The church has counted among its worshippers such notable figures as the poet William Cowper and John Incent, who went on to become Dean of St Paul's Cathedral 1540–1545.

The foundation date of St Peter's is also uncertain, but historians assume it to be around 1222, the year that Robert de Tuardo, the first known rector, was instituted by the Bishop of Lincoln, Hugh of Wells.

John de Waltham was rector of St Peter's from 1379 along with a large number of other parishes, as was common at the time.

[14] Despite being a staunch Anglican, by 1645 Newman fell into political disfavor by being barred from the rectory of St. Peter's by Act of Parliament for a payment delinquency.

[15] Newman's successor, Rev John Napier, was instituted as rector of St Peter's in 1639 but ejected by Parliament during the English Civil War and was replaced by a series of "intruder" priests installed by Parliament: George Phippon, William Harrison, David Bramley (or Bramble) and Richard Lee.

[11] Although no battles were fought in the area during the Civil War, Berkhamsted lay on the lines of communication between London and Aylesbury and Royalist forces sometimes passed through the parish and soldiers were billeted in local cottages.

St Peter's Church was itself caught up in the conflict when, in 1648, it was requisitioned by General Fairfax as a Military prison to hold captured soldiers from the Siege of Colchester.

When the church was eventually returned to parish control, the vestry levied a special tax of twopence an acre on local landowners to pay for replacement windows.

After the Restoration of the English monarchy in 1660, John Sayer, a member St Peter's congregation was appointed chief cook to King Charles II.

"[17] Upon his death in 1682, John Sayer left £1000 in his will for the construction of a row of almshouses on Berkhamsted High Street, containing twelve rooms for the habitation of six poor widows.

[19] Charles de Guiffadière, who was rector from 1798 to 1810 and also served as vicar of Stoke Newington, was a reader to Queen Caroline and a popular figure of fun who featured in the humorous journal The Diary of Fanny Burney as the character "Mr Turbulent".

[11] St Peter's has also counted among its congregation members of the Dorrien-Smith family who are commemorated by various memorials around the church.

The last reigning monarch to act in this role for Great Berkhamsted was Charles II in 1681, for the installation of Robert Brabant.

The event was recorded by one Nathaniel Salmon, who also reported that the disaster had uncovered a set of painted figures on the pillars, possibly medieval in origin, of the Eleven Apostles and Saint George and the Dragon.

Salmon noted that they had "but lately come to light, having, by the zeal of the last generation, been whited over", in reference to the efforts of Puritan iconoclasts of the English Civil War during the previous century.

[21] The structure of the church continued to evolve; doors were added and blocked up, fittings were installed and moved around and monuments resited and removed.

In the 19th century there were major restorations of St Peter's church; the first in 1820, led by Jeffry Wyattville, architect of Ashridge House, was controversial and has been criticised for the destruction of many original features of the building.

During the works, churchwardens were involved in removing ancient monuments from the church, and Wyattville covered the outer walls with stucco.

Butterfield's restoration of St Peter's Church is more positively assessed, although his work also involved the removal of some original features, including the obliteration of the paintings on the pillars.

St Catherine's Chapel and the nave were refurbished and a large mural of the Ascension by Burrows which covered the wall over the tower arch was painted over.

The church was also substantially re-ordered, and the high altar and sanctuary area brought forward under the tower crossing.

By the corner of the north transept stands the marble tomb of Sir John Cornwallis, a member of the Council of King Edward VI.

The Lady Chapel also contains some notable memorials, including the marble tomb of John Sayer, inscribed with the date 1682.

The chapel was restored around 1900 and the alabaster reredos – a copy of high altar screen in Winchester Cathedral – and the stained glass windows date from this period.

The area still contains fixtures from its days as the sanctuary before the church was re-ordered in 1960, including a large mosaic reredos by Alfred Hoare Powell with a painted crucifixion scene by Burrows.

The 85 feet (26 m) clock tower was finished in 1546 and contains a peal of eight bells with a combined weight of 3.5 long tons (3.6 t).

[28] A three-light window by Westlake, installed in 1885 in memory of the Berkhamsted sheep dip manufacturer William Cooper, depicts Christ enthroned surrounded by saints and martyrs, including Edward the Confessor and Hugh of Lincoln accompanied by his pet swan.

The graveyard around St Peter's Church contains many old gravestones, most of which were laid flat in the late 19th century, and it now serves as a green.

Some burials were made on the south side of the church, but the widening of the High Street limited the amount of space available.

[32] A foundation stone commemorates the donation of the Countess and the consecration of the burial ground by John Kaye, Bishop of Lincoln, on 11 October 1842.