All Saints Church, Barrowby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints Church, Barrowby |
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All Saints Church and lychgate, Barrowby
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| 52°55′07″N 0°41′41″W / 52.9187°N 0.6947°W | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | All Saints |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Barrowby and Great Gonerby |
| Deanery | Deanery of Grantham |
| Diocese | Lincoln |
| Province | Canterbury |
All Saints Church is a very old and important church in Barrowby, Lincolnshire, England. It's considered a Grade I listed building, which means it's a special historic place. The church is about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Grantham. It sits on a hill, offering great views of the Vale of Belvoir. All Saints is part of the church area for Barrowby and Great Gonerby.
Contents
Church History
Early Beginnings
The church in Barrowby is very old. It was even mentioned in the Domesday Book, a famous survey from 1086. This shows that a church and its priest were here almost a thousand years ago!
Changes Over Time
During a time called the Dissolution of the Monasteries, many changes happened to churches. In All Saints, some of its old features were removed. For example, its beautiful medieval stained glass windows were taken out. Also, a special screen called a rood screen with a crucifix and figures of Mary and St John was removed in 1561. Even the altar stones were broken up.
Notable Rectors
One important person who worked at the church was Thomas Hurst. He was the rector (the main priest) from 1629. He was born in Barrowby in 1598. Thomas Hurst was a Chaplain to King Charles I. During the First English Civil War, he supported the King. Because of this, he lost his job at the church for a while in 1644. He got his job back in 1660 and died in 1674. There's a special memorial to him in the church.
Another interesting rector was James Menteath, who started in 1759. He was a student at the same time as Adam Smith, a very famous thinker.
Music and Renovations
For many years, a church band played music for the services at All Saints. Later, a church organ was put in. The old pews (church benches) were replaced with new, neat wooden benches.
In the late 1800s, the church had a lot of work done. The spire (the tall, pointed part of the tower) and the roof were repaired. A new organ and special seats for the choir were added. New stained glass was also put into the old windows.
The Rev. George Earle Welby was the rector from 1849. He started the village's church school. He also gave the church its beautiful timber-framed lychgate around 1891. A lychgate is a covered gateway to a churchyard. This lychgate is now a Grade II listed structure.
Church Design
Building Materials
All Saints Church is built from limestone and ironstone. These are types of rock. The roof is made of slate tiles from Westmorland and Wales.
The Tower and Spire
The church has a tall tower with an octagonal (eight-sided) spire. The spire has two levels of small windows called lucarnes. Inside the tower, there are six bells that ring out for services and special events.
Inside the Church
The church has a north aisle (a side part of the church) that was built in the late 1200s. The windows in this aisle are in a style called Perpendicular. There are also arcades (rows of arches) on both the north and south sides.
The earliest part of the chancel (the area around the altar) has a door from the 1200s. The chancel itself has windows from different periods. On the outside wall of the chancel, you can see a piece of an interlaced pattern. This pattern is probably very old, from the Anglo-Saxon times, and might have come from a cross.
The porch, which is the entrance area, was built in the 1400s and has stone benches. Inside, on the south side, there's a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels) and three sedilia (seats for the clergy), which were repaired in the 1800s.
Special Features
The font (where baptisms take place) is octagonal and from the Perpendicular period. It has a unique feature: its stem (the base) has two-light windows. If you look through them, you can see a carving of a devil! The bowl of the font also has eight three-light windows.
The screen inside the church is also from the Perpendicular period. The octagonal oak pulpit (where sermons are given) is from the 1800s. It might have been made using old wood from the previous rood screen.
The church also has some old and valuable items. There's a silver chalice (cup) from 1696 and a paten (plate) from the same year. There's also an alms basin (for collecting donations) from 1808.
You can find special brasses (engraved metal plates) in the church. One is for Nicolas Deen (who died in 1479) and another for the wife of James Deen (who died in 1508). There's also a tablet for the family of Dr. Hurst, the chaplain to King Charles I, from 1674. The tablet lists his seven children.
Descriptions from the Past
Writers from the past have described All Saints Church. In 1916, Cox noted that the church stands on high ground with great views. He also mentioned the font, saying it's a "noteworthy" example with its unique hollow shaft and carvings of demons. He thought these carvings might show sin being removed by baptism.
Kelly's Directory from 1885 described the church as having a chancel, nave, aisles, and a tower with five bells. It also highlighted the beautiful font and the brasses of the Deene family. The directory mentioned that the church was restored in 1854 and an organ chamber was added in 1870. The east window received new stained glass in 1884. The church's records, called registers, go all the way back to 1538!
