St John's Church, Waberthwaite Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St John's Church, Waberthwaite
St John's Church, Waberthwaite, from the south
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OS grid reference	SD 100 951
Location	Waberthwaite, Cumbria
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St John, Waberthwaite
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	8 September 1967
Architectural type	Church
Specifications
Materials	Roughcast stone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	Waberthwaite
Deanery	Calder
Archdeaconry	West Cumberland
Diocese	Carlisle
Province	York

St John's Church is a historic church located in the small village of Hall Waberthwaite in Cumbria, England. It sits on the south bank of the River Esk. This church is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it's a local church for the community. It is part of the diocese of Carlisle. St John's Church is a very important building, listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's a particularly important building of more than special interest.

History of St John's Church
Church Design and Structure
Inside the Church
Outside the Church
Churchyard Features
Legacy Bell
Gallery
See also

History of St John's Church

St John's Church was likely built in the 13th century, which is the 1200s. Over the years, it has been changed and added to. However, the area was a religious place long before that. There are pieces of old crosses from the 9th and 10th centuries in the churchyard. These show that people worshipped here hundreds of years earlier.

Church Design and Structure

The church is built from stone that has a rough coating, and its roofs are made of slate. It has a simple design, with one main room that serves as both the chancel (the area near the altar) and the nave (where the people sit). There are no dividing walls or arches inside.

A small room called a vestry is attached to the north side of the church, near the east end. The main entrance is on the south side, covered by a porch. This porch was rebuilt in 1825.

Inside the Church

Inside St John's Church, you can find several interesting features:

Pulpit: There is an eight-sided wooden pulpit (where sermons are given). It has carvings and an old message that says: "THE GIFT OF ABRAHAM CHAMBERS GENT. VA(E) MIHI SI NON VERUM PRAEDICO". This Latin phrase means "Woe to me if I preach not the truth". It also has the initials S.R. and the date 1630. S.R. might have been Samuel Rutter, who was a rector (a type of priest) at Waberthwaite in 1630. He later became a bishop.
Font: The baptismal font (a basin used for baptisms) is a large, hollowed-out stone. It's square-shaped and lined with lead, with an oak lid.
Royal Arms: On the north wall, opposite the door, you can see the royal arms of King George III.
Interior Changes: In 1807, the church's inside was updated. It got new box pews (long benches with high backs and sides), a new ceiling, and a flagstone floor. The old oil lamps were kept and cleverly changed to use electricity.

Outside the Church

On the west end of the church roof, there's a small tower called a bellcote. It holds two bells from the 15th century (the 1400s). These bells were kept when the bellcote was fixed up in 1796.

South Bell: The larger bell, called the tenor bell, has an inscription that says "SANCTUS JACOBUS" (Saint James) and "DOMINUS THOMAS WALKER" (Sir Thomas Walker). Thomas Walker was the rector of the church from 1439.
North Bell: The smaller bell, called the treble bell, says "HENRICUS SEXTUS REX" (King Henry the Sixth). This refers to King Henry VI, who ruled from 1422 to 1471. We don't know if the bells were a gift from him or just installed during his time as king.

It's interesting that the south bell mentions Saint James. In 1392, when the church's ownership changed, it was called St James's. This suggests the church might have originally been dedicated to Saint James before being dedicated to Saint John. This change probably happened after King Henry VI's reign.

Churchyard Features

The churchyard has some very old and important items:

Anglo-Scandinavian Crosses: You can find parts of two tall cross shafts made of sandstone. These crosses are from the Anglo-Scandinavian period (around the 9th and 10th centuries).
- One cross shaft is lying down. Experts believe it's from between 850 and 925. It was used as a doorstep for the church for a long time, so one side is very worn.
- The other cross shaft is standing up. It shows strong Norse (Viking) influences in its carvings and is thought to be from around 950. This standing cross was found in the churchyard in 1825 and used as a lintel (a beam over a doorway). Later, between 1884 and 1889, it was put back in its current spot with its original base, which was also found in the churchyard. This standing cross is now a protected scheduled monument.

Sundial: There is also a sundial in the churchyard, which is about 5 feet 6 inches tall. An inscription on it says it was made in 1830 by Watkins and Hill of London for Reverend J. Stanley. It is designed to tell time accurately at the church's location. The sundial has a brass pointer (called a gnomon) and a round brass plate with markings for hours and minutes. It also shows the months and days.

Legacy Bell

On the inside windowsill of the west window, there is a bell that used to belong to the Chapel of St. Luke. This chapel was located nearby in Waberthwaite but was torn down. The bell is dated 1882 and was moved to St John's Church when the chapel was demolished.

Gallery

Waberthwaite church
St John's Church, Waberthwaite, from across the Esk
The large cross shaft – 10th century.
Waberthwaite church showing sundial and cross shaft
View of sundial and both the standing and fallen cross shafts. The fallen shaft is at the foot of the sundial.

St John's Church, Waberthwaite facts for kids

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