Church of St Mary, Abbas and Templecombe

Last updated

Church of St Mary
St Marys Church, Abbas Combe.jpg
Location Templecombe, Somerset, England
Coordinates 51°00′10″N2°25′00″W / 51.00278°N 2.41667°W / 51.00278; -2.41667 Coordinates: 51°00′10″N2°25′00″W / 51.00278°N 2.41667°W / 51.00278; -2.41667
Built12th century
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameChurch of St. Mary
Designated24 March 1961 [1]
Reference no.1366329
Somerset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Church of St Mary in Somerset

The Anglican Church of St Mary at Templecombe, within the English county of Somerset, was built in the 12th century and is a Grade II* listed building. [1]

Contents

The parish is part of the benefice of Abbas and Templecombe, Henstridge and Horsington within the archdeaconry of Wells. [2]

History

One of the manors within the parish was held by Earl Leofwine who gave it to Bishop Odo of Bayeux after the Norman Conquest. The church was probably established during the period when the manor was held by Shaftesbury Abbey, but granted to the Knights Templar while it was held by his descendant Serlo FitzOdo, [3] [4] who established a preceptory in the village in 1185. [5] [6] The preceptory served as an administrative centre for the lands held by the Templars in the south west of England and Cornwall. It may also have been used to train men and horses for the Crusades. [7] After the Knights Templar were suppressed following the 1307 order by Pope Clement IV, [8] it was granted to the Knights of St John, who held it until the dissolution of the monasteries. [4]

Parts of the original 12th-century church remain; however it underwent a major Victorian restoration in the 19th century, which included complete rebuilding of the chancel and the addition of the vestry. [1] The foundations of the tower are probably Saxon. [3]

The church was damaged by bombing in World War II. [9] Four bombs falling near the church on its southern side damaged some of the arches in the nave along with the roof and tower, breaking some of the windows and damaging the organ. [3]

Architecture

The stone church is dressed with Hamstone with clay tile roofs. It has a two-bay chancel, four-bay nave and a south transept. The entrance porch is at the southern end of the church at the base of the two-stage tower. [1] The buttresses were added after the tower was built. The oldest bell in the tower was cast at the Salisbury foundry around 1420. Two bells of 1656 were cast by Robert Purdue with two from 1736 by Thomas Bilbie of the Bilbie family. The most recent bell is from 1891. [5]

In the churchyard is a 15 feet (4.6 m) high stone cross which serves as the war memorial for the village. [10] The churchyard also contains four Commonwealth war graves, of two British Army soldiers of World War I and an airman and a WRNS Petty Officer of World War II. [11]

Interior

The font was made from Purbeck Marble in the 12th century; however the cover is from 1897. [1] A cup and cover from 1628, two salvers made by Anthony Nelson in 1725 and a flagon from 1845 are included in the church plate. [5]

The Templecombe Head

In the church is a painting on wooden boards of a head, which was discovered in the roof of an outhouse of a local building in 1945. [12] The tenant of the cottage was collecting wood in an outhouse where part of the ceiling had fallen down. She noticed a face above her which was on a wooden panel fixed by wire to the inside of the roof and previously plastered over. [13]

The painting is thought to be from the 13th century, [1] and connected with the Templecombe Preceptory (or Combe Templariorum) which was established in the village in 1185. It was given to the church in 1956. [14]

Restoration work in the 1950s and again in the 1980s has identified gold stars on the picture and microscopic evidence for bright colours which are no longer in evidence. [15] The colours were present in the 1940s when it was discovered, but impaired when the local vicar cleaned it in his bath with Vim. [7] The addition of a keyhole and hinges at some time in the past suggests it was used as a door. [14]

For many years the head has been believed to be that of Christ but without the halo which was the norm in religious iconography at the time. The Knights Templar were suppressed partly because of their use of the image of Christ without the halo. [3] There has been speculation linking the image with the Shroud of Turin. [16] Other explanations suggest the image is not of Christ but of John the Baptist.

See also

Related Research Articles

Abbas Combe Human settlement in England

Abbas Combe is a village in the civil parish of Abbas and Templecombe, in the South Somerset district, in the county of Somerset, England. It is situated on the A357 road beside Templecombe, seven miles south west of Gillingham. As of 2002 the parish of Abbas and Templecombe had a population of 1,510. The modern area now known as Abbas Combe is now considered more of a part of Templecombe. The border is fuzzy however it's mostly the areas of Templecombe located north of the Railway Station. Abbas Combe consists of a few buildings and structures such as a church, a resovoir, farm, War Memorial, and many other buildings. Other than those Abbas Combe is entirely residential.

Templecombe Human settlement in England

Templecombe is a village in Somerset, England, situated on the A357 road five miles south of Wincanton, 12 miles (19 km) east of Yeovil, and 30 miles (48 km) west of Salisbury. The village has a population of 1,560. Along with the hamlet of Combe Throop it forms the parish of Abbas and Templecombe.

Temple Bruer Preceptory Historic building in the civil parish of Temple Bruer with Temple High Grange, North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England

Temple Bruer Preceptory is a historic building in the civil parish of Temple Bruer with Temple High Grange, North Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England. It is one of the few Knights Templar sites left in England where any ruins remain standing. Its name comes from its Templar ownership and its position in the middle of the Lincoln Heath, bruyère (heather) from the French language current at the time. It was founded in the period 1150 to 1160 and the order was dissolved in 1312. The site is located between the A15 and A607 roads, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north from Cranwell. The site has been excavated twice, firstly by the Rev Dr. G. Oliver, the rector of Scopwick in 1832–3, and in 1908 by Sir William St John Hope.

