St Mary's Whitechapel is an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

church in Lancaster,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, founded in 1669, and located three miles south of Lively, in Lancaster County, in the

Northern Neck The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia (along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula ...

. The parish of St Mary's Whitechapel is notable for being the church of

Mary Ball Washington Mary Washington (; born sometime between 1707 and 1709 – August 25, 1789), was the second wife of Augustine Washington, a planter in Virginia, the mother-in-law of Martha Washington, the paternal grandmother of Bushrod Washington, and ...

, mother of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, during her youth.

History

In April 1657, the Colonial Assembly (General Court) divided the parish north of the

Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the entir ...

into two parishes: the upper becoming St. Mary's Whitechapel and the lower

Christ Church (Lancaster County, Virginia) Christ Church is a historic Episcopal church in Lancaster County, Virginia, north of Irvington. Built in 1732-35, it is notable for its unique Georgian design, and is one of the best-preserved colonial churches in the southern United States ...

. It is thought to have been named after

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

parish in the

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. In 1752, the parishes were combined, but served by two separate buildings and vestries. St. Mary's church is built in the simple elegant style typical of colonial era churches in Seventeenth Century Virginia. Construction of the building was begun in around 1675, pursuant to a bequest of David Fox, a planter who owned land surrounding the original parish. Population growth in the area led to expansion, transforming the original rectangular design to a cruciform shape in 1741, as both the building's north and south sides had wings added. Following disestablishment, when Anglican churches closed all across America, the church became dormant and was abandoned for two decades. Along with numerous other parish properties, the church and its property were seized after a vacancy under a statute of 1802 ultimately upheld by the Virginia Court of Appeals. The church fell into disuse for twenty years, and during this period the interior was gutted and the church's east and west sections deteriorated beyond repair. Around 1830 the North and South wings were repaired, forming the rectangular structure which can be seen today, albeit at right angles to the original rectangular building. The parish's earliest artifact is a silver chalice bequeathed by David Fox Sr. in 1669. The Decalogue, or Ten Commandments plaque, inside the church, dates from a David Fox bequest recorded in 1702. On either side, the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer plaques were both bequeathed by William Fox in 1710, and William Fox also donated a baptismal font in 1718. Such are collectively thought the oldest in the state. After the church was reestablished in 1832 (in commemoration of which Rawleigh William Dowman donated a Bible) until 1970, nineteen ministers served both St. Mary's parish and Christ Church parish in Lancaster, and sometimes as many as six parishes simultaneously, often including 19th century foundations

Grace Church Grace Church may refer to: Canada * Grace Church on-the-Hill, Toronto China * Grace Church, Guanghan Poland * Grace Church, Teschen or Jesus Church, a Lutheran basilica in Teschen, Poland United Kingdom United States * Grace Cathedral (disam ...

and Trinity Episcopal Church in Lancaster. In 1973 the Diocese of Virginia recognized St. Mary's Whitechapel and Trinity Episcopal in Lancaster jointly as an independent parish, and both churches have continued to share a rector since. The pulpit dates from 1979 and the organ from 1984.

Cemetery

The church cemetery contains the graves of numerous members of local families, including many members of the Ball family, kin to

, mother of

. The earliest marked grave is that of "John Stretchley, gentleman, 1698". Among notable burials are the physician George H. Steuart, his son George H. Steuart (one of the last consuls of the United States at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England), the actress

Margaret Sullavan Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960) was an American stage and film actress. Sullavan began her career onstage in 1929 with the University Players. In 1933, she caught the attention of film director John M. Stahl and had ...

and former state Delegate Robert O. Norris Jr.

St Mary's Whitechapel today

The church has an active congregation of the Episcopal church. The Rector is Reverend Doctor Megan Limburg. The church is listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Notes

References

* History of St Mary's Whitechapel by Elizabeth Lewis Neale, published in ''Colonial Churches in the Original Colony of Virginia'', by Anonymous. * Rawlings, James Scott, Virginia's Colonial Churches: & Architectural Guide. Richmond: Garrett and Massie, 1963, pp. 162–165. * Brock, Henry Irving, Colonial Churches & Virginia. Richmond: The Dale Press, 1930, pp. 62–63. * Rose, Harold Wickliffe, The Colonial Houses of Worship in America. New York: Hastings House, Publishers, 1963, pp. 503–5047

External links

Official website and history of St Mary's Whitechapel.
Retrieved Jan 31 2010
History of St Mary's Whitechapel by Elizabeth Lewis Neale, published in ''Colonial Churches in the Original Colony of Virginia'', by Anonymous
Retrieved Jan 31 2010

Retrieved Jan 31 2010
St Mary's Whitechapel at nps.gov
Retrieved Jan 31 2010
St. Mary's Whitechapel Church, State Routes 354 & 201, Lively, Lancaster County, VA
7 photos and 2 data pages at

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...