St Mary's Church, Horncastle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Horncastle |
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The church's west facade, facing the market place
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| OS grid reference | TF 25855 69555 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St. Mary |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Horncastle |
| Deanery | Horncastle |
| Diocese | Lincoln |
| Province | Canterbury |
St. Mary's Church is a historic church in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England. It was built a long time ago, in the early 1200s, and is named after Saint Mary. This church is an important building, listed as Grade II*, and it had a big makeover between 1859 and 1861 by a person named Ewan Christian.
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History of St. Mary's Church
People believe that a very old Roman church might have stood here first. After that, there was likely a Saxon Minster, which was an important church in early England. The church you see today started being built around the year 1250.
The church has had two main times when it was fixed up and made better:
- The first big fix happened around 1660. A vicar named The Rev'd Thomas Gibson helped with this. He had a tough time during the English Civil War and was not allowed to be a vicar for a while. A special metal plaque on the south wall remembers his work.
- The second big fix happened between 1859 and 1861. This was a huge project! A stained glass window in the church remembers The Rev'd Canon W H Milner, who was the main person who pushed for this big restoration.
St. Mary's Church is still used regularly by the Church of England community in Horncastle. Since 2001, a Roman Catholic group also uses the building for their Mass on Saturday evenings.
Church Style and Design
St. Mary's Church shows off three main building styles:
- Early English: You can see this style in the main part of the church, called the nave. Look for the tall, narrow windows called lancet windows and the arches inside. Many parts of the upper nave were rebuilt during the 1859-61 restoration.
- Perpendicular: This style is clear in the chapels on the north and south sides of the chancel (the area near the altar). Also, look up at the clerestory in the nave, which is a row of windows high up on the walls. These five windows are from the 1400s.
- Victorian Restoration: This refers to the changes made during the big fix-up in the 1800s. You can see this in the large east window, the arch leading to the chancel, the side aisles, and the porches. During this time, the floor at the east end was even raised by two feet to make room for a heating system!
You can also spot some older Georgian touches, like a special basin called a piscina in the chancel's south wall, which was fixed up a lot.
How the Church is Managed
Horncastle Parish is part of a larger group of churches called the South Wolds Group. This group started in 2010. It helps different churches work together. This larger group is split into three smaller parts:
- The Asterby Group
- The Hemingby Group
- The Horncastle Group
Important People from the Past
Many interesting people have worked or been connected with St. Mary's Church over the years. Some of them became very important leaders in the church, like:
- John Langton, who later became a Bishop
- Simon Islip, who later became Archbishop of Canterbury
- William Strickland, who later became a Bishop
- Joseph Robertson, a vicar from 1779
- Sidney Clarke, who later became the head chaplain for the Royal Air Force
Monuments and Burials
Inside and around the church, there are memorials and burial sites for notable people. These include:
- Sir Ingram Hopton
- Sir Lionel Dymoke
- Jane Dymoke
- Sarah Sellwood, who was the niece of the famous explorer Sir John Franklin. She was also the mother of Emily, who married the famous poet Alfred Lord Tennyson.
