St Mary's Church, Old Amersham

Last updated

St Mary's Church
Parish Church of Amersham
St Mary's Church, Old Amersham.JPG
View of the church from the south.
Buckinghamshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
St Mary's Church
Location of St Mary's Church
51°40′01″N0°36′58″W / 51.6670°N 0.6161°W / 51.6670; -0.6161 Coordinates: 51°40′01″N0°36′58″W / 51.6670°N 0.6161°W / 51.6670; -0.6161
OS grid reference SU9569797427
Location Amersham, Buckinghamshire
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Church of England
Website stmaryschurchamersham.com
History
Foundedc. 1140
Dedication St Mary the Virgin
Architecture
Style English Gothic
Years built13th, 14th centuries
Administration
Province Canterbury
Diocese Oxford
Archdeaconry Buckingham
Deanery Amersham
Benefice Amersham
Parish Amersham

St Mary's Church is a Church of England parish church in Old Amersham, Amersham in Buckinghamshire, England. The church is a grade I listed building.

Contents

History

The site of St Mary's Church has had Christian associations for many centuries. Early missionary monks of St Augustine and St Birinus travelled via the Roman Road Akeman Street, converting the local population to Christianity and baptising them in the River Misbourne. A place of worship has existed on this site since around 1140 A.D. [1] The present church dates from the 13th century with additions in the 14th and 15th centuries, when the church was extended. [1] [2]

The parish has connections with the persecution of the Lollards in the early 1500s when a group of locals known as the Amersham Martyrs were burned at the stake on the hill overlooking the old town. The Amersham Martyrs Memorial was placed on a hill overlooking the church in 1931. In 1553, Scottish reformer John Knox preached his last sermon at Amersham before going into exile to flee the wrath of Queen Mary. [1] [3]

The patrons of the parish are the Drake family, the Lords of the Manor of Amersham, related to Sir Francis Drake. Around 1637, Sir William Drake purchased the Borough of Amersham from the Earl of Bedford. [1] [4] There are numerous memorials to Drake family members in St Mary's Church. [5]

Several descendants of the Drakes have served as rector of the parish, including Rev. Edward Drake, who commissioned a major restoration of the church in 1890, and the external appearance dates from this time. [1] [3]

The bells are still rung in the church tower. [6] [7]

On 22 December 1958, the church was designated a grade I listed building. [8]

Present day

The Church of England parish of Amersham is part of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham in the Diocese of Oxford. [9]

Notable burials

The body of the murderer Ruth Ellis was reburied in the churchyard extension of St Mary's Church. The headstone in the churchyard was inscribed "Ruth Hornby 1926–1955". Her son, Andy, destroyed the headstone shortly before he committed suicide in 1982.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Gilbert Scott</span> 19th-century English architect

Sir George Gilbert Scott, largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started his career as a leading designer of workhouses. Over 800 buildings were designed or altered by him.

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

Amersham is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, 27 miles (43 km) northwest of central London, 15 miles (24 km) south-east of Aylesbury and 9 miles (14 km) north-east of High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt.

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

Chesham is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, 11 miles (18 km) south-east of the county town of Aylesbury, 25.8 miles (41.5 km) north-west of central London, and part of the London commuter belt. It is in the Chess Valley, surrounded by farmland. The earliest records of Chesham as a settlement are from the second half of the 10th century, although there is archaeological evidence of people in this area from around 8000 BC. Henry III granted a royal charter for a weekly market in 1257.

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

Little Chalfont is a village and civil parish in south-east Buckinghamshire, England. It is one of a group of villages known collectively as The Chalfonts, which also comprises Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter. Little Chalfont is located around 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Amersham and 21.9 miles (35.2 km) northwest of Charing Cross, central London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas, Liverpool</span> Church in Liverpool, England

The Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas is the Anglican parish church of Liverpool. The site is said to have been a place of worship since at least the 1250s. The church is situated close to the River Mersey near the Pier Head. The Chapel of St Nicholas was built on the site of St Mary del Quay, which in 1355 was determined to be too small for the growing borough of Liverpool. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building, and is an active parish church in the diocese of Liverpool, the archdeaconry of Liverpool and the deanery of Liverpool North. It is part of the Greater Churches Group. From 1813 to 1868 the Church was the tallest building in Liverpool at 174 feet [53 m], but then surpassed by the Welsh Presbyterian Church in Toxteth.

