All Saints Church, Barrowby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids All Saints Church, Barrowby |
|
|---|---|
All Saints Church and lychgate, Barrowby
|
|
| 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 is an Anglican church, which means it belongs to the Church of England. The church is considered a Grade I listed building. This means it is a special historic building that needs to be protected.
The church is about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Grantham. It sits on a hill and looks out over a beautiful area called the Vale of Belvoir. All Saints Church serves the local areas of Barrowby and Great Gonerby.
Contents
History of All Saints Church
The church in Barrowby has been around for a very long time. It was even mentioned in the Domesday Book. This famous book was written in 1086 to record information about England.
During a time called the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1500s, many changes happened to churches. All Saints Church lost its old stained glass windows. A special screen called a rood screen was also removed. This screen had a crucifix and figures of Mary and St John. The old altar stones were broken up, and the altar cross was sold.
Important People at the Church
Thomas Hurst was the rector (a type of priest) of Barrowby starting in 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 in 1644. He got his job back in 1660 and died in 1674. There is a special memorial for him in the church.
Another important rector was James Menteath, who started in 1759. He was a scholar who studied at the same time as the famous thinker Adam Smith.
Changes and Improvements Over Time
For many years, a church band played music for services at All Saints. Later, a church organ was put in. New pews (church benches) were added to make the church look nicer.
In the later 1800s, the church had a lot of restoration work done. The spire (the tall, pointed top of the tower) and the roof were repaired. A new organ and choir stalls (special seats for the choir) were installed. New stained glass was also put into the windows.
The Rev. George Earle Welby was the rector from 1849. He helped start the village's church school. He also gave the church its beautiful lychgate around 1891. A lychgate is a covered gateway at the entrance to a churchyard. This lychgate is now a Grade II listed structure, meaning it is also an important historic building.
Architecture of All Saints Church
All Saints Church is built from limestone and ironstone. Its roof is made of slate. The church tower is built in a style called "Decorated Gothic." It has an octagonal (eight-sided) spire with two levels of small windows called lucarnes. The tower holds six bells.
Inside the Church
The north aisle (a side part of the church) was built in the late 1200s. The windows in this aisle are in a style called "Perpendicular." The church has arcades, which are rows of arches supported by columns. The north arcade has two parts, and the south arcade has four parts.
The earliest part of the chancel (the area around the altar) has a door from the 1200s. The chancel itself has windows in both Decorated and Perpendicular styles. On the outside wall of the chancel, you can see a piece of an old pattern. It might be from an Anglo-Saxon cross.
The church porch was built in the 1400s and has stone benches. Inside, on the south side, there is a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels) from the 1200s and three sedilia (seats for clergy). These were repaired in the 1800s.
The font (a basin for baptisms) is eight-sided and in the Perpendicular style. It has small windows in its base. If you look through these windows, you can see a carving of a devil! The top part of the font also has eight small windows. The screen inside the church is also in the Perpendicular style.
The pulpit (where the priest gives sermons) is made of oak and is eight-sided. It was built in the 1800s, possibly using old wood from the earlier rood screen.
Special Items and Memorials
The church has some old and valuable items. There is a chalice (a cup for communion) from 1696 and a paten (a small plate for communion bread) from the same year. There is also an alms basin (for collecting donations) from 1808.
You can find special metal plaques called brasses in the church. One is for Nicolas Deen, who died in 1479. Another is for the wife of James Deen, who died in 1508. There is also a stone tablet for the family of Dr. Hurst, the chaplain to King Charles I. This tablet is from 1674 and lists his seven children.
In 1916, a writer named Cox described the church. He noted its beautiful spire and the interesting font from around 1340. He mentioned that the font's base is hollow and has carvings of demons inside. These carvings might represent sin being removed by baptism.
An old guide from 1885 also described the church. It mentioned the beautiful font and the remaining parts of the rood screen. It also talked about the brasses for Nicholas Deene and his wife, and James Deene and his wife. The guide noted the monument to Dr. Hurst, who was imprisoned for supporting the king but later died at the church in 1674. The church was restored in 1854, and an organ room 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.
