Church Of St Michael And All Angels, Hamstall Ridware
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The Church of St Michael and All Angels is a parish church and
Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
building in the village of
Hamstall Ridware Hamstall Ridware is a village and civil parish in the Lichfield district of Staffordshire, England. It is in the Trent Valley, and lies close to the villages of Hill Ridware, Mavesyn Ridware and Pipe Ridware. It is eight miles north of the ...
,
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
. The church is situated in a remote position to the north of the village accessed by a pathway through pasture land. The church is situated on a gentle slope west of the River Blithe. The church was founded in 1130—1150 but the majority of the present church was built of
ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
in the 14th and 15th centuries.


History

The church was built in around 1130–1150 in the Norman style. The church originally consisted of only the present nave and a short
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
, of the original church only small parts of the west wall still exists. Some Norman masonry can still be seen outside on either side of the tower and on the inside a small Norman window can be seen over the
belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...
arch in the west wall. In the 14th and 15th centuries much of the present church as it is today was constructed. In the 14th century the church was lengthened to its present length and the walls raised to their present height. The original small chancel was replaced by the present larger one, a small west tower was added, and the chapels were added on the north and south sides. In the 15th century the north and south aisles were built with 3 bay arcades. The south
aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...
was extended along the south side of the chancel as a chapel and vestry. The perpendicular
clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...
was built and the small west tower was raised to its present height and the recessed spire added. The timbered roof to the nave was replaced in the late 15th century. Later developments included the outer walls of the north chapel being rebuilt in the 18th century and the 19th century gabled south porch.


Features and monuments

* The Cotton Tomb dates from the reign 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 known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
. The Cottons were Lords of the Manor from 1375 to 1517. * In the south aisle and outside in the churchyard there are monuments to the Stronginthearm family, who were a family of Yeoman farmers. * The south chapel screen dates from the 16th century and features a Tudor arch. * The north chapel which is used as an organ chamber and choir vestry has a screen dating from 1520 to 1530. * The 16th century choir seats originally came from
Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Chad in Lichfield, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Lichfield, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lichfield and the principal church of the diocese ...
. * The stone font and wooden pulpit date from the 19th century. * The side sections of the reredos with painted panels of the Life of Christ date from the 15th century. * There are 4 bells, hung 2 over 2 as the belfry has limited space.


Windows

The oldest stained glass windows date from the 14th century and are located in the south chapel and are dedicated to
Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...
. There are 3 early 16th century windows in the north aisle which depict 9 of the 12
apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...
. In the window St John is depicted holding a chalice with a coiled serpent in it. The west window on the south side depicts the 'Baptism of our Lord' and is probably 20th century. A window in the south aisle in dedicated to the memory of Reverend Humberton Skipwith who died in 1911 and carried out restoration of the church. The east window glass is by
Ward and Hughes Ward and Hughes (formerly Ward and Nixon) was the name of an English company producing stained-glass windows. History Ward and Hughes was preceded by the company Ward and Nixon, whose studio was at 67 Frith Street, Soho. They created a large w ...
.


Chalice and paten discovery

In 1817 a local farmer, William Jaggard was digging a ditch on an old road near to the Manor House when he discovered a
chalice A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...
and
paten A paten or diskos is a small plate used for the celebration of the Eucharist (as in a mass). It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Wes ...
. These rare objects designed to hold wine and bread during communion were made of silver gilt in around 1350. It is presumed that these items were buried during the
Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...
to spare them from destruction. Upon their discovery Jaggard gave them to the Lord of the Manor, Lord Leigh, who had them restored and for a time went on display at the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
. The items are now on display at Lichfield Heritage Centre.


See also

* Grade I listed churches in Staffordshire * Listed buildings in Hamstall Ridware


References

{{Reflist
Hamstall Ridware Hamstall Ridware is a village and civil parish in the Lichfield district of Staffordshire, England. It is in the Trent Valley, and lies close to the villages of Hill Ridware, Mavesyn Ridware and Pipe Ridware. It is eight miles north of the ...
Hamstall Ridware Hamstall Ridware is a village and civil parish in the Lichfield district of Staffordshire, England. It is in the Trent Valley, and lies close to the villages of Hill Ridware, Mavesyn Ridware and Pipe Ridware. It is eight miles north of the ...