St Mary's Church is an
Anglican church
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 the ...
and the parish church of
Welford. It is a Grade II*
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 ...
and stands on the east side of the junction of Church Lane and West Street.
There was presumably a church at Welford by 1086, when the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
records the presence of a priest there, although it does not mention a church building as such.
The main structure of the present building was erected in the 13th to 15th centuries. In 1872, it was restored and the north aisle rebuilt by
E F Law. The church now consists of a nave, north and south aisles, chancel and west tower. A detailed description appears on the Historic England website.
The parish registers survive from 1561, the historic registers being deposited at Northamptonshire Record Office.
The monumental inscriptions inside the church and in its old graveyard have been transcribed and published. A monument in the churchyard, approximately 10 metres south of the south aisle, is a Grade II listed building in its own right. The description on the Historic England website is “Pair of headstones. Late 17th century. Lias ashlar with moulded heads. Oval inscription panel with partially legible inscription to Elizabeth Woodford dated 1677.”
Welford is part of a united
benefice along with
Marston Trussell
Marston Trussell is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire in England. Marston Trussell was first recorded as 'Mersitone', meaning marsh settlement. The parish includes Thorpe Lubenham. At the time of the 2001 census, its populati ...
and
Sibbertoft
Sibbertoft is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire in England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population (including Sulby) was 343 people, increasing to 462 at the 2011 Census.
The village's name means 'curtilage o ...
. Each parish retains its own church building.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welford, Saint Mary
13th-century church buildings in England
14th-century church buildings in England
15th-century church buildings in England
Grade II* listed churches in Northamptonshire