St. Mary's Church, Kempsey

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Oil Painting of Kempsey Church by C.J. Morrall. Click on the picture for a larger version.

On this page:

• the history of the church
• the bullet holes
• the tower
• the monument to Sir Edmund Wylde
• the trefoil-headed piscina
• the monument to Mrs Elizabeth Eaton
• the font
• the pulpit
• winner of the Victoria Cross buried in Kempsey Churchyard
• Church website

• priests of Kempsey since 1269
• picture of the church over the flooded marshland
• picture of the church over the flooded Rocky
• 'Bells Big and Little' - the church bells and the handbell ringers
• view from the roof of the church tower
• Inscriptions from Plaques in the Church
• The Lychgate at the eastern edge of the churchyard

The History of the Church
The picture on the left is of the church, taken from the river bank. You can see how the church stands on top of the slope. The ridge in the middle foreground is called an 'agger', and is thought to be the boundary of the old settlement at Kempsey. The site of the Bishop's Palace is thought to have been here, between the agger and the church. Click here or on the picture for a larger version (215Kb).

The present church developed from an aisleless cruciform building of the 12th Century. Evidence of this period can be seen in the plinth and buttress in the nave, the plinth in the south transept, and a buttress in the north transept.

The chancel appears to have been rebuilt about 1250 when the east window of 5 lancets was inserted, one of the best examples of the Early English style in Worcestershire. However, the stained glass is mainly Victorian. Towards the end of the 12th Century a south aisle and arcade were added, and a similar addition was made to the north side of the church in the 14th Century.

During the 15th Century extensive repairs became necessary, and the whole of the north and south transepts and aisles were rebuilt. A little later the west tower was rebuilt and heightened, much of the older masonry being reused.

By the mid-18th Century the church was in a neglected condition, and needed repair. In 1759 a musician's gallery was erected at the west end of the nave, completely blocking the archway between the nave and the tower. Shortly afterwards the church flooring was renewed and box pews inserted.

In the Victorian era the gallery was removed and modern pews inserted. The organ chamber was installed, a new vestry and the porch were built, and the chancel arch and parts of the transept were rebuilt.

The Bullet Holes
The small holes dented into the southern wall of the tower are said to have been made by Parliamentarian soldiers doing musket practice during the Civil War. Click on the picture or here for a bigger picture.

The Tower
The 15th Century tower is 82 feet tall. There are good views west to Malvern and north to Worcester Cathedral from the top of the tower. Click here to see a panoramic view from the top of the tower.

The Monument to Sir Edmund Wylde
This is dated 1620, as he was made Sheriff of Worcestershire in that year, and died in his first year in office. Although the principal home of the Wylde family was in Shropshire, he was renting the Rectory Manor House in Lane's End at the time. His widow, Dorothy Clark of Houghtom Conquest, Bedfordshire, erected the tomb over his grave. The two kneeling figures are his sons, Edward and Walter. Click on the picture or here for a bigger picture.

A choirboy's confiscated chestnut was thrown behind the stone body of Sir Edmund by the sexton. It germinated in 1830, grew over 10 feet tall, and died in the summer of 1895. Click on the picture or here for a bigger picture.

The Trefoil-headed Piscina
Over the piscina, which is a stone basin for washing communion vessels after the service, is the insignia of Walter de Cantelupe, Bishop of Worcester, 1237-1266.

The Monument to Mrs Elizabeth Eaton
This is in the tower choir vestry, and Mrs Eaton died in 1790.

The Font
The octagonal stone font was presented to the church by Robert Nuttall in 1852. Click on the picture or here for a bigger picture.

The Pulpit
The unusual rounded pulpit of 1863 replaced an earlier wooden three-decker pulpit. Click on the picture or here for a bigger picture.

For a more detailed account of the history of the church and the rectory, click here to go to the entry in the Victoria County History, or here for Rev. Purton's history.

Victoria Cross
Major General Edward William Derrington Bell, winner of the Victoria Cross at the Battle of Alma in the Crimean War in 1854 is buried in Kempsey churchyard. Click here to find out more.

Church Website
The church has a website at http://www.stmaryskempsey.org.uk/index.html

© 1999 - Andy Morrall

Last updated 21^th September 2007.

E-mail: andymorrall@geocities.com

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