Editing Cogenhoe (section)

==St Peter’s Church==
From at least the reign of [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] when William de Cogenhoe erected a small church, and probably much earlier, a place of worship has stood on this spot in Church Street in the old part of the village.

Between 1225 and 1280 Nicholas de Cogenhoe, believed to be a Crusader, built a new church, and his effigy rests today in the South aisle of St. Peter’s. The son of Nicholas, William de Cogenhoe, opened up an arch on the north side of the chancel in AD 1320 and built a [[Chantry|Chantry Chapel]] to Our Lady. About 20 years later William’s son, Giles de Cogenhoe, widened the nave and added the north and south aisles and a Founders’ Chapel in the south aisle.

The grandson of Giles was another William de Cogenhoe, who began building the [[clerestory]] about 1360. The south porch was added in 1380, and about this time William’s daughter, Agnes, built the tower as a memorial to her father. The registers of St. Peter’s dated from 1568 and include a census of the village taken in 1624. By the north door is a [[Blackletter]] [[King James Version|King James Bible]] dated 1617.

Within the belfry hang six bells ranging from 3 cwts 3 qtrs to 8 cwts 3 qtrs (187&nbsp;kg to 437&nbsp;kg). Two were originally cast in 1678, while another was of unknown 14th-century origin. These three were recast and rehung with the additions in 1909.  The bells were further turned and re-hung in 2003 by [[John Taylor & Co]] of Loughborough, who operate the largest bell foundry in the world.

Architectural features of special interest include ten shields and nine heads on pillars and corbels. The church is grade II* listed.

The church is part of the United Benefice of Cogenhoe and Great Houghton and Little Houghton with Brafield on the Green, in the Peterborough Diocese.