St Andrew and St Mary's Church, Stoke Rochford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Andrew and Mary’s Church, Stoke Rochford |
|
|---|---|
St Andrew and St Mary's church, Stoke Rochford
|
|
| 52°50′09″N 0°38′06″W / 52.835803°N 0.63498205°W | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Founded | 11th century |
| Dedication | Saint Andrew; Saint Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 20 September 1966 |
| Architectural type | Norman; Perpendicular |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Ashlar and limestone rubble |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Stoke Rochford with Easton |
| Deanery | Deanery of Beltisloe |
| Diocese | Diocese of Lincoln |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Andrew and St Mary's Church is a very old church in the village of Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building, which means it's super important and protected. The church is dedicated to two saints: Saint Andrew and Saint Mary. You can find it about 5 miles (8 km) south of Grantham.
This church is special because it has strong links to the important Cholmeley family from Easton Hall and the Turnor family from Stoke Rochford Hall. Many memorials inside the church remember these families.
The church is part of the Church of England and belongs to a group of churches called the Colsterworth Group. This group also includes churches in Colsterworth, Skillington, Great Ponton, and Little Ponton. St Andrew and St Mary's is also in a special protected area called the Stoke Rochford conservation area.
Contents
History of the Church
The church's official records, called the parish register, started in 1663. But the church is much older than that!
Back in 1086, the Domesday Book mentioned settlements near where the church is now. These included Stoke, North Stoke, and Easton. At that time, there wasn't a complete church. However, parts of the current church might be from the 11th century. By the late 1100s, churches dedicated to St Andrew (at North Stoke) and St Mary (at South Stoke) were mentioned in records.
North Stoke village was actually removed between 1841 and 1843. This happened when Stoke Rochford Hall was rebuilt and its estate grew. The old North Stoke church was taken down.
For a long time, the two Stoke churches shared their income. But on June 13, 1776, the two parishes joined together. The South Stoke church then became St Andrew and St Mary. Some parts from the old North Stoke church were moved here. In the early 1900s, pieces of an 11th-century stone cross from the North Stoke church were found. They are now in the churchyard of St Andrew and St Mary's.
The oldest parts of the church are the main hall, called the nave, which is Norman style. The west tower might also be from the 11th century. Special side chapels were added in the 1400s by the Rochford family. This family gave their name to the Stoke-Rochford area. They were important people in history, with some serving as High Sheriff of Lincolnshire.
The bodies of Oliver St John and Elizabeth Rochford are buried under a black marble slab in the church. Elizabeth was related to a very important person: Margaret Beaufort, who was the mother of King Henry VII.
The north chapel and north aisle of the church became a place to remember the Turnor family from Stoke Rochford Hall. The south chapel and south aisle became linked to the Cholmeley family from Easton Hall.
The church was repaired and improved in the 1800s. The Turnor and Cholmely families helped pay for this. More work was done in 1846 and 1936. A special decorated screen behind the altar, called a reredos, was added in 1911. It was designed by Mary Fraser Tytler, a famous artist.
The clock on the church tower was put there in 1920 to remember those who died in the First World War. The church also has a connection to the Second World War. A big military plan, Operation Market Garden, was planned at Stoke Rochford Hall. The church holds a yearly service to remember the soldiers involved. In 2006, a service was held for a Lancaster bomber crew who crashed nearby in 1945.
In 2012, a special wedding took place here. Emily McCorquodale, who is the niece of Princess Diana, married James Hutt. Important guests like The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attended.
The church was officially given its Grade I listed building status on September 20, 1966. This means it's a very important historical building.
Church Design and Features
St Andrew and St Mary's Church is built from ashlar (smooth, cut stone) and limestone rubble (rough, broken stone). It has a main hall (the chancel), side chapels, a central area (the nave), side walkways (aisles), a tall tower, a porch, and a small room (vestry). Its style mixes Norman and Perpendicular designs, with some parts showing Decorated and Early English styles.
Outside the Church
The tower has three main parts. The bottom parts might be from the 11th century. It has a window from the early 1400s with a pointed arch. A church clock is just below the belfry (where the bells are). The belfry part was added in the 1200s and has windows with two lights (sections). The top of the tower has a battlement (like a castle wall) and pointed pinnacles at the corners. You can also see gargoyles that act as water drains.
Above the main part of the church, you can see the clerestory. This is a row of windows high up, letting light into the nave. There are three windows on the north side and three on the south.
The north and south aisles are attached to the nave. The north aisle has 19th-century windows. The porch on the north side is from the 1200s. It has a pointed arch doorway and stone benches inside. The south aisle has similar windows. A small room called a vestry is attached to the south aisle.
The south chapel was built in 1448. It has special stone supports called buttresses and a battlement roof. Its windows have three lights and stained glass. The north chapel, built later (1460–70), has a similar style with three windows on its north wall.
The east wall of the chancel (the area around the altar) is simple. The chancel's east window has three lights. You can see two more gargoyles draining the roof between the chancel and chapels.
Inside the Church
The church's interior was "scraped" clean in the 1800s. This was a common way to restore churches back then.
Near the entrance, under the tower arch, is a stone font from the 1800s. It's used for baptisms. The font has carved panels and a painted cover from around 1900. This cover shows scenes from the childhood of Christ.
