The Church of St Mary of the Purification is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

in Blidworth,

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, dating from the 15th century. It is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building.

Building

Only the west tower from the medieval (15th century) church survives. The rest was built in 1739 by Rhodes of Barlborough and 1839 by Colvin. It is of

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

with a lead roof. The graveyard includes a 1963 model of the earlier church. The clock tower has two clocks, one facing West, the other East which would be visible to people approaching from either direction along Main Street.

Notable burials

The church is reputed to be the burial place of Will Scarlet. The place is not known, but a piece of the earlier church serves as a memorial.

Rocking Ceremony

The Church of St Mary of the Purification is the only church that is known to continue to hold an annual Rocking Ceremony during which a baby boy, born nearest to Christmas Day and having married, Christian parents living in Blidworth, is “rocked” in a cradle on the Feast of the Purification of Mary, which is on the Sunday nearest to

Candlemas Candlemas (also spelled Candlemass), also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday commemorating the presentati ...

. The ceremony is a symbolic enactment of the story from the Bible found in Luke's gospel, depicting the Presentation of Christ at a temple.Baby Jack becomes the 91st Rocking baby ''Chad'' (Mansfield local newspaper), 27 February 2013, p.54 Accessed 31 July 2018 It is thought to have started in the 13th century, but was banned from 1600. The custom was revived in 1842 by the vicar, John Lowndes but then fell out of use. It was revived again in 1922, and has been using the same cradle since then. All of the babies who have taken part in the Rocking Ceremonies have their names recorded upon a plaque at the rear of St Mary's Church with their full name and the year in which they were 'Rocked'. In 2010 a sculpture of a cradle was made to celebrate the custom. File:St Mary Blidworth evening 24 June 2017.jpg, West clock face viewed along Main Street File:Blidworth Will Scarlet grave marker 24 June 2017.jpg, Will Scarlet grave marker File:Cemetery, St Marys Church, Blidworth, Notts. (geograph 4297573).jpg, Part of the walls of the earlier church re-erected in the graveyard

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blidworth, Church of St Mary of the Purification Grade II* listed churches in Nottinghamshire Church of England church buildings in Nottinghamshire Mary

Building

Notable burials

Rocking Ceremony

See also

Sources