St Mary's Church, Thirsk is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the 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 community activities, ...

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

. The church 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 ...

History

The church dates from the 15th century. The

living Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings *Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct *Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * ...

was augmented in 1811 with £1,200 () and in 1824 with another £400 () both by parliamentary grant by lot. In 1834 there was another grant of £400 () to meet the benefaction of a stipend of £30 per year by Archbishop

Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt (10 October 1757 – 5 November 1847) was a Church of England bishop. He was the Bishop of Carlisle from 1791 to 1807 and then the Archbishop of York until his death. He was the third son of the George Venables- ...

as a perpetual augmentation. In 1857 the porch on the south side was rebuilt. It was restored in 1877 by

George Edmund Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccl ...

. During the restoration of 1877 it was reported that the East window of the south aisle contained the royal arms of England quartered with France, with the motto “Dieu et mon droit.” There were also the arms of the Ascough family, those of Mowbray, of Sir James Strangways, and Elizabeth his wife, and members of their family. The church re-opened on 2 October 1877.

Recent history

In November 2016, the church was covered with handmade poppies as part of the

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

celebrations in Thirsk. The Thirsk Yarnbombers created more than 40,000 knitted or crocheted poppies to decorate the town, with the main display consisting of a "river" of poppies flowing from the top of St Mary's Church, down the side and then across the wall of the church's cemetery. Best known as the renowned author

James Herriot James Alfred Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author. Born in Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939, returning to Eng ...

, "Alf" Wight married Joan Anderson (who appears as Helen in the Herriot books, movies and TV series) at St Marys on 5 November 1941.

Parish status

St Mary's is one of four churches of the Benefice of Thirsk. The others are: *St Wilfrid's Church,

South Kilvington South Kilvington is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated just off the A19, about one mile north of Thirsk. History The village is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'' as ''Cheluitun' ...

*St Lawrence's Church, Carlton Miniott *St Leonard's Church, Sandhutton

Organ

A pipe organ was built in 1813 by Andrew Wood. It has been subsequently restored and enlarged. A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

Bells

In 1859 the tower had four bells. The largest dating as far back as 1410 was reputed to have been brought from Fountains Abbey. The other three were cast in 1729, 1775 and 1805. Between 1857 and 1864 two new bells were added to the peal and two more in 1871. Since the peal was augmented to eight, then only the sixth bell has been recast in 1926.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thirsk, Saint Mary 15th-century church buildings in England Church of England church buildings in North Yorkshire Grade I listed churches in North Yorkshire Diocese of York Saint Mary