St Leonard's Church, Hythe

Last updated
St Leonard's Church, Hythe
St Leonard Hythe 1.jpg
The church viewed from the north
Kent UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Kent
51°04′22″N1°05′03″E / 51.072799°N 1.084108°E / 51.072799; 1.084108
Location Hythe, Kent
CountryEngland
Denomination Anglican
Website slhk.org
History
Status Parish church
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade I
Designated3 January 1950
CompletedLate 11th century [1] [2]
Administration
Province Canterbury
Diocese Canterbury
Archdeaconry Ashford
Deanery Elham
Parish Hythe

St Leonard's Church is a Church of England parish church in Hythe, Kent. It was originally built in the late 11th century and is a Grade I listed building. [3]

Contents

Building

The large 11th-century church is up the hill; the tower at its western end was destroyed by an earth tremor in 1739 and restored in 1750. [4]

On pillars on the south side of the nave is mediaeval graffiti depicting ships. The vestry door, on the north side of the nave is an early Norman doorway. It has been suggested that this, which in late mediaeval times was apparently on the outer wall of the church, was once an internal wall, with the earlier Norman church a stage higher up the hill. This would make the existing chapel of St Edmund (or north transept) the original chancel, with the original nave being on the other side of the north wall. Evidence of earlier masonry is visible on the north wall. Going round into the north transept, it is clear that Roman masonry was re-used in the building of the arch, which is narrow and late-Saxon in style. At the time of Hasted's 'History of Kent' this doorway was blocked up and not visible on the inside. [5]

A new vestry was added in 1959.

History

St Leonard's Church was originally completed in the late 11th Century.

Burials and memorials

Lionel Lukin, credited with inventing the self-righting lifeboat, is buried in the parish churchyard.

Ossuary

St Leonard's Church is one of only two churches in England to contain a surviving ossuary, the other being Holy Trinity church in Rothwell, Northamptonshire. [6] It has "the largest and best-preserved collection of ancient human skulls and bones in Britain". [1] The chancel, from 1220, covers a processional ossuary (a bone store, more commonly found on the continent) lined with 2,000 skulls and 8,000 thigh bones. They date from the mediaeval period, probably having been stored after removal, to make way for new graves. This was common in England, but bones were usually dispersed, and this is thus a rare collection. Several of the skulls show marks of trepanning.

The ossuary is estimated to contain the remains of around 2000–4000 individuals. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasketon</span> Human settlement in England

Hasketon is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk District of Suffolk, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coldred</span> Small settlement in Kent, England

Coldred is a settlement and former civil parish, now in the parish of Shepherdswell with Coldred, in the Dover district of Kent, England. The main part of the village is Coldred Street which lies 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) to the south-west. In 1961 the parish had a population of 153.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Potton</span> Church in England

The Parish Church of St Mary is the Anglican parish church for Potton in Bedfordshire. It has been a Grade I listed building since 1966 and comes under the Diocese of St Albans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Bruera</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Mary's Church is in the small settlement of Bruera, which lies between the villages of Saighton and Aldford, in Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. The church contains Norman elements, but it has been subjected to alterations and modifications, particularly in 1896. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice is combined with those of St Peter, Waverton, and St John the Baptist, Aldford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin, Sompting</span> Church in West Sussex , United Kingdom

The Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin, also known as St Mary the Virgin Church and St Mary's Church, is the Church of England parish church of Sompting in the Adur district of West Sussex. It stands on a rural lane north of the urban area that now surrounds the village, and retains much 11th- and 12th-century structure. Its most important architectural feature is the Saxon tower topped by a Rhenish helm, a four-sided pyramid-style gabled cap that is uncommon in England. English Heritage lists the church at Grade I for its architecture and history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, South Stoneham</span> Church in Hampshire, England

St. Mary's Church, South Stoneham is one of the two remaining medieval churches in the city of Southampton, England. Parts of the building date from the Norman period and the chancel arch is 12th century. The church lies in a secluded position off Wessex Lane, near the north-eastern edge of Southampton and is almost hidden in the Southampton University accommodation campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury</span> Church in Shropshire, England

St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in St Mary's Place, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, the Trust designated St Mary's as its first Conservation Church in 2015. It is the largest church in Shrewsbury. Clifton-Taylor includes the church in his list of 'best' English parish churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Peter's Church, Mansergh</span> Church in Cumbria, England

St Peter's Church is in the village of Mansergh, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of six local churches to form the Kirkby Lonsdale Team Ministry. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael's Church, Bowness-on-Solway</span> Church in Cumbria, England

