neglect and a great deal of repair work was done before the church was reconsecrated in October 1909. In December of the same year the vicar George James Pierson died, having held that post in the parish since 1842 - almost 68 years. It was the parish church for the village for 850 years until St George's Church was built in 1964 in nearby Letchworth Garden City; however, it is still in use as a place of worship, for weddings and as a chapel of ease. Design The oldest part of the church is the south end of the nave and the Norman clunch chancel arch. The tower was built in the 15th century and the nave was extended at that time to connect with it and the walls of the nave were heightened. The windows and porch also date from that time, as do the older pews and the font. In 1814 the north doorway was blocked up and the coat of arms which now hang over the south door replaced an earlier larger one. The pulpit dates from the 17th century. The chancel displays memorials to members of the Pryor family who owned much of the land and most of the cottages in the village. On the south wall of the nave is a memorial to the daughters of Katherine Cole of nearby Radwell manor who all died in infancy. Katherine was the daughter of the lord of Norton manor at that time, Richard Cleaver. Also on the south wall of the nave is a memorial to William Pym (an ancestor of Francis Pym, Foreign Secretary under Margaret Thatcher), who bought the manor from the descendants of Richard Cleaver in 1680, and his wife Elizabeth. In the floor close to the chancel arch is a memorial to their infant son, Guy, who died in April 1686. At that time the new year began on Lady Day on the 25 March, which explains why one of the Cleaver girls appears to have died (February 1652) before she was born (September 1652) and why some people think that Guy died in 1685. It has been a Grade II listed building since 1954 and is in the Diocese of St Albans. The Bells The church has a peal of eight bells, three of which are pre-20th century. The oldest dates from the 15th century and was probably cast by Joanna Hille,