Building record MLI89595 - Church of St Mary, Wilsford

Summary

Parish church with probable late Saxon origins.

Type and Period (3)

  • (Early Medieval/Dark Age to Modern - 1000 AD? to 2050 AD)
  • (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ? (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

Parish church dating to the 11th-15th centuries and restored in 1860-1 by Kirk and Parry. For the full description and the legal address of this listed building please refer to the appropriate List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. {1}{2}{3}{4} This church has several Anglo-Saxon elements remaining. {5}{6}{7} The wooden bench ends are of possible medieval date, and are carved with an assortment of figures. {8} A church at Wilsford is mentioned in Domesday Book. {9} The arrangement of the south aisle arcade is unusual, and it is suggested that this may be due to a recluse having been accommodated in the church. The remains of a chapel can also be seen there, with the piscina and aumbry still remaining. It is known that a chapel was restored or repaired by a rector in 1479. {10} John Bagworth, a vicar at Wilsford in the 15th century, was suspected of having heretical opinions and his books and writings were investigated by the bishop. {11} Various details of the standing fabric of Wilsford church suggest that it may have been of high status in the pre-Conquest 11th century, possibly even of minster status. The remaining Anglo-Saxon stonework in the church includes two re-used decorated stones, a grave cover and a grave marker, both in the north aisle. There are also several examples of re-used stones with 12th-13th century cross pattee decoration. {12} Historic graffiti at this church was recorded in January 2016 by the Lincolnshire Medieval Graffiti Project. The survey identified a large number of historic marks, mainly located within the porch, and including a variety of mason's marks, crosses and pentagrams amongst many other symbols. {13}{14}

Sources/Archives (14)

  •  Index: Department of the Environment. 1990. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. 4/118.
  •  Report: North Kesteven District Council. 2006. Wilsford Conservation Area. Appendix 1, p 25.
  •  Index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Card Index. TF 04 SW: 7.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: John Charles Cox. 1924. Little Guide: Lincolnshire (Second Edition). p.337.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire County Council. Sites and Monuments Record Card Index. TF 04 SW: Y.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram. 1989. Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition). p.801.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: H.M. Taylor and J. Taylor. 1965. Anglo-Saxon Architecture. vol.2, pp.664-5.
  •  Graphic Material: City and County Museum. Photographs of wooden bench ends in St Margaret's church, Wilsford. -.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: C.W. Foster and T. Longley. 1924. Lincolnshire Domesday and Lindsey Survey. 51/12.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Rev. Edward Trollope. 1872. Sleaford and the Wapentakes of Flaxwell and Aswardhurn in the County of Lincoln. pp.321-4.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Graham Platts. 1985. Land and People in Medieval Lincolnshire. p.239.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Paul Everson and David Stocker. 1999. Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture: Volume 5 - Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire. pp.74-5, 272-3, 318, figs.389-91.
  •  Index: Lincolnshire Medieval Graffiti Project. 2013->. Lincolnshire Medieval Graffiti Project Surveys. -.
  •  Bibliographic Reference: Matthew Champion. 2015. Medieval Graffiti: The Lost Voices of England's Churches. -.

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Location

Grid reference Centred TF 00662 43022 (28m by 18m) Surveyed
Civil Parish WILSFORD, NORTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

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Record last edited

Nov 7 2023 9:46AM

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