St Michael's Church is in the village of Bowness-on-Solway, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Carlisle, the archdeaconry of Carlisle, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St Bride, Kirkbride, and St John the Evangelist, Newton Arlosh. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Helen's Church, Overton</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St Helen's Church, Overton, is located in Church Grove, Overton, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Lancaster and Morecambe, the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the diocese of Blackburn. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael's Church, Aughton</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St Michael's Church is in Church Lane, Aughton, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Ormskirk, the archdeaconry of Wigan & West Lancashire, and the diocese of Liverpool. Its benefice is united with that of Holy Trinity, Bickerstaffe. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Margaret and St James' Church, Long Marton</span> Church in Cumbria, England

St Margaret and St James' Church is located about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to the south of the village of Long Marton, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Appleby, the archdeaconry of Carlisle, and the diocese of Carlisle. The parish is one of ten local parishes which form the benefice of the Heart of Eden. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Candida and Holy Cross</span> Church in Dorset, England

The Church of St Candida and Holy Cross is an Anglican church in Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset, England. A Saxon church stood on the site but nothing remains of that structure. The earliest parts of the church date from the 12th century when it was rebuilt by Benedictine monks. Further major rebuilding work took place in the 13th century and in the 14th century the church's prominent tower was constructed. The church features some Norman architectural features but is predominantly Early English and Perpendicular. George Somers, founder of the colony of Bermuda, is buried under the vestry and the assassinated Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov is interred in the churchyard. It is an active Church of England parish church in the deanery of Lyme Bay, the archdeaconry of Sherborne, and the diocese of Salisbury. It is one of only two parish churches in the country to have a shrine that contains the relics of their patron saint. The relics belong to St. Candida to whom the church is dedicated. The church been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Giles' Church, Barrow</span> Church in Shropshire, England

St Giles' Church is in the hamlet of Barrow, Shropshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Telford Severn Gorge, the archdeaconry of Ludlow, and the diocese of Hereford. Its benefice is united with those of All Saints, Broseley, St Mary, Jackfield, St Bartholomew, Benthall, and St Leonard, Linley. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is one of the earliest surviving churches in Shropshire, and contains the county's only Anglo-Saxon chancel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Edstaston</span> Church in Shropshire, England

St Mary's Church is in the village of Edstaston, in the civil parish of Wem Rural, Shropshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Wem and Whitchurch, the archdeaconry of Salop, and the diocese of Lichfield. Its benefice is united with those of St Chad, Prees, Holy Emmanuel, Fauls, Christ Church, Tilstock, and St Mary, Whixall. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is described as "one of the most complete Romanesque buildings in Shropshire".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary the Virgin, Hanbury</span> Church in Worcestershire, England

The church of St Mary the Virgin is an Anglican parish church in the village of Hanbury, Worcestershire. Its earliest parts date from about 1210 and it is a Grade I listed building. The church was the family church for the Vernon family of nearby Hanbury Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Peter's Church, Llanbedrgoch</span> Church in Anglesey, Wales

St Peter's Church, Llanbedrgoch, is a small medieval parish church near the village of Llanbedrgoch in Anglesey, north Wales. The oldest parts of the building date from the 15th century; it was extended in the 17th century and restored twice in the 19th century. The doorway is decorated with carvings of two human heads, one wearing a mitre. The church contains a reading desk made from 15th-century bench ends, one carved with a mermaid holding a mirror and comb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Bampton</span> Church in Oxfordshire, England

The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin is the Church of England parish church of Bampton, West Oxfordshire. It is in the Archdeaconry of Dorchester in the Diocese of Oxford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Lawrence's Church, Gnosall</span> Church in Staffordshire, England

St Lawrence's Church is an Anglican church in Gnosall, Staffordshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building. The earliest parts of the church are of Norman architecture; it was later much modified. The church is unusual in having a central tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael, Lamplugh</span> Church in Cumbria, England

St Michael is in Lamplugh, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Calder, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is Lamplugh, Kirkland & Ennerdale. The church is a grade 2 listed building.

References

  1. 1 2 "St Leonard's Church and Ossuary, Hythe". www.visitfolkestoneandhythe.co.uk.
  2. ↑ "The history of St Leonard's church - The Parish of St Leonard, Hythe". www.slhk.org.
  3. ↑ "THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST LEONARD, Hythe - 1068961 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
  4. ↑ Ramshaw, Marcus (2000). St Leonard's Hythe (2012 ed.). Andover: Pitkin. p. 9.
  5. ↑ Hasted The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent 2nd ed 1797–1801 viii 249–251
  6. ↑ "St Leonard's Church, Hythe". wasleys.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  7. ↑ "The Ossuary (Crypt) - The Parish of St Leonard, Hythe". www.slhk.org.
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.