|
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a parish church of the Church of England in Baldock in Hertfordshire. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the original church on the site dated to about 1150 and was built by the Knights Templar before being largely rebuilt in about 1330 by the Knights Hospitaller. It is a Grade I listed building.〔"(Church of Saint Mary, Baldock )". ''British Listed Buildings''. Retrieved 14 April 2014.〕 ==History of St Mary's== The advowson or patronage of the church of St. Mary at Baldock originally belonged to the Knights Templar, who built the original church in about 1150 on land given to them by Gilbert de Clare, the Earl of Pembroke (parts of this early church are found at the east end of the chancel), and it continued in their possession until their suppression in 1308. It was then granted, together with the manor of Baldock, to the Knights Hospitaller, who expanded it in about 1330 and who in 1335 granted the advowson for ten years to John de Blomvill. The latter in 1343 granted it for two years to Sir Walter de Manny, after which it presumably reverted to the Hospitallers.〔Gray, H.J., ''The Church of St. Mary the Virgin Baldock, Herts'' - The British Publishing Company Limited, Gloucester (ND) pg 9〕 In 1359 it was claimed by the Crown as parcel of the Holy Trinity church of Weston. There seems no reason why Edward III should have claimed either church at that time, for both belonged to the Hospitallers; however, his claim seems to have been allowed, for the Crown presented to the church in 1383, and apparently continued to do so until after 1822. The patronage was transferred before 1829 to the Lord Chancellor. The latter held it until 1865, when it was transferred to the Bishop of Rochester, who presented until 1877, when it was acquired by the Bishop of St Albans. Since 1902 the presentation has been in the hands of the bishop and the Marquess of Salisbury alternately. The Fraternity or Gild of Jesus at St Mary's in Baldock was founded in 1459, and the charter confirmed in 1533. At that date it had a master, churchwardens, brethren and sisters, and found a priest who helped the parson of the church in his duties. At the inquiry of 1548 William Tybie was the brotherhood priest, and he assisted the parson of Baldock in serving his cure. In 1550 it was granted, with the lands belonging, to John Cock.〔Page, William, ed. (1912). "(Parishes: Baldock )". ''A History of the County of Hertford'', Volume 3. pp. 65–73. ''British History Online''. Retrieved 14 April 2014.〕 Among the church's silverware is a silver and parcel-gilt chalice and paten dated to the reign of Elizabeth I (hallmarked 1569) known as the Byrd Chalice, named after the Reverend Josias Byrd (c.1578-1666), Rector of the church from 1613 to 1662. Byrd is remembered for giving Charles I a drink of wine from this chalice when he passed through Baldock, en route from Newmarket to London under the escort of Cornet George Joyce in June 1647.〔Gray, pg 29〕〔(Lacey, Andrew ''The Cult of King Charles the Martyr'' The Boydell Press (2003) pg 42 ''Google Books'' )〕 The following inscription was on Byrd's gravestone which stood in the churchyard for 200 years, but which has subsequently disappeared:
For a time Byrd's assistant or lecturer was William Sherwin, who was either silenced or ejected. The church's plate also includes a cup and cover paten of 1629. The Rev. John Smith, Rector of the church from 1832 to 1870 and who is buried in the churchyard, was the first to decipher the complete text of the Diary of Samuel Pepys (others had previously deciphered sections of it). Smith laboured on the Diaries for three years, from 1819 to 1822. His transcription, which is kept in the Pepys Library, was the basis for the first published edition of the diary, edited by Lord Braybrooke, released in two volumes in 1825. The 19th century rectory beside the church, built in 1871 and known today as 'Butterfield House', was designed by the noted eccesiastical architect William Butterfield. Today it is a nursery, while a rather more modest modern rectory is located in Pond Lane. St Mary's has two church schools - St Mary's Infant and St Mary's Junior Schools, which share a common site on St Mary's Way in Baldock.〔(Website of St Mary's Infant School, Baldock )〕〔(Website of St Mary's Junior School, Baldock )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Church of St Mary the Virgin, Baldock」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|