St John the Baptist and St Mary's Church is the parish church of
Stiffkey
Stiffkey () is a village and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A149 coast road, some east of Wells-next-the-Sea, west of Blakeney, and north-west of the city of Norwich.Ordnance Survey ( ...
in the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
. It is dedicated to
St John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
and the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
; the double dedication is the result of, historically, there being two churches in the churchyard. St Mary's was deconsecrated in 1563, and abandoned; St John's then being renamed. The church is best known for its association with
Harold Davidson
Harold Francis Davidson (14 July 1875 – 30 July 1937), generally known as the Rector of Stiffkey, was a Church of England priest who in 1932, after a public scandal, was convicted of immorality by a church court and defrocked. Davidson ...
, the Rector of Stiffkey who was
defrocked
Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or d ...
in 1932 and subsequently killed by a lion in
Skegness
Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 19,579 as of 2011, i ...
.
![Stiffkey, church tower](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Stiffkey%2C_church_tower.JPG)
Structure
The church is largely
perpendicular
In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It can ...
, but the west tower and
charnel are earlier. There is a 4-bay perpendicular
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
, with
flushwork
In architecture, flushwork is decorative masonry work which combines on the same flat plane flint and ashlar stone. If the stone projects from a flat flint wall then the term is proudwork, as the stone stands "proud" rather than being "flush" wi ...
parapet. The
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.
Ove ...
is late 13th or early 14th-century. There are surviving
rood stairs on the south side of the nave. There is a wall monument to
Nathaniel Bacon, dating from before 1615, possibly by
Maximilian Colt
Maximilian Colt (alias Maximilian Coult) (died after 1641) was a Flemish sculptor who settled in England and eventually rose to become the King's Master Carver.
Life
Colt was a Calvinist, born in Arras apparently as Maximilian Poultrain, who sett ...
. The church is
Grade I 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 ...
.
The war memorial is a wall tablet, depicting
Calvary
Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early mediev ...
, and commissioned by Davidson.
The organ was built by the
Positive Organ Company
The Positive Organ Company (also known as Casson's Patent Organ Co Ltd and Positive Organ Company (1922) Ltd but often referred to as Casson Positive) was an English pipe organ maker, established in London in 1898 by Thomas Casson, although wi ...
. The organs built by the Positive Organ Company were generally small, one-manual instruments, designed to be mobile and well-suited for small churches. They were, however, undated: the company traded from 1898 to 1941, which provides some parameters to its date. The organ was rebuilt in 1954, by Williamson & Hyatt of
Trunch
Trunch is a village and parish in Norfolk, England, situated three miles north of North Walsham and two miles from the coast at Mundesley. At the Census 2011 the village had a population of 909. The parish covers an area of .
The villages name ...
in Norfolk.
Benefice
In 1769 the parish of Stiffkey was consolidated with All Saints,
Morston
Morston is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
It covers an area of and had a population of 86 in 42 households at the 2001 census. The population remained less than 100 at the 2011 Census and was included in the civ ...
. In 1972 it was consolidated with St Andrew and St Mary,
Langham Episcopi. It was further consolidated in 1976, with All Saints
Cockthorpe
Cockthorpe is a village and former civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 251 - Norfolk Coast Central'' . It is north-west of Holt, north-west of Norwich and north of London. On 1 April 1935, t ...
(now redundant, and in the care of Norfolk Churches Trust) and
Binham Priory
St Mary's Priory, Binham, or Binham Priory, is a ruined Benedictine priory located in the village of Binham in the England, English county of Norfolk. Today the nave of the much larger priory church has become the ''Church of St. Mary and the Hol ...
. It was consolidated again in 2003, with St Mary,
Gunthorpe, All Saints,
Bale, St Andrew,
Field Dalling
Field Dalling is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is located west of Holt, Norfolk, Holt and north-west of Norwich.
History
Dalling's name is of Anglo-Saxon and derives from the Old English for the settl ...
, St Margaret,
Saxlingham
Saxlingham is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Field Dalling, in the North Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. It lies 13 miles (21 km) west of Cromer, 26 miles (42 km) north-west of Norwich, 3. ...
and All Saints,
Sharrington
Sharrington is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Brinton, in the North Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. The village is laid out on the southern edge of the A148, 3.5 miles west of Holt. The village is ...
, to now form the Benefice of Stiffkey (St John and St Mary) and Bale.
Notable clergy
The church is best known for Harold Davidson (1875-1937), Rector 1906–32. Born to an ecclesiastical family, Davidson initially pursued a career as a stage comedian. Nevertheless, he then attended
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...
, and was ordained in 1903. He was appointed to the living of Stiffkey with Morston in 1906. Davidson was obsessed with the idea of rescuing 'fallen girls' (i.e. prostitutes), and spent his week, from Monday to Saturday, in London, ministering to young girls. His conduct in doing so resulted in him falling out with the churchwarden at Morston. In turn, this led to a complaint to the
Bishop of Norwich
The Bishop of Norwich is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The bishop of Norwich is Graham Usher.
The see is in the ...
