St Thomas à Becket Church, Widcombe

St Thomas à Becket Church is a parish church of Widcombe in Bath, Somerset southwest England, and is one of a number of churches named after Thomas Becket. It is a Grade II* listed building.[3]

This article is about a church in Bath, Somerset. For the church in Pensford, Somerset, see St Thomas à Becket Church, Pensford.

St Thomas à Beckett Church
51.373425°N 2.346556°W / 51.373425; -2.346556
DenominationChurch of England
Websitehttps://widcombe.church
History
DedicationSt Thomas Becket
Architecture
Functional statusParish church
Heritage designationGrade II*
Architectural typeChurch
Administration
ParishWidcombe[1]
DeaneryBath[2]
ArchdeaconryBath[2]
DioceseBath & Wells[2]

History

The church was built between 1490 and 1498 by John Cantlow, Prior of Bath Abbey and took the place of an older Norman church.[4] However, there was a common tradition that a weaver was the founder of the church, and an escutcheon bearing a weaver's shuttle can be seen[nb 1] on the outside of one of the north battlements of the tower.[5] It is believed that there was originally a Saxon chapel on the site. The church was commonly called Old Widcombe Church and used to be the principal church of the parishes of Widcombe and Lyncombe. The Domesday survey of 1086 shows a small settlement around the church although no trace of it remains.[6]

In 1847 a much larger church, St Matthews, was built in Widcombe parish. On 22 April 1847, it was announced that the church bells, which had for centuries been in the tower of St. Thomas à Becket, were to be removed and installed in the new St. Matthew's.[7] Legend has it that the bells were seized by force from the wardens of St Thomas's.[8]

After the opening of St Matthews, closure of St Thomas à Becket was suggested due to its poor condition at the time. However funds were raised for refurbishment and in 1860 three windows were installed, the ceiling of the tower raised by 10ft, with further work being completed in the following years.[9]

In 1889 a new organ by Messrs. Clark and Son of Bath was installed, and choir stalls placed in the chancel.[10][8]

On 15 January 1924 what was believed to have been the first ever evening service was held at the church. Parish registers extending back centuries had revealed only morning service had been held there previously.[11]

Burials

See also

Notes
  1. as of 1791

References
  1. "About Widcombe parish. Welcome". Widcombe Churches. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  2. "St Thomas a Becket". A Church Near You. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  3. Historic England. "Church of St Thomas a Becket (1394116)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  4. "Widcombe Benefice Churches". Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  5. Reverend John Collinson (1791). The History and Antiquities of the County of Somerset, Collected from Authentick Records, and an Actual Survey Made by the Late Mr Edmund Rack Adorned with a Map of the County and Engravings of Roman and other Reliques, Town-seals, Baths, Churches and Gentleman's Seats. 1. pp. 171–172. ISBN 978-1-171-40217-6.
  6. Maurice Scott (1984). Discovering Widcombe and Lyncombe. ISBN 0-9520876-0-X.
  7. Peach, R. E. M (1893). Street-lore of Bath. A Record of Chianges in the Highways and Byways of the City. Simpkin, Marshall, & Co., Lmtd. Bath. ISBN 978-1-4097-1457-6.
  8. "Notes on Widcombe Old Church". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 29 June 1905. p. 6.
  9. "Re-opening of Widcombe Old Church". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 13 December 1860. p. 5.
  10. "Opening of a New Organ at Widcombe Old Church". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 25 April 1889. p. 7.
  11. "Widcombe Old Church - First Evening Service on Record". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 19 January 1924. p. 16.
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