St Mary's Church, Bentworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church |
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The church from the north-east
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Bentworth |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°09′23″N 1°03′02″W / 51.15643°N 1.05063°W |
| Construction started | 10th century |
| Completed | 11th century |
St Mary's Church is an Anglican church in the village of Bentworth, England. It's located in East Hampshire, a district within Hampshire. You can find the church just east of Bentworth's primary school. It's also north-east of the Star Inn, which is on the main road through the village.
Some parts of this church are very old, dating back to the 11th century. It's recognized as a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a very important historic place.
A Look at the Church's History
There's a good chance a Saxon church stood here long ago, and the current church was built on its spot. The church has a special area called a chancel, which is where the altar is and where the clergy and choir sit. This part is about 27 feet (8.2 meters) long and 17 feet (5.2 meters) wide. There's also a north vestry, which is about 48 feet 7 inches (14.8 meters) long and 17 feet (5.2 meters) wide.
The roof over the main part of the church (the nave) and the arch leading to the chancel likely date from the late 12th century. The chancel itself was built around 1260. The lower part of the tower was also built around this time. However, in 1608, the church had a big problem. A fire, caused by lightning, damaged some of the older parts of the building.
Today, the church has walls made of flint stone with special stone decorations. It also has strong supports called buttresses. The tower on the west side was rebuilt in 1890. It has diagonal buttresses with fancy steps and a timber (wooden) turret at the top. This turret is topped with a pointed spire. Inside, you can find a small memorial for Nicholas Holdip, who was the "pastor of the parish" in 1606. Another memorial on the north aisle wall is for Robert Hunt, from Hall Place, who passed away in 1671.
The church has four bells. Two of them were made by Joseph Carter in 1601 and 1607. Another was made by Henry Knight in 1615. St Mary's Church became a Grade II* listed building on July 31, 1963.
Important Memorials
A famous poet and writer named George Wither (1588–1667) was born in Bentworth. He was even baptized in St. Mary's church!
Later, in Victorian times, an author and campaigner for gay rights, George Cecil Ives, lived nearby at Bentworth Hall. There's a memorial for the Ives family in the churchyard, close to the school. It has a stone slab for George Ives that says, "George Cecil Ives MA, Author, 1867–1950, Late of Bentworth Hall." You can also find a plaque for the Ives family inside the church on the north wall.
The Hankin Family Tomb is also in the churchyard. It was built in 1816 from Portland stone and is a "rectangular chest tomb." It became a Grade II listed building in 2005. The tomb has inscriptions on its sides. One on the south side says: "Sacred to the memory of John Hankin who departed this life January 12th 1816, aged 55 years." The north side reads: "Sacred to the memory of Elizabeth, widow of John Hankin, who departed this life September 13th 1831, aged 67 years."
The churchyard also has two special graves called Commonwealth war graves. These are for a soldier from the East Surrey Regiment who died in World War I, and a Royal Navy officer who died in World War II.
