Church History

The oldest part of St Oswald's is the tower, which is thought to date from about AD 1085, and it is reasonable to suppose that worshippers and pilgrims have used successive buildings on this site for well over 1000 years.

The early history of the site is not precisely known, but much damage was caused to the extant building during the Civil War. The present Church - crudely rebuilt during AD 1675 - was substantially altered by GE Street between 1872 and 1874 at a cost of £12,650 as it had become ruinous; in these two years the Church was closed and services held in the National School and in Oswestry School Chapel.

The dedication of the Church is to St Oswald, King and Martyr, the Northumbrian King and man of faith who lost his life in a brutal battle with the Mercian and pagan King Penda on nearby Maeslyn (or Maserfield) in AD 642. Oswald's arm having been severed from his body and picked up by an eagle was dropped some distance away, where a well is said to have sprung. Oswald's Tree or Oswestry derives from the Welsh having nailed Oswald's body to a tree in mock crucifixion.

The South Porch and Clergy Vestry are later additions, dating from 1872. Externally, there are figures in bas-relief above the door, reflecting the dedication of the Church - St Mary, Our Lord and St Oswald.

The external doors to the Porch commemorate the 1977 Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Above the internal doorway is a small but beautiful window with the inscription 'He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man; the Reapers are Angels'.