, and a hearing in a
consistory court
A consistory court is a type of ecclesiastical court, especially within the Church of England where they were originally established pursuant to a charter of King William the Conqueror, and still exist today, although since about the middle of th ...
in 1932. The court's verdict was that Davidson was guilty of five counts of immorality; as a result, the bishop defrocked him. Davidson returned to a career as a stage entertainer, initially at Blackpool, and then, eventually, in Skegness. It was in Skegness that he performed a
Daniel in the lions' den
Daniel in the lions' den (chapter 6 of the Book of Daniel) tells of how the biblical Daniel is saved from lions by the God of Israel "because I was found blameless before him" (Daniel 6:22). It parallels and complements chapter 3, the story of ...
routine with an elderly, toothless lion. Attacked by the lion, he died of his injuries. He was buried in the churchyard at Stiffkey; the inscription on his grave describes him as 'Priest'.
Other clergy of note include:
*
Theophilus Lowe, Rector 1736–69, who, in
plurality, was a
Canon of Windsor
The Dean and Canons of Windsor are the ecclesiastical body of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Foundation
The college of canons was established in 1348 by Letters Patent of King Edward III. It was formally constituted on the feast of ...
, 1749–69.
*Lord Frederick Townshend, Rector 1792–1836. Lord Frederick was a younger son of Field Marshal
George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend
Field Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, PC (28 February 172414 September 1807), known as The Viscount Townshend from 1764 to 1787, was a British soldier and politician. After serving at the Battle of Dettingen during the War of t ...
. He was ordained as both deacon and priest in 1792, and, upon the latter, immediately appointed to the living of Stiffkey with Morston. Another younger son,
Lord Charles Townshend Charles Townshend (1725–1767) was a British Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Charles Townshend may also refer to:
*Charles Fox Townshend (1795–1817), founder of the Eton Society
*Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend (1700–1764), father of th ...
, was elected MP for
Yarmouth
Yarmouth may refer to:
Places Canada
*Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia
**Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
**Municipality of the District of Yarmouth
**Yarmouth (provincial electoral district)
**Yarmouth (electoral district)
* Yarmouth Township, Ontario
*New ...
on 25 May 1796. Lord Frederick attended the declaration with his brother; they then raced to London in a 'carriage and four'. On arrival in London on 27 May, Lord Charles's body was discovered in the coach, having been shot, and Lord Frederick was arrested for his murder. Lord Frederick was judged to be insane, and from 1806 spent the rest of his life at
Hadham Palace, the former country home of the
Bishops of London
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
in
Much Hadham
Much Hadham, formerly known as Great Hadham, is a village and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, England. The parish of Much Hadham contains the hamlets of Perry Green and Green Tye, as well as the village of Muc ...
, which was then a
lunatic asylum
The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital.
The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry ...
. He died in 1836 and was buried in the churchyard of St Andrew, Much Hadham. Until his death, however, he remained Rector of Stiffkey. Services were taken by curates.
*George Townshend Hudson, Rector 1842–45. Hudson was the nephew of
Charlotte Osborne, Duchess of Leeds
Charlotte Osborne, Duchess of Leeds (16 March 1776 – 30 July 1856), formerly Lady Charlotte Townshend, was the wife of George Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds.
She was the daughter of George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, by his second wife ...
, the wife of the
6th Duke of Leeds, as well as his predecessor, the insane Lord Frederick Townshend. Sir
James Hudson, ambassador to
Piedmont-Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
in Turin between 1852 and 1863, was Hudson's brother.
*Charles Harold Fitch, Rector 1932–42. Fitch was the voice of Norfolk on a series on dialect by the
British Drama League
The All-England Theatre Festival ("AETF") organises the only countrywide eliminating One-Act Play Festival, contest for one-act plays in performance throughout England. It provides an opportunity for Amateurs to compete against like-minded group ...
.
*Victor Thomas South Jagg, Rector 1946–55. Jagg was awarded the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
, 1919.
*Cecil Howard Dunstan Cullingford, Rector 1968–71. Cullingford was Headmaster of
Monmouth School
Monmouth School for Boys is a public school (independent day and boarding school) for boys in Monmouth, Wales. The school was founded in 1614 with a bequest from William Jones, a successful merchant and trader. The School is run as a trust, t ...
, 1946–56. He was also a noted
speleologist
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). ...
, and the author of a number of books on the subject: ''Exploring Caves'' (1950: Compass Books), ''British Caving'' (1953: Routledge and Kegan Paul), ''A Manual of Caving Techniques'' (1969: Routledge & Kegan Paul), ''Caving'' (1976: Thornhill Press), and (with
Trevor Ford
Trevor Ford (1 October 1923 – 29 May 2003) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a centre forward for Swansea Town, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Cardiff City, PSV, Newport County and Romford, as well as for the Wales national tea ...
) ''The Science of Speleology'' (1976; The Academic Press).
Churchyard
Notable burials include:
*
Aubrey Buxton, Baron Buxton of Alsa
Major Aubrey Leland Oakes Buxton, Baron Buxton of Alsa (15 July 1918 – 1 September 2009) was a British soldier, politician, television executive, and writer.
Biography Early life
He was born on 15 July 1918. His father was Leland William Wilbe ...
(1918-2009), and his first wife, Pamela (1922-83).
*
Harold Davidson
Harold Francis Davidson (14 July 1875 – 30 July 1937), generally known as the Rector of Stiffkey, was a Church of England priest who in 1932, after a public scandal, was convicted of immorality by a church court and defrocked. Davidson ...
(1875-1937), Rector of Stiffkey 1906–32.
*Eugene Sweny (1837-1906), Rector 1883–1906. The monument is a large stone Celtic cross.
References
{{coord, 52.94794, 0.93779, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Grade I listed churches in Norfolk
Church of England church buildings in Norfolk
Stiffkey