St John the Baptist Church, Bromsgrove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John's Church, Bromsgrove |
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| St John the Baptist Church, Bromsgrove | |
Church of St John the Baptist, Bromsgrove
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| 52°20′02.8″N 2°3′52.6″W / 52.334111°N 2.064611°W | |
| Location | Bromsgrove |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | St Johns Bromsgrove |
| History | |
| Dedication | St John the Baptist |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Bromsgrove |
| Deanery | Bromsgrove |
| Archdeaconry | Dudley |
| Diocese | Diocese of Worcester |
The Church of St John the Baptist, Bromsgrove is a very old and important church in England. It's a Grade I listed building, which means it's considered a special historical place. It belongs to the Church of England.
Contents
History of the Church
This church was part of a very large area during the early Norman times (around the 11th and 12th centuries). King Henry III gave the church and its lands to Worcester Priory. This was to help remember his father, King John I, who is buried there. The Priory then managed the area and collected money until the time when monasteries were closed down. After that, the lands went to the new Dean and Chapter of the church.
In February 1643, King Charles I ordered that Bromsgrove's vicar, John Hall, be removed. He was called a rebel. Arguments about the vicar continued during a time when England had no king (the Interregnum and Protectorate). John Hall became vicar again until 1652.
His replacement, John Spilsbury, was not popular with some churchgoers. They tried to remove him but failed. Spilsbury was removed after the king returned in 1660 (the Restoration). He left the Church of England because he refused to follow the Act of Uniformity. About 2,000 other Anglican ministers also left at this time.
Spilsbury was kept in his house, sent away from the county, and later put in prison for not following the rules. This may have made him sick. He did return to Bromsgrove, where John Hall's son, Bishop John Hall, visited him every year. Spilsbury was allowed to teach as a Congregationalist in 1672 and died in 1699. There is a memorial to Bishop John Hall in the church.
The Church Building
The church building itself dates back to the 12th century. However, most of what you see today was built in the 14th and 15th centuries. It was repaired and updated in 1858 by a famous architect named George Gilbert Scott.
Inside the church, there are special monuments made of alabaster from the 13th and early 16th centuries. You can find them in the north chapel. There is also an alabaster statue from 1517 in the chancel (the area around the altar).
In 1855, the church helped build Holy Trinity Church, Lickey. This was a "chapel of ease," which is a smaller church built to serve people who live far from the main parish church.
Church bells have been recorded here since the 1690s. The first mention of a clock in the church is from 1684.
War Memorial Inside
Inside the church, there is a large metal memorial. It lists the names of men from Bromsgrove who died in the First World War. One of the names is Captain Noel Chavasse. He was a medical doctor and an Olympic athlete. He was awarded the VC twice, which is a very rare honor. He also received the MC.
Notable Burials
Several important people are buried at St John's Church:
- Sir Humphrey Stafford and his wife Eleanor
- Gilbert Talbot (soldier) and his first wife, Lady Elizabeth Talbot (who died in 1490)
- John Talbot (died 1549) and his wives Margaret and Elizabeth, who are buried next to each other.
- Ralph Greystoke, 5th Baron Greystoke
The Church Organ
Records show that the church has had an organ since 1808. A small instrument was put in by Thomas Elliot. The first concert on this organ was given by Bishop Simms. Over the years, the organ has been rebuilt and updated many times. Today, it is a large pipe organ with three keyboards and pedals, mostly built by the Nicholson company from Malvern. You can find more details about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Past Organists
Here are some of the people who played the organ at St John's Church:
- James Simms (1809 - 1854)
- J. B. Tirbutt (1854 - ????)
Churchyard Stories
In the churchyard, two railway workers are buried side by side. They were engine driver Thomas Scaife and fireman Joseph Rutherford. They both died when a train boiler exploded at Bromsgrove station on November 10, 1840. Their gravestones both show pictures of steam trains. However, the train that exploded was an experimental one, and it didn't look like the trains shown on their gravestones.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de San Juan Bautista (Bromsgrove) para niños
