St Michael's, Chenies facts for kids
St Michael's Church in Chenies, Buckinghamshire, is a very old and important church. It is a Christian church that has been given a special "Grade I listed" status. This means it's a really important historical building in England. The church sits in a beautiful spot near the Chess Valley, close to the old Chenies Manor House.
St Michael's is famous for its special part called the Bedford Chapel. This chapel is like a private burial place, or mausoleum, for the Russell family. They are also known as the Dukes of Bedford from Woburn Abbey. This chapel is private and not usually open to visitors.
Contents
The Village Church
A Look at History
The church you see today was mostly built in the late 1400s and early 1500s. It replaced an even older church from the 1100s, which was mostly made of wood. People believe the very first church here, dedicated to St. Michael, was built by someone named Alexander de Isenhampstead. "Isenhampstead" was the original name of the village, which later became "Chenies."
In 1556, the Russell family, who later became the Dukes of Bedford, added the Bedford Chapel. Over time, this chapel was rebuilt and made bigger. The main church itself became quite old and needed repairs in the 1700s.
A big repair project started in 1829. It was led by Lord Wriothesley Russell, who was the church's leader for 57 years. The church had to close for a few years in the 1830s. During this time, the 6th Duke of Bedford let people use a large room in Chenies Manor House for church services. St Michael's Church was finally reopened on June 23, 1836, after all the work was done.
More big changes happened between 1861 and 1887. The church was largely rebuilt during this time. In 1885, the Bedford Chapel was made longer towards the tower. The roof was also raised in 1886-1887, and the current special "hammer beam" roof was put in. The Bedford Chapel was made even bigger in 1906.
A special room for the bell ringers was added in 1933. Before that, the ringers stood on the same level as the main part of the church. Electric lights were installed for the first time in 1936. Sadly, a storm damaged the organ in 1959-1960. A new organ was put in its place in 1960, and it's still used today.
What the Church Looks Like
The main parts of the church, like the chancel (the area around the altar), the nave (where people sit), the south aisle, and the west tower, are from the 1400s. The north chapel, which is the Bedford Chapel, was added in 1556. Most of the walls are made of flint stones with stone decorations. The west tower has a spiral staircase on its south-east side. The outside walls were redone in the 1860s.
Inside the church, there are many interesting things to see. On the north side, an archway leads from the main church into the Bedford Chapel. You can also find a very old font from the 1100s, which was used for baptisms. There are also old metal plaques called "brasses" and beautiful stained-glass windows from the Victorian era.
The Bedford Chapel
About the Chapel
The Bedford Chapel is a private burial place for the Russell family, the Dukes of Bedford. Even though it's part of St Michael's Church, it's actually managed by Woburn Abbey. It's not open to the public, but you can usually see inside through a glass screen from the church. A famous expert named Nikolaus Pevsner once said it has "as rich a store of funeral monuments as any parish church of England." This means it has a lot of important and beautiful memorials.
The Bedford Chapel is attached to the north side of St Michael's Church. It was built in 1556 by Anne Sapcote, the wife of the 1st Earl of Bedford. She built it to follow her husband's wishes after he passed away. A stone tablet on the outside wall of the chapel says: "Anno Dni 1556 / Thys Chappel ys, built by Anne / Countysse of Bedforde wyfe to / John Erle of Bedford accordyg to / ye last wyll of the sayd erle."
The monuments inside the chapel range from the 1400s to the late 1800s. You can see the Russell family's flags and banners hanging from the walls. There are also ten special painted wooden shields called "funeral hatchments" on the roof. All the statues of people lying down in the chapel have their feet pointing away from the East. Several small crowns are also fixed high up on the South wall.
The floor of the Bedford Chapel is made of black and white marble. The roof is an open wooden "hammer beam" style. The ends of the roof beams have carved half-figures of angels holding colorful shields of the Russell family. The six stained-glass windows on the north side were made around 1897 by C.E. Kempe.
On the floor of the chancel, you can see the helmet and sword that belonged to the 7th Duke of Bedford. These items hung over his special seat in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, because he was a Knight of the Garter. The large East window is dedicated to the 9th Duke of Bedford and his wife Elizabeth. They were early supporters of cremation, which is a way of dealing with a body after death. They even paid for the building of a special place for cremation called Woking Crematorium. Their ashes, along with those of the 11th Duke of Bedford, are buried in the Bedford Chapel.
In 1868, a new church was built near Woburn Abbey in Woburn, Bedfordshire. It had a crypt, which is an underground room, meant for the Russell family burials. However, the family continued to use the old chapel at Chenies. The crypt at Woburn is now used for events.
Lady Amberley, the wife of Viscount Amberley, died in 1874 from an illness she caught from her daughter. Their deaths greatly affected Viscount Amberley. He decided to have their bodies cremated without a religious ceremony, which was quite shocking at the time. Lady Amberley's ashes were first placed in the garden of their home. Later, all three sets of remains were moved to the Bedford Chapel after Lord Amberley's own death in 1876.
Important Monuments
The Bedford Chapel is well-known for its collection of monuments to the Earls and Dukes of Bedford from the Russell family. Most of them are buried in a vault under the chapel. These monuments are very important and show different styles of art through history.
Some of the most notable monuments include:
- A monument to the 1st Earl of Bedford and his wife, with statues of them lying on a tomb.
- A monument to Bridget Hussey, who was the wife of the 2nd Earl of Bedford. Her tomb was moved here from another church in 1907.
- Monuments to Lady Frances Bourchier, who died unmarried at 25. Her memorial is a simple black marble slab supported by white columns.
- A monument to the 4th Earl of Bedford and his wife, with alabaster statues of them.
- A grand monument to the 1st Duke of Bedford, featuring marble columns and statues.
- A monument to the 2nd Duke of Bedford and his wife, made of white alabaster with figures separated by clouds.
- A memorial to Lady Georgiana Russell, showing a praying lady.
- Monuments to the 1st Earl Russell, the 1st Baron Ampthill, and the 9th Duke of Bedford.
- A special Art Nouveau style memorial to Lord Arthur Russell.
- An older monument from the 1300s to a member of the Cheyne family, who were the medieval lords of Chenies.
Churchyard
St. Michael's Church is surrounded by its churchyard, which is also a cemetery. The churchyard has a special war grave for an airman from the Royal Air Force who died during World War II in 1944.
