St Peter and St Paul's Church, Clare
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St Peter and St Paul's Church, Clare 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 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, ...
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 Clare, Suffolk. It is one of the largest and most beautiful in
East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
, described as a "large and handsome church... within a spacious churchyard", and is included by
Simon Jenkins Sir Simon David Jenkins (born 10 June 1943) is a British author, a newspaper columnist and editor. He was editor of the ''Evening Standard'' from 1976 to 1978 and of ''The Times'' from 1990 to 1992. Jenkins chaired the National Trust from 20 ...
in his 2009 book ''England's Thousand Best Churches'', where he awards it three stars.


History

The church is principally of the 14th and early 15th century, with 13th-century work in the west tower, in the
perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It can ...
style. The list of past priests extends as far back as 1307. "The tower is unfortunately a little short for the church.....all the windows of the aisles and
clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
are slender and closely set, the effect has the same erectness as
Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford The Church of the Holy Trinity is a Grade I listed parish church of the Church of England in Long Melford, Suffolk, England. It is one of 310 medieval English churches dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The church was constructed between 1467 and 14 ...
and St Peter and St Paul's Church, Lavenham. The remodelling of the interior made it very airy." 'Seen from any angle it floats on the skyline like a great ship, with a small tower for a fo'c'stle and two turrets for masts.....The interior is ablaze with light.' The church possesses a late 15th-century brass lectern in the form of an eagle with three dogs as feet rather than lions; this may have served as a collection-box, money posted at the beak exiting at the tail. There are two fine private pews, one with the emblems of
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
and
Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...
, the other an ostentatious Stuart gallery pew with scroll-sided poppyheads "so like those at Little Thurlow that they may have been carved by the same man". In the chancel there are rare Jacobean carved choir stalls. The motto above the sundial over the south porch reads: 'Go about your business', not a mercantile admonition but a peremptory version of St Paul's advice: "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies". Around the doorway may be seen carved ten faces of the
Green Man The Green Man is a legendary being primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every spring. The Green Man is most commonly depicted in a sculpture, or other representation of a face which is ...
, a somewhat pagan image to be seen on a church, but widely used across Christian Europe. The greatest disaster to befall the church was the visit of
William Dowsing William Dowsing (1596–1668), also known as "Smasher Dowsing", was an English puritan, and was a particularly notable iconoclast at the time of the English Civil War.G. Goodwin, 'Dowsing, William (?1596-?1679), iconoclast', ''Dictionary of Natio ...
in 1643. The Puritan Parliament decreed the demolition of altars, removal of candlesticks, and defacement of pictures and images. 'Basher' Dowsing, a fanatical anti-Romanist, was appointed as 'Parliamentary Visitor for the East Anglian counties for demolishing the superstitious pictures and ornaments of churches'. 'Cromwell's iconoclast' kept a journal of his visits. On 6 January 1644, he visited six churches, including Haverhill. As for Clare, he wrote: "We brake down 1000 pictures superstitious: I brake down 200; 3 of God the Father, and 3 of Christ, and of the Holy Lamb, and 3 of the Holy Ghost like a Dove with Wings; and the Twelve Apostles were carved in wood, on top of the Roof, which we gave order to take down; and 20 Cherubim to be taken down; and the Sun and the Moon in the East window, by the King's Arms to be taken down". Bullet holes in the roof suggest one inaccurate method; the rest being done with arrows, stones, poles and whitewash. The Sun and Moon still survive. Like most English churches, it was altered in the Victorian era. It was first 'repaired and beautified' in 1834–36, and a gallery was also added. In 1876 a plan was given by the architect
James Piers St Aubyn James Piers St Aubyn (6 April 1815 – 8 May 1895), often referred to as J P St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations. Early life St Aubyn was born at Powick Vicara ...
for work done between 1877 and 1883. In 1898,
Detmar Blow Detmar Jellings Blow (24 November 1867 – 7 February 1939) was a British architect of the early 20th century, who designed principally in the arts and crafts style. His clients belonged chiefly to the British aristocracy, and later he became es ...
, architect for the
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) (also known as Anti-Scrape) is an amenity society founded by William Morris, Philip Webb, and others in 1877 to oppose the destructive 'restoration' of ancient buildings occurring in ...
, was brought in to repair the tower.


