Worcester No. 7 / Uueogorna / Vveogorna / Weogorna / Wigornia / Wirccester / Wirecestre

There are three entries for Worcester [variant spelling] in the Domesday survey [http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/SO8454/worcester/] [accessed 30 October 2014], neither of which mention cleric or church in it. Miller (1890) notes that St. Helen's "was a vicarage of the mother church or cathedral", and that "In 969, Winsun, the vicar, became a monk, and surrendered the vicarage to the monks"; the first recorded rector, however, is reported in Miller (ibid.) as "W. Michael", sine data, but the next recorded rector, "John de Stamway", took office in 1284. The Victoria County Histroy (Worcester, vol. 4, 1924) notes: "Two of the churches of Worcester, those of St. Helen and St. Alban, are recorded as early as the 11th century in a document of much interest [...] though much restored, retains a 15th-century arcade of six arches on either side. The 15th-century font is octagonal. The church seems to have been considerably repaired in the 18th century, when the tower was rebuilt". A baptismal font of 1855 is reported here in Brooks & Pevsner (2007). The parish website [www.allsaintsworcester.org.uk/about/sthelens.htm] [accessed 9 June 2010] informs: "The present building stands on the site of what is believed to be the earliest church in Worcester, probably dating from the Roman occupation. By the time of the Second World War, the church had ceased to be used for worship and was put to various uses until, in 1956, it became the County Record Office. The church had never been declared legally redundant, and when the County Records Office was moved to new premises in 2002, its future use was again under discussion. St Helen's Today: After more than 60 years, St Helen's Church has been returned to use as a centre of worship." [NB: we have no information on the earlier font(s) of St. Helen's]