St Mary's Church, Thirsk

St Mary's Church, Thirsk is a Church of England parish church in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. The church is a grade I listed building.

Church of St Mary
54.2349°N 1.3458°W / 54.2349; -1.3458
LocationKirkgate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 1PR
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipCentral
WebsiteParish website
History
StatusActive
DedicationSt Mary Magdalene
Architecture
Functional statusParish church
StylePerpendicular Gothic
Years built1430–1480
Specifications
Spire height80 feet (24 m)
Administration
ParishThirsk
DeaneryMowbray
ArchdeaconryArchdeaconry of Cleveland
DioceseDiocese of York
Clergy
RectorThe Revd Derek Simpson
Laity
Churchwarden(s)Sue Armstrong and Margaret Hunton
VergerJohn Lazenby

History

The church dates from the 15th century.[1]

The living was augmented in 1811 with £1,200 (equivalent to £87,714 in 2019)[2] and in 1824 with another £400 (equivalent to £35,459 in 2019)[2] both by parliamentary grant by lot. In 1834 there was another grant of £400 (equivalent to £38,728 in 2019)[2] to meet the benefaction of a stipend of £30 per year by Archbishop Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt as a perpetual augmentation.

In 1857 the porch on the south side was rebuilt.

It was restored in 1877 by George Edmund Street.[3] During the restoration of 1877 it was reported that the East window of the south aisle contained the royal arms of England quartered with France, with the motto “Dieu et mon droit.” There were also the arms of the Ascough family, those of Mowbray, of Sir James Strangways, and Elizabeth his wife, and members of their family.

The church re-opened on 2 October 1877.[4]

Present day
Stained glass window at the back of St. Mary's church, Thirsk

In November 2016, the church was covered with handmade poppies as part of the Remembrance Day celebrations in Thirsk.[5] The Thirsk Yarnbombers created a more than 40,000 knitted or crocheted poppies to decorate the town, with the main display consisting of a "river" of poppies flowing from the top of St Mary's Church, down the side and then across the wall of the church's cemetery.[6]

Parish status
Stained glass above the altar

St Mary's is one of four churches of the Benefice of Thirsk. The others are:[7][8]

Organ

A pipe organ was built in 1813 by Andrew Wood. It has been subsequently restored and enlarged. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[9]

Bells

In 1859 the tower had four bells. The largest dating as far back as 1410 was reputed to have been brought from Fountains Abbey. The other three were cast in 1729, 1775 and 1805. Between 1857 and 1864 two new bells were added to the peal and two more in 1871. Since the peal was augmented to eight, then only the sixth bell has been recast in 1926.[10]

References
  1. "Church of St Mary, Thirsk". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  2. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  3. Historic England, "Church of St Mary (1314935)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 28 December 2016
  4. "Restoration and Re-opening of Thirsk Church". Yorkshire Gazette. England. 6 October 1877. Retrieved 28 December 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "Thirsk Yarnbombers ready with 35,000 knitted poppies". BBC News. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  6. "Yarnbombers knit their respects and say: "We will remember them"". The Yorkshire Post. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  7. "Benefice of Thirsk - Profile" (pdf). dioceseofyork.org.uk. The Diocese of York. 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  8. "St Mary, Thirsk". A Church Near You. The Church of England. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  9. "NPOR K00800". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  10. "Thirsk, St Mary". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Dovemaster. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
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