St Mary's Church, Great Bedwyn

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St Mary's Church, Great Bedwyn
St Marys Church Great Bedwin.jpg
St Mary's Church, Great Bedwyn
51°22′37″N 1°36′09″W / 51.37685°N 1.60256°W / 51.37685; -1.60256Coordinates: 51°22′37″N 1°36′09″W / 51.37685°N 1.60256°W / 51.37685; -1.60256
LocationGreat Bedwyn
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade I listed
StyleNorman, Early English
Years built12th century
Administration
ParishGreat Bedwyn
Clergy
Vicar(s)Revd Michael McHugh

The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin is the parish church of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, England, and a Grade I listed building. The church was built in the Norman style in the 12th century, but beneath the existing building are Saxon remains dating back to the 10th century. The church boasts a handsome memorial to Sir John Seymour, father of King Henry VIII's wife Jane Seymour, and grandfather of King Edward VI of England.[1]

History[]

The church has Anglo-Saxon origins. In A.D. 905, the bishop of Winchester purchased land in Great Bedwyn to build a church.[2] Beneath the existing church are the substantial remains of a Saxon church.

Norman era[]

In 1086 the church belonged to Bristoard, the priest, at which time the church lands were recorded as being worth "one and a half hides".[2]

16th Century[]

Tomb of John Seymour, grandfather of King Edward VI of England
Sir John Seymour Memorial

In the chancel is a memorial to Sir John Seymour (1474–1536), father of King Henry VIII's wife Jane Seymour, father to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, and grandfather of King Edward VI of England.

Seymour's monument consists of a chest tomb displaying heraldic escutcheons, surmounted by his recumbent effigy, fully dressed in armour with hands in prayer, his head resting on his helm from which projects the sculpted Seymour crest of a pair of wings. His feet rest on a lion and a sword lies by his side.[3] On the wall above is fixed a tablet inscribed as follows:[4]

Here lyeth intombed the worthie Sr John Seymour of Wolfhall, Knight, who by Margerie his wyfe, daughter of Sr Henry Wentworthe, Knight, from whome is discended, had sixe sonnes and fower daughters, to wete, John who dyed unmaryed; Edwarde, Duke of Somerset, Earl of Hertforde, Vicount Beauchampe and Baron Seymour, uncle to Kinge Edwarde the Sixt, Governor of his Royall Person, Protector of all his Dominions and Subjects, Lorde Treasorer and Earle Marshall of Englande; w(i)ch Duke maryed Anne, daughter of Sr Edwarde Stanhope, Knight, by Elizabeth his wyfe, daughter of Sr Foulke Burgchier, Lorde Filzwaryn, [sic] from whome the moderne Earles of Bathe are discended; Sr Henry Seymour, Knight, who maried Barbara daughter of Thomas Morgan, Esquier; Thomas Lorde Seymour of Sudeley, Highe Admirall of Englande, who maryed Katherine, Queene of Englande, and wydow to Kinge Henry the Eight. One other Jhon, and Anthony, who dyed in theire infancy. Jane Qveene of Englande, wyfe to Kynge Henry the Eight, and mother to Kynge Edwarde the Sixt; Elizabeth, firste maryed to Sr Henry Ughtred,(sic) Knight, after to Gregorie, Lorde Cromwell, and last to Jhon Lorde Sainct John of Basinge,[sic] after Marquesse of Winchester; Margery, who dyed in her infancy, and Dorothe, maryed to Sr Clement Smythe, Knight. This Knight departed this lyfe at LX yeares of age, the XXI day of December, Anno 1536, and was firste buryed at Eston Priorie Churche amongst divers of his auncestors, bothe Seymours and Sturmyes. Howbeit that Churche beinge ruyned, and thereby all theire monumentes either whollie spoyled, or verie much defased duringe the mynoritie of Edwarde, Earle of Hertforde, sonne to the said Duke, the said Earle after, as well for the dutyfull love he beareth to his said grandefather, as for the better contynuans of his memory, did cause his bodie to be removed, and here to be intombed at his own coste and chardge, the laste daye of September, Anno 1590, in the XXXII yeare of the moste happye raigne of our gratious Soveraigne Ladie Queene Elizabeth.

A transcript was made of the inscriptions of the Seymour monuments by the topographer John Aubrey on his visit to the church in 1672, who also recorded the heraldry on the monument at that date, much of which has been lost.[5]

17th century[]

Thomas Willis (1621–1675), the great Oxford physician and natural philosopher, was born at Great Bedwyn on 27 January 1621 and was baptized on 14 February at the church.[6]

Still present in the church today is the elegant tomb of Frances Seymour, Duchess of Somerset (1599–1674), the daughter of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, who was executed for treason in 1601. Frances Seymour was the second wife of William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, and the mother of his seven children.

Today[]

The church is designated as a Grade I listed building.[7] A 14th-century limestone cross in the churchyard is also listed Grade II*.[8]

The parish is part of the Savernake Team, a group of eleven village parishes.[9]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Church of St. Mary, Great Bedwyn". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  2. ^ a b St Mary's at Wiltshire Community History Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 18 January 2020
  3. ^ Stuff, Good. "Church of St Mary the Virgin, Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  4. ^ Text from: Frederic Madden, Bulkeley Bandinel, John Gough Nichols, (Eds.), Collectanea Topographica Et Genealogica, Vol.5, pp.21–24, corrected from observation of photograph [1]
  5. ^ Aubrey,John, An Essay Towards the Description of the North Division of Wiltshire, 1672, (ed. Sir T. Phillipps), 1838 Edition, pp.72–4
  6. ^ Robert L. Martensen, "Willis, Thomas (1621–1675)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 2007
  7. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Mary the Virgin (1365492)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  8. ^ Historic England. "Churchyard Cross, Great Bedwyn (1034045)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  9. ^ "St. Mary's Church, Great Bedwyn". Savernake Team. Retrieved 19 January 2020.

External links[]

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