The Church of St Mary in

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England was built in the 13th century, and has been designated as 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 ...

. It is dedicated to Saint Mary, the Virgin. The first vicar was recorded c1170 The building is on the site of an earlier church which was rebuilt by

William Briwere William Briwere (died 1244) was a medieval Bishop of Exeter. Early life Briwere was the nephew of William Brewer, a baron and political leader during King Henry III of England's minority.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 213 Nothing else is k ...

in the early 13th century. St Mary's church has a north porch and windows dating from the 14th century. During the 15th and 16th centuries chapels were added, modifying the

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 ...

and 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 ...

extended. In July 1685, during the Monmouth Rebellion, the

Duke of Monmouth Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

watched from the tower as the forces of

King James II James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

assembled, at

Westonzoyland Westonzoyland is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated on the Somerset Levels, south east of Bridgwater. History The name of the parish derives from its location on the "island" of Sowy, an area of slightly higher groun ...

, under the command of the

Earl of Feversham Earl of Feversham is a title that has been created three times (the second time as Countess of Feversham), once in the Peerage of England, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. All three creations are ...

prior to the

Battle of Sedgemoor The Battle of Sedgemoor was the last and decisive engagement between the Kingdom of England and rebels led by the Duke of Monmouth during the Monmouth rebellion, fought on 6 July 1685, and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerse ...

. The spire, which was built in 1367, is high and sits on top of the tower. The spire was split by lightning in 1814 and repaired the following year. On the face of the tower is a clock installed in 1869 replacing earlier clocks which had been on the tower since 1393. Within the tower were originally eight bells. The oldest bell dated from 1617 with further bells being added through the 17th and 18th centuries, with the Tenor being added in 1868 and cast by

John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...

. An additional five bells were added to the peal in 2020. Between 1849 and 1851 major renovation work, by Dickson and Brakspear of Manchester, included the removal of the galleries and

box pew A box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th centuries. History in England Before the rise of Protestantism, seating was not customary in ch ...

s; they were replaced by regular pews. Between 1877 and 1878 further alterations were made, and in 1888 the walled up arch between the nave and the tower was opened. In 1902 a vestry was added. In 1937 more alterations were made and the decoration of the Sanctuary simplified. The interior of the church includes a by painting of the

Descent from the Cross The Descent from the Cross ( el, Ἀποκαθήλωσις, ''Apokathelosis''), or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after hi ...

of Spanish or Italian origin given to the church by

Anne Poulett The Honourable Anne Poulett (11 July 1711 – 5 July 1785) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons for sixteen years from 1769 until his death in 1785. Poulett was the fourth son of John Poulett, 1st Earl Poulett and was born o ...

the Member of Parliament for the Bridgwater constituency in 1775. It was apparently captured when a Spanish warship was taken a prize. The artist is unknown, although it has been controversially attributed to Murillo or

Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci (; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother and cousin, Annibale was one of the progenitors, if not founders of a leading strand of th ...

. The picture is now used as the altarpiece of the church. It also possesses an octagonal 16th century oak

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

. The parish is part of the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of Bridgwater St Mary and

Chilton Trinity Chilton Trinity is a village and civil parish on the River Parrett, north of Bridgwater in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. History Iron Age and Roman pottery have been found at Chilton village. The name Chilton implies a settlement ...

which is within the deanery of

Sedgemoor Sedgemoor is a low-lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh (or "moor" in its older sense). The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part Wes ...

. The Church was closed on 6 June 2016 to allow extensive renovation to be carried out, and reopened in February 2017. The work involved replacing most of the pews by chairs, replacing the floor, and modernising the heating and lighting, as well as upgrading the catering facilities. Four blocks of the pews with about 80 seats were retained, mounted on low plinths and made mobile, allowing full flexibility in the use of the building.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridgwater, Saint Mary 13th-century church buildings in England Church of England church buildings in Sedgemoor Grade I listed churches in Somerset

Saint 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 of ...

Grade I listed buildings in Sedgemoor Monmouth Rebellion

See also

References