The main part of the church, the nave, has arcades (rows of arches) on both sides. The north arcade is Norman and very old, possibly from before 1150. The south arcade is from the early 1200s. Both aisles have rows of wooden pews, which were put in by Sir Edmund Turnor in 1700.
The chancel also has arcades separating it from the side chapels. The north chancel arcade is from the 1300s, and the south chancel arcade is from the 1400s. Near the altar, there are wooden choir stalls and an altar rail with decorative carvings.
Behind the altar, under the east window, is a beautiful stone reredos from 1911. It was sculpted and painted by Mary Fraser Tytler. It shows the crucifixion of Christ in the middle, with saints on either side. The east window above it has stained glass from the 1800s.
The north chapel has a wooden parish chest and the church organ. The south chapel has a piscina, which is a basin used for washing sacred vessels.
Memorials and History Stories
The church is full of memorials, mostly for the Turnor family (from Stoke Rochford Hall) in the north part of the church, and the Cholmeley family (from Easton Hall) in the south part.
North Chapel and North Aisle Memorials
In the north chapel, there's a beautiful memorial from 1896 for Christopher Turnor (1809–1886) and his wife, Lady Caroline. Christopher Turnor was important for rebuilding Stoke Rochford Hall and was a Member of Parliament. This memorial is made of white marble with carvings of saints and portraits.
Near Christopher Turnor's memorial, on the floor, is a very old sculpted stone slab. It's thought to be from the early 1300s and might be for John de Neville and his wife. It shows two figures lying down, one in armor and the other with a head covering.
On the north wall, there's a very tall monument (17 feet (5.2 m) high!) made of black and white marble. It was put up by Edmund Turnor (1619–1707) during his lifetime. It remembers Sir Edmund Turnor, who was knighted in 1663, and his wife Dame Margaret. It also mentions their son John Turnor and other family members.
In the north aisle, there are more plaques for the Turnor family. One is for Herbert Broke Turnor, who died in the mountains of Tibet in 1881. Another is for Christopher Randolph Turnor, a soldier who died near Ypres, Belgium, in the First World War.
South Chapel and South Aisle Memorials
The biggest memorial in the south chapel is for Henry Cholmeley (died 1632) and his wife Elizabeth (died 1631). It was put up by their son Montague Cholmeley in 1641. This monument is richly carved and was once painted and gilded. It shows Henry and Elizabeth kneeling in prayer, with smaller figures of their sons.
Many other Cholmeley family members are buried under the south aisle and chapel. Their names are listed on this large monument. These include children who died young, and important family members who were merchants or served in the military.
The east window in the south chapel is a stained glass memorial to Sir Montague Aubrey Rowley Cholmeley, who was a captain in the Grenadier Guards and died in the First World War. Other stained glass windows in this area remember Sir Hugh Arthur Henry Cholmeley and his wife.
On the south aisle wall, there are three white marble monuments. One is for Mrs Penelope Cholmeley, who died in 1821. Another is for Sir Montague Cholmeley (died 1851) and his wife Dame Elizabeth. A smaller one is for James Harrison Cholmeley.
There is also a war memorial for six members of the Cholmeley family who died in the First World War, and one who died in Russia in 1919.
On the west wall of the south aisle, a brass plaque remembers Lady Georgina Wentworth, who was the wife of Sir Montague Cholmeley and the daughter of the 8th Duke of St Albans.
Other Memorials in the Church
In the chancel, near the altar, there are two stone chest tombs from the 1400s. They have no names or dates, so we don't know who they are for.
Special metal plates, called brasses, on the floor remember Oliver St John, his wife Elizabeth, and her first husband Henry Rochford.
On either side of the tower arch, facing the nave, are war memorials. One remembers the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment who trained in the area and died in battles like Battle of Arnhem. Another plaque from 1946 remembers a tower restoration and three men killed in the Second World War.
A plaque on the south aisle wall is for Algernon Augustus Markham, who was the rector (a type of priest) from 1933 to 1939 and later became the Bishop of Grantham.
Images for kids
-
South Stoke Church around 1806, with the old Stoke Rochford Hall in the background.
-
The chancel and 15th-century south and north chancel chapels from the east.
-
An old plan of the area from 1806.
-
The beautiful reredos (decorated screen behind the altar) designed by Mary Fraser Tytler.
-
A stained glass window dedicated to Hugh Arthur Henry Cholmeley.
-
View of the south chapel from the chancel, showing choir stalls.
-
The chancel and nave ceiling, with a painting by Jessie Bayes.
-
View of the north chapel from the chancel, showing the organ and choir stalls.
-
The church's baptismal font.
-
The pulpit, where sermons are given.
-
A special symbol for King George VI on a capital of the chancel arch.
-
The Cholmeley family war memorial.
-
A memorial plaque for Mrs Pamela Cholmeley.
-
A funerary hatchment (a coat of arms) above the tower arch.
-
Welbore MacCarthy, who was rector in 1910.
-
A framed note about Rev William Dodwell, a rector who left money to help the poor and provide schooling for children.
-
A plaque for Algernon Augustus Markham, rector from 1933–1939.
.jpg)
_bequest.jpg)
See also
- Cholmeley baronets
