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St Mary's Church is an active Anglican church in
Great Wymondley Great Wymondley is a village and former civil parish situated near Hitchin, now in the parish of Wymondley,Grade I listed building.


History

In 1199, Reginald de Argentein, lord of the manor of Great Wymondley, brought a case against the Abbess of Elstow over the
advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living ...
of the chapel, as it then was. The Abbess claimed that the chapel was part of the possessions of the church at Hitchin, and had been granted to the Abbey by
Judith of Lens Judith of Lens (born in Normandy between 1054 and 1055, died c1090) was a niece of William the Conqueror. She was a daughter of his sister Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale and Lambert II, Count of Lens. Life In 1070, Judith married Ea ...
, niece of William I. Richard lost the case. Although vicars were appointed to Great Wymondley from 1361, the church remained under Elstow Abbey until the
Dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...
. The benefice is currently
St Ippolyts St Ippolyts (or St Ippollitts) is a village and civil parish on the southern edge of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, England. It has a population of approximately 2,000. Governance North Hertfordshire District Council St Ippolyts is located within th ...
with Great and Little Wymondley.


Architecture

It has a
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
nave and
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...
, the latter being an
apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...
built of small rounded stones. Only two other medieval churches in Hertfordshire retain an apse (
St Leonard's Church, Bengeo The Church of Saint Leonard is a Norman church in Bengeo, Hertfordshire, England. Located on the hillside overlooking the shared Beane and Lea valley, the Grade I Listed church dates from about 1120, and is the oldest building in Hertford. Hi ...
and St John the Baptist's Church,
Great Amwell Great Amwell is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is southeast of Ware and about north of London. History On a hill above the church there are some traces of an Iron Ag ...
), but originally the church at
Little Wymondley Little Wymondley is a village and former civil parish situated between Hitchin and Stevenage, now in the parish of Wymondley, in the North Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Paradoxically, it has a larger popula ...
had an apsidal east end too.


References


External links

Church of England church buildings in Hertfordshire Grade I listed churches in Hertfordshire English churches with Norman architecture {{Hertfordshire-struct-stub