The Church of St Mary in

Woolavington Woolavington is a village and civil parish on the Somerset Levels in the English county of Somerset. It forms part of the District of Sedgemoor, and is north east of Bridgwater, south east of Burnham on Sea and west of Glastonbury. At the ...

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 has 11th-century origins and 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 ...

. There may have been a church on the site prior to the

Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

but the present building may have been started around 1154 by Maud and Philip Columber the lords of the manor at that time. In the early 12th century it was granted to Goldcliff Priory in

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

by its founder Robert de Chandos who was lord of the manor of Woolavington. In the 14th century 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 ...

was added and the tower started. By 1285 a separate chapel in the churchyard housed three chantries. A chapel was added in 1441. In the 15th century it passed to the cannons of Windsor. The tower, the upper stages of which were rebuilt in the 17th century, has a peal of eight bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1400. The interior includes a

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 ...

and oak panels from the 15th century. There is also a memorial stone to Sir

John Hody Sir John Hody (died 1441) of Stowell in Somerset and of Pilsdon in Dorset, was Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Origins He was the son of Thomas Hody (d. 1442), lord of the manor of Kington Magna in Dorset, Escheator of Dorset in 1419/ ...

an English judge and

Chief Justice of the King's Bench Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

who died in the 15th century. 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 Woolavington with Cossington and

Bawdrip Bawdrip is a village and civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. The village is on the south side of the Polden Hills about north-east of Bridgwater. At the 2011 census the parish had a population of 506. The parish inclu ...

within the Sedgemoor deanery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woolavington, Saint Mary Church of England church buildings in Sedgemoor Grade I listed churches in Somerset Grade I listed buildings in Sedgemoor 11th-century church buildings in England

See also

References