Administration

The Parish of Clare with Poslingford also includes St Mary's Church,
Poslingford Poslingford is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England, near to a stream that feeds the into the Chilton stream and then the Suffolk Stour. The main part of the village follows the line of The St ...
, now a chapel of ease. It is part of the Stour Valley Benefice, along with the parishes of: *
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Cavendish St Mary the Virgin's Church, Cavendish is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Cavendish, Suffolk. History A Saxon church at Cavendish is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The church is mostly 14th-century, with building d ...
* St John the Baptist's Church, Stoke-by-Clare * St Leonard's Church,
Wixoe Wixoe is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the northern bank of the River Stour, two miles south-east of Haverhill, in 2005 its population was 140. It consists largely of Victor ...
* All Saints Church, Hundon


Organ

In the eighteenth century an organ stood at the west end of the church, but this was moved to the current position in 1864. A new organ was obtained in 1888, originally built in 1847 by
Gray and Davison Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...
for St John the Evangelist's Church,
Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...
, London. In 1977 a replacement was acquired from St Peter's Church,
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
as a memorial to Clare Wayman (1892-1976). 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

The church has a ring of eight bells, noted as having heaviest tenor of any ring of eight bells in Suffolk weighing 28cwt. The 7th bell is unusually inscribed ''Trintas Sancta Campanum Istam Conserva'' ("Holy Trinity conserve this bell") and was likely cast around 1410. The sixth bell dates from 1579, and is by John Dier. At 15cwt and 43 inches in diameter it is largest example of Dier's work to survive. In 1781 the ring was increased by from six to eight when William Mears cast two additional bells. The third and fifth are by the
Miles Graye Miles Graye was a dynasty of English bell-founders who had foundries in Colchester and Saffron Walden in Essex during the 17th-century. It is believed that the family cast over 415 bells, many of which remain today.William Mears.


The gotch

An unusual item in the church is the gotch, a beer jug presented to the bell ringers in 1729 by the vicar, Matthew Bell. It is nearly high and has a capacity of . It has a pun in its inscription ''campana sonant canore'' ("the bells ring in harmony"). The bell and crown, embossed upon it, are a reference to the Crown Hotel which was owned by the family of the vicar.


The church today

The church is open for visitors every day. The Friends of Clare Church holds regular fund raising and social events to support the church. The Society for Music in Clare Church organises concerts throughout the year. There is an active branch of the Mothers' Union and a Flower Guild. The choir sings at every principal Sunday service. The church has a well-stocked shop and bookstall. Parking is available around the church in Clare and the nearest car park is at Clare Country Park, about five minutes away up a moderate incline.


Incumbents

*John De Stebbing 1307 *Richard de Scordich 1329 *Gilbert de Karliolo 1343 *John de Houghton 1344 *John Joye 1348 *Nicholas de Lydgate 1350 *Thomas Porter 1361 *Richard Clerk 1388 *William Hall 1390 *Walter Cove 1394 *William Reed 1398 *Thomas Custen 1404 *Richard Pumpy alias Tylney 1432 *Thomas asty 1462 *John Motton *John Knight 1467 *William Wellys MA 1468 *Robert Colingham *John Wyllys 1476 *Reginald Annyson 1477 *Thomas Sutton DR 1482 *John Halyman 1502 *Richard Turner MA 1505 *John Reiston 1516 *John Metton *Robert Parker 1562 *Thomas Rogers 1565 *Nicholas Whitfilde 1566 *Francis Watsonne *Radulph Leyver BA 1569 *Robert Ballard BA 1582 *James Resould 1591 *William Colt MA 1598 *Daniel Booth MA 1617 *Isaac Joyner MA 1617 *Robert Wilmot MA 1623 *William Good MA 1627 *Roger Cook MA 1645 *William Prime *John Ockley MA 1663 *John Kenyon 1690 *Oliver Cobb MA 1703 *Matthew Bell BA 1727 *John Bell BA 1750 *William Lens 1784 *Abraham Wallett 1785 *William Brook Jones BA 1791 *William Sadler MA 1804 *Henry Blunt BA 1819 *George Wightman DD 1833 *John C. Coleman 1854 *Thomas Parkinson 1869 *Frederick S.P. Seale BA 1871 *Joseph W. Collins 1876 *Robert Sorsbie MA 1882 *James R.M. Vatcher MA 1896 *Francis S. Swithinbank BA. 1931 *Richard L Hordern MA 1962 *John D. Beloe MA 1969 *Ralph Thicknesse MA 1974 *Maurice G. Woodward MA 1977 *David J. Wardrop ALCD 1986 *W. John A Rankin MA 1993 *Stuart Mitchell 2011 *Mark Woodrow CTh (Oxon), 2021


References


External links


St Peter and St Paul, Clare
at suffolkchurches.co.uk.
Church Website

Benefice Website
including all the Parishes mentioned. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clare Church of England church buildings in Suffolk Grade I listed churches in Suffolk Clare, Suffolk