this announcement means and how the structures behind it connect us to more than a thousand years of history.
What Is a Parish?
A parish is the most local unit of the Church of England. It is both:
• A geographical area
• A worshipping community centred on a parish church
Every inch of England belongs to a parish. Historically, the parish was not only the centre of spiritual life, but also of civic life. Before modern local government, the parish administered poor relief, maintained roads, and supported community welfare.
St Nicholas Sutton has been the parish church serving this area since at least the Saxon period. Sutton itself appears in the historical record in 675 AD, when the estate was granted to Chertsey Abbey. That ancient gift laid the foundations of parish life here for well over a millennium.
Today, the parish remains the basic building block of the Church’s mission, rooted in a defined community and called to serve all who live within it.
What Is a Benefice?
A benefice is a grouping of one or more parishes under the care of a single priest.
In the coming months, it is intended that the parishes of St Nicholas Sutton and St Barnabas will be united in one benefice. Each parish will continue to exist with its own identity, PCC and history, but they will share the priests who are licensed to the benefice.
This arrangement is increasingly common. It allows churches to collaborate in mission, stewardship and ministry, while respecting their individual character and heritage.
The term benefice comes from the medieval idea of a “benefit” or living provided to a priest, including the right to receive income from parish lands or tithes. While those financial structures have long changed, the term remains.
The Role of the Bishop
The Bishop of Southwark is the chief pastor of the Diocese. It is the Bishop who formally appoints clergy to parishes, licenses them to minister, and has responsibility for the spiritual oversight of churches across south London and east Surrey.
The Bishop does not act alone. In this case, the appointment has been made in collaboration with the Hertford College Advowson Trustees. That brings us to one of the more fascinating pieces of church history.
What Is an Advowson?
An advowson is the legal right to present a priest to a parish when a vacancy arises. The word comes from the Latin advocatio, meaning the right of patronage.
In medieval England, landowners or institutions that founded or endowed a church often retained the right to appoint the rector. That right could be inherited, sold, or transferred. It became a recognised piece of property in English law.
For many centuries, the manor of Sutton was owned by Chertsey Abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. After the Abbey’s lands were seized in 1537, the manor and associated rights passed into private hands. Over time, the advowson followed its own legal journey.
How Did Hertford College Acquire the Advowson?
Hertford College, Oxford, is today the patron of St Nicholas Sutton through its Advowson Trustees.
Oxford colleges historically acquired advowsons as part of their endowments. They were seen as a way of ensuring that parishes received well-educated clergy formed in the life of the Church and the academy. In many cases, benefactors left patronage rights to colleges in their wills, trusting them to safeguard both doctrinal integrity and pastoral quality.
In the 19th century, the advowson of St Nicholas was purchased by Hertford College. While the manor itself passed through various families over the centuries, the patronage became attached to the College.
Today, the Hertford College Advowson Trustees exercise that historic right in partnership with the Diocese. It is a remarkable continuity: from Saxon estate, to medieval abbey, to Tudor upheaval, to Oxford college patronage, and now to a 21st-century parish preparing to welcome a new priest.
Looking Ahead
As Friends of St Nicholas Churchyard, we exist to promote public appreciation and conservation of this sacred and historic place. We do not appoint clergy, but we care deeply about the life of the parish that gives meaning to the stones, the monuments and the stories we preserve.
We look forward to welcoming Reverend Allen Bower and to working alongside him as we start another chapter in a long and living history.
