St Oswald’s Hand – Lower Peover.

In the small village of Lower Peover in the county of Cheshire can be found a beautiful church called St Oswald’s. The church was founded in 1269 and it is of the Cheshire

Magpie construction with a Norman sandstone tower.On one of the walls on the inside of the church a wooden carved hand used to be on display. The hand was probably used during the Middle Ages to indicate a fair was in progress, however locally it is believed that the hand represents the miraculous hand of St Oswald. It is said that his generosity towards a group of beggars was so great that St Aidan blessed him, saying that his hand that gave so freely would never grow old, years after St Oswald’s body had turned to dust it is said that his hand remained uncorrupted and as youthful as ever. I travelled over to St Oswald’s to photograph the carved wooden hand but was disappointed to find out it had been stolen, I suppose it makes a change from stealing the lead off the roof! However I did manage to find an image of it from an old book and have included it on this page.

Another interesting feature to be found in this church and obviously too big to be hauled away by the thieves is the medieval Bible chest which is said to be hewn from a Cheshire Oak tree and is said to be older than the church itself.

Close to St Oswald’s church can be found the Warren de Tabley arms which is now known as the Bells. The landlord in 1871 was a George Bell who along with his family brewed beer on the premises, and according to witnesses his ghost has been seen on numerous occasions in the beer cellar.