Turvey

All Saints Church, Turvey

The attractive village of Turvey lies beside the River Ouse near the border with Buckinghamshire. At the time of the Domesday Book the village was named "Turvey Tornai" and much of the land was owned by the Norman Bishop of Coutances.

The manor of Turvey was tenanted by the Alneto family. An Alneto heiress married into the Mordaunt family, who held Turvey until 1786. The final Mordaunt of Turvey was the 2nd Earl of Peterborough, who lost the estates because of his political affiliations.

Remnants of the old Saxon church can still be seen in the structure of medieval All Saints, a spacious church set beside Turvey House. Two late Saxon windows survive in the SW corner of the nave, and the unusual 4-corner font dates from about 1200.

The most prominent feature of the interior are the 16th-century brass memorials to various Mordaunt family members. Several of the memorials are quite striking; the effigy of Sir John Mordaunt (d 1506) rests on a helmet topped with a shrieking man.

The elegantly simple memorial to the 3rd Baron Mordaunt (d. 1601) is composed of black alabaster and marble. The Baron was a reluctant judge at the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Turvey Abbey is now a Benedictine house and retreat centre, with fine Jacobean architecture, and Turvey House is an enjoyable example of Georgian architecture.