Visitors to St Oswald's Church in Oswestry can still see a blocked doorway linked to one of the most enduring traditions of medieval Christianity.
Known as a "Devil's Door", the doorway survives on the north side of the historic church and bears an inscription naming four churchwardens from 1715: Peter Povall, Edward Haytley, John Lloyd and Richard Thomas.
While the doorway has been sealed for centuries, it offers a glimpse into changing religious beliefs and customs that shaped parish life in Oswestry over hundreds of years.
A Devil's Door is the traditional name given to a doorway found on the north side of some medieval churches in Britain. Many were later blocked up, but traces can still be seen in a number of historic church buildings.
The north side of a church was often symbolically associated with darkness and the un-Christian world.
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Receiving less direct sunlight than the south side of the building, it came to carry associations that contrasted with the brighter, more favoured southern side, where burials were often concentrated.
The term is commonly linked to medieval baptismal traditions. According to one longstanding explanation, the north door was left open during baptisms so the Devil or evil spirits could symbolically leave as a child was welcomed into the Christian faith.
Historians regard this as a traditional interpretation and piece of church folklore rather than a proven explanation for every doorway known as a Devil's Door.
Many such doorways were eventually bricked up or permanently sealed. In some churches this happened after the Reformation, when religious practices changed and older customs fell out of use. Practical considerations, including reducing draughts or creating additional interior space, may also have played a part.
The inscription above St Oswald's blocked doorway reads:
Peter Povall
Edward Haytley
John Lloyd
Richard Thomas
Church Wardens 1715
The four churchwardens named in the inscription were serving long after the Reformation, Civil War and Puritan period had reshaped religious life in Britain. Their names and the date were recorded above a doorway that had already formed part of the church fabric for generations.
Dating from the early years of George I's reign, the inscription provides a direct link between the medieval church and the people responsible for its care more than 300 years ago.
Today, the blocked north doorway remains one of many historic features preserved within St Oswald's.
Whatever its original purpose, it stands as a reminder of the changing traditions, beliefs and practices that have influenced worship at the church through the centuries.
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