St John The Baptist Church, Bromsgrove
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The Church of St John the Baptist, Bromsgrove is a
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 ...
parish church in the
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 Britain ...
in
Bromsgrove Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about northeast of Worcester and southwest of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 (39,644 in the wider Bromsgrove/Catshill urban area). Bromsgrove is the main town in the ...
.


History

The church belonged to a particularly large Parish during the early Norman period. Henry III arranged for the church and lands to be granted to
Worcester Priory Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire, England, situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed ...
in order to support the remembrance of his father King John I, who is buried there. The Priory then ran the manor and collected rents and other income until the dissolution, at which point the lands transferred to the new Dean and Chapter. In February 1643,
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
ordered that Bromsgrove's vicar John Hall be removed from his post as a rebel. Disputes about the vicarage continued through the
Interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...
and
Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...
. John Hall was vicar again until 1652. His successor John Spilsbury, previously a fellow of
Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...
, was unpopular with some of Bromsgrove's churchgoers, who attempted unsuccessfully to eject him. Spilsbury was removed after the
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 ...
of the Monarchy in 1660, and left the Church of England by refusing to conform to the Act of Uniformity See footnote along with around 2,000 other Anglican ministers from the Commonwealth period. He was confined to his house, banished from the county and finally imprisoned for his non-conformism. The toll on his health may have led to ill health and his death. He did return to Bromsgrove, where he was annually visited by Hall's son John, an Anglican bishop. Spilsbury was licensed as a Congregationalist teacher in 1672 in Bromsgrove and died in 1699. A memorial to Bishop John Hall can be found in the Church; a memorial to his father was present in the eighteenth century, according to Treadway Nash.


Building

The church dates from the 12th century, but is predominantly of 14th and 15th century construction. It was restored in 1858 by
George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...
. There are 13th century and early 16th century alabaster monuments in the north chapel and an alabaster effigy of 1517 in the chancel. In 1855, the church built
Holy Trinity Church, Lickey Holy Trinity Church, Lickey is a Church of England parish church in Lickey, Worcestershire. History The foundation stone was laid on 16 May 1855 by Robert Windsor-Clive (MP). It was built as a chapel of ease to St John the Baptist Church, Bromsg ...
as a chapel of ease. Church bells are recorded from the 1690s. The first mention of a clock is from 1684.


War Memorial

Inside the church is a large, cast metal memorial to the men of Bromsgrove who were killed in the First World War. Among the names listed is Captain
Noel Chavasse Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse, (9 November 1884 – 4 August 1917) was a British medical doctor, Olympic athlete, and British Army officer from the Chavasse family. He is one of only three people to be awarded a Victoria Cross twice. The Battl ...
, VC &
Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...
, MC (1884–1917), the
medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and Olympic athlete from the
Chavasse family The Chavasse family in the West Midlands is a British family of Catholic origin. When Claude Chavasse came from the borders of France and Savoy, he settled in Burford, Oxfordshire. His entry in the Burial Register there (April 1734) states: Claude ...
. He is one of only three people to be awarded a
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
twice.


Burials

*Sir Humphrey Stafford and his wife Eleanor *
Gilbert Talbot (soldier) Sir Gilbert Talbot of Grafton, KG (1452 – 16 August 1517 or 19 September 1518), was an English Tudor knight, a younger son of John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury and 2nd Earl of Waterford, and Elizabeth Butler. Life He was a soldier, Knigh ...
and his first wife, Lady Elizabeth Talbot (née Greystoke, died 1490) *
John Talbot (died 1549) Sir John Talbot (c. 1485 - 22 October 1542 or 10 September 1549) of Pepperhill, Boningale, Shropshire, was an English knight and lord of the manors of Albrighton, Shropshire, and Grafton, Worcestershire. Origins He was a son of Sir Gilbert ...
and his wives Margaret (née Troutbeck) and Elizabeth (née Wrottesley) - buried side by side *
Ralph Greystoke, 5th Baron Greystoke Ralph Greystoke, 5th Baron Greystoke (9 September 1406 – 1 June 1487) was a member of the English nobility in the early 15th century, and a protagonist during the Wars of the Roses in the north. By his marriage to Elizabeth, daughter of Willia ...


Organ

There are records of organ in the church dating from 1808 when a small instrument was installed by Thomas Elliot. The opening recital was given by
Bishop Simms Bishop Simms (1767 – 30 January 1829) was an English organist and composer. Background He was born in 1767, the eldest son of John Simms of Staffordshire. Many of his siblings were also musicians in the Midlands.A Dictionary of Musicians: Fro ...
. There have been subsequent rebuildings and renovations over the years, resulting in a 3-manual and pedal pipe organ. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.


Organists

*James Simms 1809 - 1854 *J. B. Tirbutt 1854 - ????


Churchyard

Buried side by side in the churchyard are two railwaymen, engine driver Thomas Scaife and fireman Joseph Rutherford, who both lost their lives when the boiler of a locomotive exploded in Bromsgrove station on 10 November 1840. Their gravestones both show
relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
s of steam locomotives. However, the locomotive involved was an experimental one and ''not'' one of those depicted on the stones. Retrieved 13 June 2016.


References


Notes


Sources

* * * * * * * * — rea
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at archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Bromsgrove, John the Baptist Churches in Worcestershire Church of England church buildings in Worcestershire Grade I listed churches in Worcestershire 14th-century church buildings in England Talbot family