St Mary's Church is the largest parish church in Hertfordshire,[1] and is remarkably large for a town of the size of Hitchin — this has been cited as evidence of how Hitchin prospered from the wool trade.[1] The present church stands on the site of two previous churches and dates from the 14th and 15th centuries,[2] with its tower dating from around 1190. The church has been Grade I listed since 1951.[3]
During the laying of a new floor in the church in 1911, foundations of a more ancient Saxon church building were found. In form, they appear to be a basilican church of a 7th-century type, with a later enlarged chancel and transepts, perhaps added in the 10th century. These may have been the remains of a Benedictine monastery said to have been first on the site[4] and to have been founded by Offa, King of Mercia (r. 757–796).
In 910 the church and its adjoining palace were burnt down and the monks left Hitchin for St Albans Abbey following which local people used stones from the ruined church to build a new parish church. In the Domesday Book of 1086 St Mary's is listed as the most important church in the Deanery of St. Albans. The church was partially destroyed during the 'Great Wind' of 1115 after which the nave had to be completely rebuilt; the church was struck by lightning in 1292 which caused great damage, while in 1298 the centre of the church collapsed as the result of an earthquake. Six years later in 1304, possibly weakened by the earthquake, the roof collapsed damaging monuments and relics inside the building.[5] The church was rebuilt with flint, rubble and stone from Totternhoe in 1305.[4] In 1220 the nuns and Bishop Hugh of Lincoln endowed a vicarage at the church.
The present church building dates mostly from the 14th and 15th centuries and was originally dedicated to St Andrew, but came to be known as The Church of St Mary due to the powerful and influential Guild of our Lady founded in the 15th century.[6] The south porch, with its original door and described as "the chief glory of the church", was added in about 1450.[7]
Features
The pulpit dates from about 1500
Features surviving from the 15th century and of particular note are the baptismal font, which dates from about 1470 and around the base of which the figures of the Twelve Apostles were damaged by Puritan soldiers during the English Civil War when Oliver Cromwell garrisoned his troops in the church; the pulpit dates from about 1500 and no longer has its canopy, its ‘wine-glass‘ base or its clerk's desk.[6]
The Angel Screen is considered one of the finest in the country and on its eastern side can still be found the fraternity stalls used by the Guild of 'Our Blessed Lady St Mary the Virgin'. The sundial on the south east corner of the ancient tower was erected in thanksgiving for the Restoration of Charles II in 1660.[6]
The organ is a three-manual instrument built by J. W. Walker in 1871 and which was inaugurated by John Stainer. It has been rebuilt three times since then, most recently in 1958. The organ's carved oak case is by Laurence Arthur Turner and was installed in 1913.[8]
The funeral services were held here for the conductor Sir Henry Wood,[9] who died at the nearby Hitchin Hospital, and solicitor and Hitchin historian Reginald Hine.
In August 2015 windows at the church and those at St Paul's church in Letchworth were smashed in what police called a "religiously motivated attack." The cost of repair at St Mary's came to £10,000. Christopher Battison, aged 38, from Letchworth, was charged with the attack.[10][11][12][13]
Hitchin is a market town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England.
Willian is a village and former civil parish, adjoining the town of Letchworth, in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. Along with Norton and Old Letchworth, it is one of the original three villages around which the garden city of Letchworth Garden City was created. Despite this, the village retains a separate character to the rest of Letchworth Garden City. In 1931 the parish had a population of 210.
Norton is a small village and former civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, one of the three original villages which were absorbed into Letchworth Garden City, the other two being Willian and Old Letchworth. The village is known to have existed by 1007, with remains of the medieval settlement visible as earthworks in a field beside the church. However, the history of the village goes back even further than that. In 1901 the parish had a population of 169.
Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth is a civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles south-west of Cambridge and just north of Royston, Hertfordshire. Since the 1960s the parish contains the villages of Bassingbourn and Kneesworth.
Wyddial is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is located around a mile and a half north-east of Buntingford, and lies due north of Greenwich on the Prime Meridian.
St Michael's Church is a Church of England parish church in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. Much of the building is late 10th or early 11th century, making it the most significant surviving Anglo-Saxon building in the county. It is located near the centre of the site of Roman Verulamium to the west of the modern city.
St. Michael's Church is an Anglican parish church in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The church is a Grade I Listed Building. The church dates back to at least 1262, and a church on the site was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The church was rebuilt in the fifteenth century; however little of the previous church remains after it was rebuilt again in the nineteenth century and is still an active place of worship.
West Walton is a village and civil parish in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk District of Norfolk, England.
St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Little Hormead, Hertfordshire, 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 church is particularly noted for its Norman door, made of wood and ironwork. It is described as a "work of outstanding importance", and a "rare and precious survival".
All Saints' Church is in Queens Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Hertford and Ware, the archdeaconry of Hertford, and the diocese of St Albans. It is the civic church of the town and of the county. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is the largest church in Hertfordshire, other than St Albans Cathedral, and can seat up to 1,000 people.
The Church of St John the Evangelist is a Grade I listed Church of England parish church dedicated to John the Evangelist, in Corby Glen, Lincolnshire, England. The church is 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Grantham, and in the South Kesteven Lincolnshire Vales. It is noted in particular for its 14th- and 15th-century medieval wall paintings.
The Church of St Nicholas in Norton in Hertfordshire is the parish church for what was originally the village of Norton but which today has become a suburb of Letchworth Garden City. The present building dates from about 1109 to 1119, with additions in the 15th century including the tower. Before the Reformation it was a stopping point on the pilgrim route to the Abbey of St Albans and the shrine there.
St Mary's Church is the main Anglican church in the town of Calne, Wiltshire, England. The church is large and cruciform, with a tall north tower; it stands in a triangular churchyard at the heart of the town. Begun in the 12th century, it is described by Pevsner as "the proud church of a prosperous clothiers' town". The church is a Grade I listed building.
St Nicholas' Church is an Anglican parish church in Stevenage, a town in Hertfordshire, England.
Holy Trinity Church is the parish church for the village of Weston in Hertfordshire. The church building stands to the south-east of the village on high ground, and is built of flint and coursed ironstone rubble. It was Grade I listed in 1968. In the churchyard is the supposed grave of the giant Jack o'Legs.
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the Church of England parish church of Letchworth in Hertfordshire. A church appears to have been on the site since before the Norman Conquest. The current church was built in the late 12th century and is Grade II listed. It comes under the Diocese of St Albans. The original dedication of the church is unknown; it was rededicated to St Mary during the First World War.
The Church of St Katharine of Alexandria is the Church of England parish church for Ickleford in Hertfordshire. It comes under the diocese of St Albans.
The Church of St Nicholas is a Church of England parish church in the village of Hinxworth in Hertfordshire and is a Grade II* listed building dating mostly to the 14th century. The church comes under the Diocese of St Albans.
The Church of St Paul in Letchworth in Hertfordshire is the Anglican parish church for the Letchworth Gate area of the town at the top of Pixmore Way. Dating from 1923, with later extensions, it is a 'daughter church' of the nearby Church of All Saints in Willian and comes under the Diocese of St Albans. Built as a 'Victory' church following World War I, the building is the largest war memorial in Hertfordshire.
The Church of All Saints is the Anglican parish church for the village of Willian in Hertfordshire. The benefice is united with St Paul's church in nearby Letchworth, although each church has its own parish. It is in the Diocese of St Albans. The church has been a Grade II* listed building since 1954.
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