St Mary the Virgin Church | |
---|---|
Church of St Mary the Virgin | |
Location | Fawsley, Northamptonshire |
Country | England |
Denomination | Anglican |
History | |
Dedication | Mary, mother of Jesus |
Architecture | |
Heritage designation | Grade I |
Designated | 1968 |
Completed | approximately 1209 |
Administration | |
Parish | Fawsley |
Diocese | Peterborough |
Province | Canterbury |
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Church of England parish church in Fawsley, Northamptonshire, England. It serves the parish of Fawsley under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Peterborough. [1] It was built in the 13th century and is a Grade I listed building. [2]
The current church dates to the 13th century. It is thought to have been established in 1209 on the site of a wooden Anglo-Saxon church, [3] as a chapel under St John the Baptist Church in Blisworth. [4] This lasted until the Dissolution of the Monasteries when the Knightley family demolished most of the village to enclose land for sheep farming. [5] The church was protected from demolition by the fact that it had had land granted to it to establish a chantry in Bedfordshire. [4] In 1690, the chancel was rebuilt and later, the church had effigies of the Knightley family installed after a number of them were buried in the church. [4] The church was granted Grade I listed status in 1968 and was amended in 1987. [2]
Aided by its isolated location, a considerable amount of the copper covering was stolen [6] from the roofs in 2015, causing some rain damage internally. Fund raising to replace the temporary plastic sheeting is well underway.
The tower contains a ring of four bells, which are the oldest ring of four bells that all came from the same foundry at the same time. Casting of the bells is ascribed to W. Chamberlain of London in about 1440. The inscriptions cast on the bells are:
All four bells also have three identity stamps:
All bells retain their cast canons. The timber frame dates from the early 17th century, and was repaired by John Taylor & Co in 1965/6 when the four bells were quarter turned, renovated with new independent crown staples, new fittings for swing chiming consisting of seasoned-elm headstocks, wrought-iron levers, steel gudgeons, fully enclosed ball bearings, clappers with new joints and ball-bearing rollers.
In 1992 the frame was strengthened further by volunteers to a design by Eayre and Smith Ltd to allow for full circle ringing and the necessary additional fittings provided. A service of thanksgiving was held on 26 September 1992.
In 1720, the coat of arms of the Washington family was noted as being carved into the stone outside the entrance, possibly because Reverend Lawrence Washington, the great-great-grandfather of United States President George Washington, owned the estate in the area that included the church. The shield was later hidden behind stones but was rediscovered in 1885 and protected with a glass case. [7] The church also has stained-glass windows bearing the Washington family arms which were removed from Sulgrave Manor, the Washingtons' ancestral home. [8] [9] [10]
The coat of arms of the Washington family is first documented in the 14th century, borne by the Washington family of Washington Old Hall in County Durham, England before making its way to the Colony of Virginia in the 17th century with George Washington's great-grandfather.
Badby is a village and a rural parish of about 2,020 acres (820 ha) in West Northamptonshire, England.
Brockhall is a civil parish and village in West Northamptonshire in England. Brockhall, like many estate villages, is a small settlement that has developed around its eponymous hall. The village - Brocole in Old English, which means Badgers Hill - was recorded in the Domesday Book. The population is included in the civil parish of Norton.
Fawsley is a hamlet and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. The population at the 2001 census was 32. At the 2011 census the population remained less than 100 and is included in the civil parish of Charwelton.
Charwelton is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) south of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 220.
Thorpe Mandeville is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England about 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Banbury in neighbouring Oxfordshire. The hamlet of Lower Thorpe is just north of the village.
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Helmdon is a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Brackley in West Northamptonshire, England. The village is on the River Tove, which is flanked by meadows that separate the village into two. The parish includes the hamlets of Astwell and Falcutt and covers more than 1,550 acres (630 ha). The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 899.
Knightley is a hamlet and former manor in Staffordshire, England. It is situated near the villages of Gnosall and Woodseaves, now on the B5405 road.
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Lawrence Washington was an English rector. He was an early ancestor to the Washington family, being the great-great-grandfather of George Washington.
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Rainald Knightley, 1st Baron Knightley, known as Sir Rainald Knightley, 3rd Baronet, from 1864 to 1892, was a British Conservative Party politician.
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Chipping Warden is a village in Northamptonshire, England about 6 miles (10 km) northeast of the Oxfordshire town of Banbury. The parish is bounded to the east and south by the River Cherwell, to the west by the boundary with Oxfordshire and to the north by field boundaries.
Chacombe is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) north-east of Banbury. It is bounded to the west by the River Cherwell, to the north by a tributary and to the south-east by the Banbury–Syresham road. The 2011 Census gave a parish population of 659 and a 2019 estimate 693.
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The Church of St James the Less, Sulgrave, is the Church of England parish church of Sulgrave, a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) north of Brackley, Northamptonshire. The present church dates largely from the 13th and 14th centuries and is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
Sir John Spencer was an English nobleman, politician, knight, sheriff, landowner, and Member of Parliament. He was an early member of the Spencer family.