St Margaret's Church, Barking facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Margaret's Church, Barking |
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| 51°32′7.89″N 0°4′33.6504″E / 51.5355250°N 0.076014000°E | |
| Location | Barking, Barking and Dagenham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic & open evangelical |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | Margaret the Virgin |
| Events | 1215: Foundation 1762: Marriage of Captain James Cook to Elizabeth Batts |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 134 feet (41 m) |
| Width | 64 feet (20 m) |
| Height | 75 feet (23 m) |
| Bells | 8 |
| Tenor bell weight | 23 long cwt (2,600 lb or 1,200 kg) (heaviest) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Barking |
| Deanery | Barking |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Barking |
| Episcopal area | Barking Episcopal Area |
| Diocese | Diocese of Chelmsford |
| Province | Province of Canterbury |
St Margaret's Church is a historic Church of England church in Barking, East London. It's also known as the Church of St Margaret of Antioch. This special building is a Grade I listed building, which means it's very important and protected. It stands on land that has been used for religious purposes since the 13th century. The church is located near the ruins of Barking Abbey, a very old monastery that started way back in the 7th century. The church is named after Margaret the Virgin, also called Margaret of Antioch.
Contents
History of St Margaret's Church
Early Beginnings (Medieval Times)
St Margaret's Church started as a small chapel for local people. It was built inside the grounds of Barking Abbey, south of the main Abbey church. The oldest part of the church, called the chancel, was built in the early 1200s. This was during the time of King John.
People say that the chapel became a proper parish church in 1300. This happened thanks to Anne de Vere, who was the head nun (abbess) of Barking Abbey. For a long time, Barking had two church areas, called 'Northstrete' and 'Southstrete'. But in the late 1300s, the area had bad floods. This caused money problems, so the two church areas joined together in 1398. A priest from the Abbey then led the church services. The tall bell tower you see today was added later, in the late 1400s.
Changes During the Reformation
The church stayed a parish church even when Barking Abbey was closed down. This happened during a time called the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1500s. The right to choose the church's priest, called the advowson, then went to the King.
Later, in 1557, this right was bought by Robert Thomas and Andrew Salter. They used money from William Pownsett's estate. They gave the right to All Souls College, Oxford. In return, the church's priest had to pray for Pownsett and his family every Sunday. They also had to give money to twenty poor people each year. The college also got money to help two poor students. The priest could not be away from the parish for more than 80 days a year.
Over time, some of these rules changed. For example, the need to pray for the dead was dropped in 1594. Today, the right to choose the priest is shared. It's shared between All Souls College, Oxford, the Bishop of Chelmsford, and the church's own leaders, called churchwardens.
From the 1600s to the 1900s
The church has special memorials inside. One of these is for Charles Montagu, a politician from the 1600s.
A very famous event happened here: the explorer James Cook got married! Captain James Cook married Elizabeth Batts in this church on December 21, 1762.
Later, in the 1770s, the ceilings of the main parts of the church were covered with plaster. But this plaster was removed from the main area (the nave) in 1842.
Between 1929 and 1936, the inside of the church was restored. This means it was repaired and made to look good again. Two people named Charles Winmill and George Jack helped with this work. In 1954, the building was officially made a Grade I listed building. This protects it for the future. In the late 1900s, a new part was added to the south side of the church. This part has an office, a bookshop, and a place to eat.
St Margaret's Church Today
In the late 1970s, St Margaret's became part of a larger group of churches in Barking. This group included Christ Church and St Patrick's. But on January 1, 2017, Christ Church and St Patrick's got their own separate church areas again. This left St Margaret's with a smaller area to serve.
St Margaret's Church is a bit unusual because it has three churchwardens instead of the usual two.
In 2007, two small stones from the old London Bridge were put together. They became a sculpture in front of St Margaret's Church, facing the Barking Abbey ruins. This was part of an art project in Barking Town Centre by artist Joost Van Santen.
The church follows two traditions: it is both Anglo-Catholic and open evangelical. These are different styles of worship within the Church of England.
Notable People Connected to the Church
Many priests who served at Barking have gone on to become bishops. For example, Hugh Jermyn was a bishop in Sri Lanka and Scotland. Robin Smith, who was a curate here in the 1960s, later became the Bishop of Hertford.
Vicars of Barking (Selected)
- 1398-????: John Makewye
- 1524-1560: John Gregyll
- 1660-1689: Thomas Cartwright; he also became the Bishop of Chester.
- 1870-1871: Hugh Willoughby Jermyn
- 1888–1895: Hensley Henson; he later became the Bishop of Hereford and the Bishop of Durham.
- 1925–1930: Leslie Hunter; he later became the Bishop of Sheffield.
- 1947–1959: William Chadwick; he later became the Bishop of Barking.
- 1959–1965: Denis Wakeling; he later became the Bishop of Southwell.
- 1965–1977: James Roxburgh; he also later became the Bishop of Barking.
- 2013–2019: Trevor Mwamba; he was previously the Bishop of Botswana.
- 2021 – present: Mark Adams
Weddings and Burials at St Margaret's
Weddings
- On December 21, 1762, the famous sea explorer and mapmaker, Captain James Cook, married Elizabeth Batts at this church. Elizabeth's father, Samuel Batts, ran the Bell Inn in Wapping. He was one of Cook's mentors, helping him learn and grow.
Burials
- Daniel Day (1682–1767), who started the Fairlop Fair, was buried here. His coffin was made from a branch that fell from the famous Fairlop#Fairlop Oak tree. At that time, Fairlop was part of the old church area of Barking.
- Henry Fanshawe (1506–1568) was buried here. He was a Member of the English Parliament during the time of Elizabeth I. He also held an important job called Queen's Remembrancer from 1565 until he died.
- Sir Charles Montagu (around 1564–1625) was also buried in the church. He lived at Cranbrook Hall in Barking. He was a politician who served in the House of Commons. There is a special monument in the church for him. It shows a small statue of Sir Charles dressed in armor, sitting in a military tent. The message on the monument says:
- Heere lieth the body of ye worthy knight Sr Charles Montagu who died at his house at Cranbrook in Essex in the parish of Barking the 11th of September in ye yeere of our Lorde God 1625 being of ye age of 61 yeares who gave to ye poore of Barking forty pounds