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

St Oswald's Church stands on the highest point in the market town of Malpas, Cheshire, England, on or near the site of a Norman motte and bailey castle. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building and is recognised as being one of the best examples in Cheshire of a late 15th to early 16th-century church. 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 John, Threapwood, and Holy Trinity, Bickerton. Alec Clifton-Taylor includes it in his list of 'best' English parish churches.

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

St Mary's Church is an Anglican parish church in the village of Newbold Astbury, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and its architecture has been praised by a number of writers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary and All Saints' Church, Great Budworth</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Mary and All Saints Church is in the centre of the village of Great Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Great Budworth. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. Clifton-Taylor includes it in his list of 'best' English parish churches. Richards describes it as "one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical architecture remaining in Cheshire". The authors of the Buildings of England series express the opinion that it is "one of the most satisfactory Perpendicular churches of Cheshire and its setting brings its qualities out to perfection".

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

St Mary's Church is an Anglican church at the end of a lane to the south of the village of Nether Alderley, Cheshire, England. It dates from the 14th century, with later additions and a major restoration in the late-19th century. 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 Mary's Church, Disley</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Mary's Church is an Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Chadkirk. It is on a hill overlooking the village of Disley, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. Its benefice is combined with that of St John, Furness Vale.

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

St Michael's Church, also known as St Michael and All Angels, stands on a small rise overlooking Big Mere in the village of Marbury, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. 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 Chad, Tushingham, and St Mary, Whitewell.

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

St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the small village of Thornton-le-Moors, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and it is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

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

St Peter's Church is in the village of Waverton, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. 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 John, Aldford and St Mary, Bruera.

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

St Margaret's Church overlooks the village green of Wrenbury, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Nantwich. Its benefice is combined with those of St Michael's, Baddiley and St Mary's and St Michael's, Burleydam.

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

St Mary's Church is the Anglican parish church of Lymm, Warrington, Cheshire, England, standing on a bank overlooking Lymm Dam. It is a grade II listed building. It is an active church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Great Budworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Chesham</span> Anglican church in Buckinghamshire, UK

St. Mary's Church is a Grade I listed Anglican church in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, and is part of the Diocese of Oxford. Built on the site of a Bronze Age stone circle of puddingstones, parts of the church building date to the 12th century. Remodelled in the 15th and 17th centuries, the church is architecturally a mixture of English Gothic styles. Weakened by additions to the church tower and undermined by burials in and around the church, by the 19th century the building was structurally unsound. The church was remodelled and strengthened in the 1860s by George Gilbert Scott and again in the 20th century by Robert Potter.

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

St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the civil parish of Rickinghall Superior, in the village of Rickinghall, Suffolk, 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. There are two churches serving the village of Rickinghall, both dedicated to St Mary, the other being an active parish church in the centre of the village in the parish of Rickinghall Inferior. St Mary's Church, Rickinghall Superior, stands to the south of the village, on the other side of the A143 road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Edmund, Mansfield Woodhouse</span> Church in Nottinghamshire, England

The Church of St Edmund is on Old Manor Road, Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, England. It is an active Church of England parish church in the deanery of Mansfield, the Archdeaconry of Newark, and the Southwell and Nottingham diocese. Its benefice has two churches, St Edmund’s is the main parish church, also the Church of St Chad, Pleasley Vale. 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 Mary the Virgin, Ivinghoe</span> Church in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom

The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Ivinghoe, is a Church of England, Grade I listed church in the village of Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire, in the United Kingdom. It stands on the main High Street of the village surrounded by a churchyard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Giles, Stoke Poges</span> Church of England parish in Buckinghamshire

St Giles' Church is an active parish church in the village of Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, England. A Grade I listed building, it stands in the grounds of Stoke Park, a late-Georgian mansion built by John Penn. It is famous as the apparent inspiration for Thomas Gray's poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard; Gray is buried in the churchyard.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "History of St Mary's Church, Old Amersham". stmaryschurchamersham.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  2. Pevsner, Nikolaus (1979) [1960]. The Buildings of England: Buckinghamshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 46–48. ISBN   0-14-071019-1.
  3. 1 2 "St. Mary's Church & new Rectory". Amersham Museum. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  4. "The Drake family". Amersham Museum. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  5. "Drake Memorials". Amersham Museum. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  6. "Welcome to the fascinating world of bell ringing!". St Mary's Parish Church, Old Amersham. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  7. "Amersham Ringing" . Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  8. Historic England. "Church of St Mary (1124855)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  9. "Amersham St Mary with Coleshill, Amersham". A Church Near You. Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 13 June 2017.