The Church of St Mary Magdalene in

Hucknall Hucknall () is a market town in the Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, Ashfield district of Nottinghamshire, England, north of Nottingham, southeast of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, from Mansfield and south of Sutton-in-Ashfield. Hucknall is on the west ba ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

dedicated to Jesus' companion

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

. The church is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

as it is a particularly significant building of more than local interest.

Background

It is set in a peaceful churchyard overlooking the market place in the centre of the town. The building itself is of great architectural interest and is built on the site of an old

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

church. The church tower which stands high above the town was constructed in stages between the 12th and 14th century whilst the porch was built in 1320. The medieval church consisted only of a chancel, nave, north aisle and tower but it was considerably enlarged in the Victorian period. The top stage of the tower is 14th-century, as is the south porch. The rest of the building is the result of extensive restoration work which began in 1872. The south aisle was added by Evans and Jolly between 1872 and 1874, and the transepts by

Robert Charles Clarke Robert Charles Clarke (1843 – 16 February 1904) was an architect based in Nottingham. History He was born in 1843, the son of Robert Clarke (architect), Robert Clarke and went into business with his father to form Robert Clarke & Son. He ma ...

in 1887 and 1888. In 1888 the Lady Chapel was re-built, a beautiful example of 19th-century craftsmanship. The Victorian baptistery which used to contain the 14th-century font has now been converted into a visitor centre where display boards and wall panels provide information about the church. There are also many carvings and wall mosaics around the church. In 2004, there was a carved stone cross, a Khatchkar, given to the church in memory of the work that the rector had done for

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. Hucknall - the only two khatchkar town in Western Europe
, St Mary Armenian Church, Toronto, accessed 25 September 2008 The stone which had been at Holgate School was given in thanks for the British people's contributions which enable the rebuilding of Lord Byron School in

Gyumri Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

which had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1988. It was thought that the original stone may have been damaged by football fans who confused Armenia with

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

.Byron festival finale
16 June 2004, ''Hucknall Dispatch'', accessed 25 September 2008

Current parish status

It is in a group of parishes which includes: * Church of St John the Evangelist, Butler's Hill *Church of St Mary Magdalene, Hucknall * Church of St Peter and St Paul, Westville

Gallery

Image:Hucknall Church St Mary Magdalene.jpg, Image:StMaryHucknall1.JPG, Image:StMaryHucknall2.JPG, Image:StMaryHucknall3.JPG,

Burials

Byron family

St Mary Magdalene served as the traditional burial place of the Byron family who maintained a family vault there. Most Lords Byron are buried in it, including the poet. His daughter Ada, Countess of Lovelace, also rests in the vault. There is a modest memorial to Lord Byron in the church.

Others

Other notable people buried in and near the church include: *

Ben Caunt Ben Caunt (22 March 1815 – 10 September 1861) was a 19th-century English bare-knuckle boxer who became the heavyweight boxing champion known as the "Torkard Giant" and "Big Ben". Early life Caunt was born on 22 March 1815 in Hucknall Torkard ...

(1815–1861), boxer * Zachariah Green (1817–1897),

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Stained glass windows

There are 25 stained glass windows by

Charles Eamer Kempe Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lychg ...

, most of which were added during the 1880s. The church holds one of the largest collections of stained glass by this artist.

Painting

There is a picture of Christ and the woman taken in adultery by

Daniel Maclise Daniel Maclise (25 January 180625 April 1870) was an Irish history painter, literary and portrait painter, and illustrator, who worked for most of his life in London, England. Early life Maclise was born in Cork, Ireland (then part of the ...

dating from 1869.

Bells

St Mary Magdalene has a ring of eight bells (12 cwt) installed in 1958 and a 14th-century Angelus bell, given to the church by the poet

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

. The Angelus bell has an unknown weight because it is so old the ringers are afraid of it breaking if it were moved from the tower. Bell weight tuning Treble 4-0-22 F# 2nd 4-1-14 E# 3rd 4-3-16 D# 4th 5-2-0 C# 5th 6-2-8 B 6th 7-1-6 A# 7th 9-1-12 G# Tenor 12-2-16 F# To the Glory of God Angelus Bell C#

Clock

A clock was installed in 1685 by Richard Roe. The current mechanically driven clock with a face on all four sides of the tower dates from 1882, and has to be wound once a week. The clock has three weights, one for keeping time, one for the chimes and one for the clock faces. The chimes chime the 5th, 6th and 7th bells.

Organ

The church had a pipe organ by Nigel Church installed in 1976. This was later sold to

Sedbergh School Sedbergh School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school, day school) in the town of Sedbergh in Cumbria, North West England. It comprise ...

for their chapel and an electronic organ was installed in 1992.

Organists

*Charles Pickard ???? - 1924 (afterwards organist of Holy Trinity Church, Lenton) *Frank Slater *Stanley Turner 1932 - ???? *Norman Silcock 1957-c.1970 A blind organist, his guide dog used to sit behind the console at services. The first piece he played on arrival was also the last piece he played at his retirement - Finlandia (Sibelius). His retirement gift was a Braille music typewriter.

References

External links

Church website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hucknall, Mary Magdalene 1320 establishments in England Buildings and structures completed in 1320 Churches completed in the 1320s Church of England church buildings in Nottinghamshire Grade II* listed churches in Nottinghamshire 19th-century Church of England church buildings 14th-century church buildings in England Ada Lovelace Lord Byron