Aslackby Preceptory

Aslackby Preceptory in Lincolnshire lay to the south-east of Aslackby Church. Until about 1891 a tower, possibly of the preceptory church, together with a vaulted undercroft, survived as part the Temple farmhouse. Temple farmhouse was subsequently rebuilt and a 15th-century window and a stone pinnacle remain in the garden

The Faxfleet Preceptory is a former community of the Knights Templar located in what is now the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stood on lands which are now part of Thorpe Grange Farm and are largely buried under a field to the west of the farm known today as Temple Garth. The location is west of Kingston upon Hull, approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of Youlthorpe and 25 miles (40 km) south-west of Beswick.

St Ive Human settlement in England

St Ive is a village in the civil parish of St Ive and Pensilva in eastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is split into four parts: St Ive Church End, St Ive Cross, St Ive Keason and St Ive Parkfield. In addition to the parish an electoral ward exists stretching north of St Ive. The population at the 2011 census was 4,246.

St Andrews Church, Mells Church in Somerset, England

St Andrew's Church is a Church of England parish church located in the village of Mells in the English county of Somerset. The church is a grade I listed building.

Cameley Human settlement in England

Cameley is a village in the civil parish of Temple Cloud with Cameley, within the Chew Valley in Somerset, and on the northern slopes of the Mendip Hills, in the Bath and North East Somerset Council area just off the A37 road. It is located 11 miles (18 km) from Bristol, Bath and Wells. The nearest town is Midsomer Norton, which is 6 miles (10 km) away. The parish has a population of 1,292 and includes the village of Temple Cloud.

Burrington, Somerset Human settlement in England

Burrington is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the unitary authority of North Somerset, 5 miles (8.0 km) north east of Axbridge and about 10 miles (16 km) east of Weston-super-Mare. The parish includes the hamlets of Bourne and Rickford and has a population of 464.

St Peters Church, Catcott Church in Somerset, England

The Anglican Church of St Peter in Catcott, Somerset, England dates predominantly from the 15th century, but still includes some minor 13th century work, and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

St Michaels Church, Brent Knoll Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St Michael at Brent Knoll, Somerset, England dates from the 11th century but has undergone several extensions and renovations since then. It has been designated as a grade I listed building. There is a Norman doorway however the rest of the church dates from around 1290. The north aisle was built in the late 15th century.

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Chard Church in Somerset, England

The Anglican Church of St Mary the Virgin in Chard, Somerset, England dates from the late 11th century and was rebuilt in the 15th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building. Due to the effects of a leak in the roof it was added to the Heritage at Risk Register in 2013.

Church of St James, Cameley Church in Somerset, England

The Church of St James is a redundant church in Cameley, Somerset, England, dating from the late 12th century. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It is dedicated to St. James of Compostela. The church was declared redundant on 1 January 1980, and was vested in the Trust on 18 March 1981.

Templecombe Preceptory was established in 1185 in Templecombe, Somerset, England.

The history of the Knights Templar in England began when the French nobleman Hughes de Payens, the founder and Grand Master of the order of the Knights Templar, visited the country in 1128 to raise men and money for the Crusades.

Witham Preceptory

Withham Preceptory, one of the smallest Knights Templar preceptories in England, was founded, before 1164, at Temple Hill, near South Witham, Lincolnshire, and was abandoned in the early 14th century. The site of the former preceptory at Temple Hill, South Witham. It 'has been largely under pasture' since the Knights Templar left in 1308.

St James Church, Aslackby Church in United Kingdom

St James the Great Church is a Grade I listed Church of England parish church dedicated to James, son of Zebedee in Aslackby, Lincolnshire, England. The church is 7 miles (11 km) north from Bourne, and in the Aslackby and Laughton parish on the eastern edge the South Kesteven Lincolnshire Vales.

Temple Hirst Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Temple Hirst is a village and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. It was formerly in the wapentake of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The village is located on the north bank of the River Aire. In the 2011 census the population was 117.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Historic England. "Church of St. Mary (1366329)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "The Blessed Virgin Mary, Templecombe". A Church Near You. Church of England. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "St Bernard of Clairvaux, Templecombe, Somerset". Templars.org. Archived from the original on 29 June 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  4. 1 2 Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. pp.  206. ISBN   1-874336-26-1.
  5. 1 2 3 C R J Currie, R W Dunning (Editors), A P Baggs, M C Siraut (1999). "Abbas and Temple Combe". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 7: Bruton, Horethorne and Norton Ferris Hundreds. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 29 March 2014.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "St Bernard of Clairvaux, Templecombe, Somerset". Grand Priory of Knights Templar in England and Wales. Archived from the original on 29 June 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  7. 1 2 Faith, Juliet (2009). The Knights Templar in Somerset. The History Press. pp. 25–51. ISBN   9780752452562.
  8. ↑ William Page, ed. (1911). "House of Knights Templar: The preceptory of Templecombe". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 2. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "Templecombe a Somerset Village". Tim Law. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "Abbas and templcombe". War Memorials. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  11. ↑ CWGC Cemetery report, details from casualty record.
  12. ↑ Ralls, Karen (2007). Knights Templar Encyclopedia. Career Press. pp. 199–202. ISBN   9781564149268.
  13. ↑ Byford, Enid (1987). Somerset Curiosities. Dovecote Press. p.  72. ISBN   0946159483.
  14. 1 2 "Templecombe, Somerset". Templar Sites. Ancient Quest. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  15. ↑ "Mysterious Painting of a Face is Attracting Visitors to The Bishop's Palace". Somerset Routes. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  16. ↑ Barber, Malcolm (April 1982). "The Templars and the Turin Shroud". The Catholic Historical Review. 68 (2): 206–225. JSTOR   25021340.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.