St. Mary's Church, Blymhill is an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church in the village of

Blymhill Blymhill is a village in Staffordshire, England. It is a joint parish with Weston-under-Lizard. For population details taken at the 2011 census see Blymhill and Weston-under-Lizard See also * Listed buildings in Blymhill and Weston-under-Lizar ...

, Staffordshire, England (). The building, which is a Grade I

listed building 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 ...

, was constructed in the 14th century and restored and extended in the 18th and 19th centuries. It features an Early English south aisle, a

Decorated Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

chancel and a

Perpendicular Gothic Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-c ...

tower.

History

There has been a church at Blymhill from an early date. Until the end of the 11th century it was attached to the

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...

Gnosall Gnosall is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Stafford, Staffordshire, England, with a population of 4,736 across 2,048 households (2011 census). It lies on the A518, approximately halfway between the towns of Newport (in Shropshir ...

, which it served as a

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...

. In c. 1200 a separate rectory was established at Blymhill when William, son of John Bagot, the then Lord of Blymhill, acquired the

right of presentation The right of patronage (in Latin ''jus patronatus'' or ''ius patronatus'') in Roman Catholic canon law is a set of rights and obligations of someone, known as the patron in connection with a gift of land (benefice). It is a grant made by the chu ...

of himself and his heirs. A full list of rectors from that date is extant. The present church dates from the mid 14th century and it probably lies on the same site as the former chapel of ease. It is thought to have been built during the incumbency of Stephen de Bromley who was rector between 1349 and c. 1379. There is an arched recess outside the south wall of the chancel (a position often occupied by the founders tomb) containing a weathered stone coffin that is thought to be Bromley's. The church underwent significant alterations in c. 1719 during which the Gothic windows of the nave and south aisle were replaced by large and fashionable round-headed windows. A view of the church in 1797, after these alterations, is shown on this page. The Gothic windows were re-introduced during a substantial Early English

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

in 1858–59 by the architect George Street along with the present vestry and new oak choir stalls, oak pews, pulpit and font. The sentences below, from the work authorisation, explain the other major changes:

George Thomas Orlando Bridgeman Clerk Rector ... are authorised and empowered to take down the gallery on the West side (Tower end) and the wall on the north side of the said Church, to widen and extend the same on the North side, to make an aisle on the same side, to stop up the present entrance (through the Tower) and to erect a Porch on the North side, and to erect new roofs over the whole Church.

Street's restoration left the interior too dark so, in 1861, two new plain diamond windows were added to the south wall and in 1876

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...

windows, rarely seen in churches, were built into the south aisle roof. St. Chad's chapel, at the east end of the north aisle, was constructed in 1936 as a gift of the Rev. E.R.O. Bridgeman.

St. Chad Chad of Mercia (died 2 March 672) was a prominent 7th-century Anglo-Saxon Catholic monk who became abbot of several monasteries, Bishop of the Northumbrians and subsequently Bishop of the Mercians and Lindsey People. He was later canonised ...

is traditionally supposed to have preached in the vicinity of Blymhill in the 7th century and consecrated a well at nearby Chadwell.Raven, M.,
A guide to Shropshire
, Michael Raven, 2005, p. 45.

Notable incumbents

Dates of incumbency are in parentheses. * Samuel Dickenson (9 January 1777 – 15 May 1823) – botanist * George Thomas Orlando Bridgeman (12 November 1853 – 1865) – antiquary

References

*Bridgeman, George T. O., ''Some Account of the Manor & Parish of Blymhill, in the County of Stafford'' i
Collections for a History of Staffordshire
Vol. 1 (1880), Vol. 2 (1881)

(formerly William Salt Archaeological Society). *B. D. R., ''History of Blymhill Church 1200–1990'', booklet published by the church. *Raven, Michael, ''A Guide to Staffordshire and the Black Country'', Michael Raven, 2004, 0906114330. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blymhill, St Mary's Church Grade I listed churches in Staffordshire English Gothic architecture in Staffordshire Church of England church buildings in Staffordshire G. E. Street buildings