St Martin's Church, Lincoln facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Martin's Church, Lincoln |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Lincoln, Lincolnshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 9th–10th Century |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Georgian |
| Years built | 1740 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Lincoln |
St Martin's Church was one of the oldest churches in Lincoln, England. People think that during the Anglo-Saxon Period and the Danelaw, Saint Martin was seen as Lincoln's special protector. The church might have been linked to rare silver coins called St Martin pennies. These coins were made in Lincoln, probably before 918 A.D. This was when the Anglo-Saxons took Lincoln back from the Danes.
Contents
History of St Martin's Church
The church was located at the top of Lincoln High Street. This area is in the lower part of Lincoln, before the land rises steeply towards the 'uphill' area. Uphill Lincoln is where Lincoln Cathedral stands.
In the Middle Ages, the area around St Martin's Church was Lincoln's main business center. It was very close to the Norman Jew's House and Jews' Court.
Destruction and Rebuilding
The church was mostly destroyed in the English Civil War in 1643. It remained a ruin until 1739-40. Then, it was rebuilt in a Georgian style. This is the church that artist Samuel Hieronymus Grimm drew around 1784.
Around 1812, a new side section was added to the church. This work was done by William Hayward, an architect from Lincoln. In 1873, there was a plan to tear down the whole church. The idea was to build a much bigger church in its place.
However, the Mayor of Lincoln stepped in and saved the church tower. The tower was an important landmark in Lincoln's skyline. It stayed standing until it was finally taken down around 1930. Much of the fancy stone decorations from the demolished church were used in a new church. This new church was St Andrew in Canwick Road, built in 1876–77. But even this church was demolished in 1970.
St Martin's Church was rebuilt again in 1873. This time, it was located in West Parade, at the corner of Orchard Street. The architect for this building was A. S. Beckett. In 1966, someone asked for permission to demolish this replacement church. After a legal hearing, the building was torn down in 1970.
Today, only the churchyard remains. It is located between St Martin's Lane and Garmston Street. The churchyard has been paved with some of the old grave-slabs from the original church.
Objects from the Church that Still Exist
Church Silver
Some items from the church still exist today. These include the communion plate, which was used during church services. It had three silver communion cups with special covers called patens. There were also two silver flagons, which are large containers for liquids.
One of these cups and its paten cover was made in London in 1569. It was made by an unknown craftsman. This cup is now on display at the Lincoln Cathedral Treasury.
Monument to Sir Thomas Grantham
The Grantham family was a very important and old family in the church's area. They lived in the prebendal house of St Martin's on the High Street. The family's monuments were placed in the north aisle of the church's chancel.
One of these monuments was a beautiful Renaissance style tomb. It was for Sir Thomas Grantham, who died in 1630, and his first wife Frances (Puckering), who died in 1610. Sir Thomas was a Member of Parliament for Lincoln and Lincolnshire. This monument is now in the church of St Mary le Wigford in Lincoln.
The tomb is made from alabaster, a soft stone, from Nottingham. It is thought to be the work of a famous sculptor named Maximilian Colt. This tomb has had a very interesting and difficult history.
In 1807, when Edward James Willson visited the church, he found that the top part of the tomb had fallen. It had broken the faces of the figures lying on the tomb. Later, the tomb was moved into the church tower. In 1889, a Mr. Justice Grantham, who said he was a descendant, took the tomb without permission. He moved it to Barcombe in East Sussex.
The broken pieces of the statues were later brought back. They were placed in St Benedict's Church in Lincoln. In 1956, Sir Francis Hill said that the damaged pieces were there "after unseemly neglect and ill-usage."
Sometime before 1985, the main part of the tomb and its pieces were put back together. This happened in St Mary le Wigford church. The Church Monuments Society recorded this event. Since then, more parts of the figures have reappeared. This includes the lion on which Sir Thomas rests his feet. The figures have been rearranged again.
Grave Slab in St Martin’s Churchyard
Among the grave slabs now used as paving in St Martin's Churchyard, there is a special one. It is a memorial slab for the Rev Francis Harvey, who died at 29 in 1711. It also remembers John Harvey, who died in 1758.
The grave slab has letters carved in a special way called cameo. It is on a black marble slab, with the family's coat of arms above. There are two very similar black marble slabs in Lincoln Cathedral. These unique grave slabs were probably made in a local workshop.
Details about Francis Harvey can be found in a book called Alumni Cantabrigienses. He was the son of Francis Harvey from Lincoln. He went to school in Newark. In 1708, he became a fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge.
The St Martin of Lincoln Silver Penny
These silver coins are very rare. They were made in Lincoln just before the Danes lost control of the city. The front of the coin, called the obverse, has a sword. It has the words "Sancti Marti" written on it, but not very neatly. On the back, there is a cross and the words "Civit Lincolia," which means Lincoln.
People believe that at this time, Saint Martin was the patron saint of Lincoln. It is thought that these coins were made near St Martin's Church. This was because the church was in the main business area of Lincoln back then.
Today, only about 14 of these coins are known to exist. One from the collection of Sir Francis Hill is in the Usher Gallery in Lincoln. A particularly good example of a St Martin penny was found in the Vale of York Hoard in 2006.
See also
- Churches in Lincoln
Literature
- Antram N (revised), Pevsner N & Harris J, (1989), The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire, Yale University Press.
- Pevsner N & Harris J, (1964), The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire, Penguin. p. 144.
- Stewart I. (1967) The St Martin Coins of Lincoln British Numismatic Journal, Vol.36, pp. 46–54. [1]
- Venables E. (1875-6) The Destroyed churches of St Paul and St Martin in the City of Lincoln. Associated Architectural Society Reports and Papers, Vol.13, pp. 208–216.
