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St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bottesford

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St Mary the Virgin's Church is in the village of Bottesford, Leicestershire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Framland, the archdeaconry of Leicester and the diocese of Leicester. Its benefice is united with those of eight local parishes.[1] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.[2]

St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bottesford
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bottesford,
from the southeast
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bottesford is located in Leicestershire
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bottesford
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bottesford
Location in Leicestershire
52°56′37″N 0°48′00″W / 52.9435°N 0.8001°W / 52.9435; -0.8001
OS grid referenceSK 807 391
LocationBottesford, Leicestershire
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
WebsiteSt Mary, Bottesford
History
StatusParish church
DedicationSaint Mary the Virgin
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade I
Designated1 January 1968
Architect(s)Sharpe and Paley
(1847–48 restoration)
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic
Administration
DioceseLeicester
ArchdeaconryLeicester
DeaneryFramland
ParishBottesford
Clergy
Vicar(s)Revd F. P. R. J. Connell

History

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Sometimes known as the "Lady of the Vale", it is a large church which has the 2nd highest spire in Leicestershire (at 212 feet).[citation needed] The oldest part of the church dates from the 12th century, with additions and alterations made during the following three centuries,[3] including the nave and spire in the 15th century. There are two gargoyles on the south transept. The chancel was rebuilt in the 17th century to accommodate the monuments of the Manners family, earls (later dukes) of Rutland, which completely fill it.[4] The monuments include work by Caius Gabriel Cibber and Gerard Johnson the elder. One of the Rutland tombs is famous for its inscription, which attributes two family deaths to witchcraft by the Witches of Belvoir.[5]

A number of restorations were carried out during the 19th century.[2] The restoration in 1847–48 was carried out by the Lancaster partnership of Sharpe and Paley. This involved restoring the nave, aisles, and transepts, replacing the seating and the roofs of the aisles, removing the gallery, inserting the tower screen, adding new pinnacles, reflooring the church and replacing windows. This cost £2,235 (equivalent to £280,000 in 2023),[6] towards which the Duke of Rutland gave £600, the Revd F. J. Norman gave £550, and a grant of £110 was received from the Incorporated Church Building Society.[7]

A headstone to Thomas Parker and a table tomb in the churchyard are both Grade II listed, as are the gate piers and gates to the churchyard to the north. The churchyard contains war graves of fifteen Commonwealth service (mainly Royal Air Force) personnel, five from the First World War and ten from the Second World War.[8]

Rectors of Bottesford

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  • Raph de Albiniaco 1223
  • Nicholas de Belvoir 1234 - 1273
  • Peter de Ros 1273 - 1289
  • William de Filungele 1289 - 1325
  • Gilbert de Wyggeton until 1332
  • Sir Adam de Staynegrave from 1332
  • Henry de Codyngton 1374 - 1404
  • John Freeman 1420
  • Robert Jackson
  • William Constable
  • John Whittinge 1558
  • Robert Cressey 1560
  • Samuel Fleming 1581 - 1620
  • Francis Allen 1621
  • Richus Langham 1624
  • Anthony Marshall 1662 - 1679
  • Thomas White 1679 - 1685[9]
  • Caradocus Creed 1685
  • Abel Ligonier 1698 - 1710
  • Lewis Griffin 1711 - 1735
  • Bernard Wilson 1735 (presented but never took possession)
  • John Ewer 1735 - 1753[10]
  • Richard Stevens 1753 - 1771
  • George Turner 1771 - 1782
  • Sir John Thoroton 1782 - 1820
  • Charles Roos Thornton 1821 - 1846[11]
  • Canon Frederick John Norman 1846 – 1889[12]
  • Canon Robert Manners Norman 1889 – 1895[13]
  • William Vincent-Jackson 1895 - 1917[14]
  • Frank Walford 1918 – 1943
  • Canon Alfred Thomas Gardner Blackmore 1943 – 1958
  • Canon William Nelson Metcalfe 1959 – 1982
  • Kenneth Aubrey Dyke 1982 – 1992
  • Geoffrey Spencer 1993 – 1998
  • Charles Bradshaw 1999 – 2004
  • Stuart J. Foster 2005 – 2009

Organ

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Organ in St Mary's Church, Bottesford

A pipe organ was built by Forster and Andrews and opened on 11 October 1859 by Henry Farmer.[15] It was modified by Wadsworth in 1892. In 1995 Norman Hall and Sons installed a second-hand organ by T.C. Lewis from St Hugh’s Church, Southwark. It comprises 2 manuals and pedals and has 15 speaking stops.[16]

Organists

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  • James Moore 1859[17] - 1908 (blind)
  • Miss. C.H. Read 1908[18] - 1910 (formerly assistant organist at St Wulfram's Church, Grantham)
  • Professor Samuel Corbett 1910[19] - 1912 (blind)
  • H. Keeton Hardwick 1912[20] - 1914 (formerly organist of St John’s Church, Spittlegate, Grantham, afterwards organist at Warwick, Queensland)
  • Miss Beatrice James 1914 - 1926
  • Fred W. Carter 1926 - 1971[21]
  • Paul Willcock
  • Chris Coe

Burials

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One of the many monuments in the chancel

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bottesford: St Mary the Virgin, Bottesford, Church of England, retrieved 10 August 2011
  2. ^ a b Historic England, "Church of St Mary, Bottesford (1075095)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 30 May 2012
  3. ^ Hughes, John M. (2010), Edmund Sharpe: Man of Lancaster, John M. Hughes, p. 218
  4. ^ Betjeman, John, ed. (1968) Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches; the North. London: Collins; p. 166
  5. ^ Bob, Sparford. "The Bottesford Witches, Introduction". Bottesford Living History. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  6. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 7 May 2024
  7. ^ Brandwood, Geoff; Austin, Tim; Hughes, John; Price, James (2012), The Architecture of Sharpe, Paley and Austin, Swindon: English Heritage, p. 214, ISBN 978-1-84802-049-8
  8. ^ BOTTESFORD (ST. MARY) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 4 March 2013
  9. ^ Mullett, Michael. "White, Thomas". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29275. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  10. ^ "Ewer, John (EWR723J)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  11. ^ "Newark Wednesday". Nottingham Review. England. 20 February 1846. Retrieved 6 November 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "Funeral of Canon Norman". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 3 January 1889. Retrieved 6 November 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ "Obituary. The Rev. R.M. Norman". Nottinghamshire Guardian. England. 9 February 1895. Retrieved 6 November 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^ "Former Rector of Bottesford". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 10 June 1919. Retrieved 6 November 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. ^ "Bottesford. Organ Opening". Nottinghamshire Guardian. England. 13 October 1859. Retrieved 6 November 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^ "NPOR [D03594]". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Bottesford". Nottingham Journal. England. 18 November 1859. Retrieved 6 November 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ^ "Parish Church". Grantham Journal. England. 11 April 1908. Retrieved 3 November 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ^ "News Echos". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 2 July 1910. Retrieved 6 November 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ^ "Appointment of Church organist". Grantham Journal. England. 14 September 1912. Retrieved 3 November 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ^ "Retired". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 8 November 1971. Retrieved 6 November 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Mary the Virgin's Church, Bottesford.
  • Eller, Irvin (1841). "Bottesford Church". The History of Belvoir Castle. R. Tyas. OL 6590343M.
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