Church of St. Mary of the Purification, Blidworth
Encyclopedia
The Church of St. Mary of the Purification, Blidworth is a parish church
in the Church of England
in Blidworth
, Nottinghamshire
.
The church is Grade II* listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a particularly significant building of more than local interest.
The origins of the ceremony go back at least 400 years. The custom was revived in 1842 by the Vicar, John Lowndes after a lapse of 150 years, and again in 1922.
All of the babies who have taken part in the Rocking Ceremonies have their names recorded upon a plaque at the rear of St Mary's Church with their full name and the year in which they were 'Rocked'. In 1980 the rocking ceremony was performed by John Denis Wakeling
the Bishop of Southwell. The child was Edward William Tristram who received a commemorative bible to mark the occasion inscribed by the Bishop.
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in Blidworth
Blidworth
Blidworth is a small village approximately five miles east of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. Its history can be traced back to the 14th century, although many of the current houses were built in the first half of the 20th century to provide housing for workers at Blidworth Colliery .-Robin...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
.
The church is Grade II* listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a particularly significant building of more than local interest.
History
Only the west tower from the medieval church survives. The rest was built in 1739 by Rhodes of Barlborough and 1839 by Colvin.Rockings Ceremony
The Church of St. Mary of the Purification is the only church that is known to continue to hold an annual Rockings Ceremony during which the baby boy, born to married, Christian parents living in Blidworth, nearest to Christmas Day is “rocked” in an ancient cradle on the Feast of the Purification of Mary, which is on the Sunday nearest to Candlemas.The origins of the ceremony go back at least 400 years. The custom was revived in 1842 by the Vicar, John Lowndes after a lapse of 150 years, and again in 1922.
All of the babies who have taken part in the Rocking Ceremonies have their names recorded upon a plaque at the rear of St Mary's Church with their full name and the year in which they were 'Rocked'. In 1980 the rocking ceremony was performed by John Denis Wakeling
John Denis Wakeling
John Denis Wakeling was an Anglican bishop in the Church of England.He was born in Leicester on 12 December 1918. He was educated at St Michael’s Limpsfield, a Church Missionary Society school in Surrey. He studied classics at St Catharine's College, Cambridge.He prepared for the ministry at Ridley...
the Bishop of Southwell. The child was Edward William Tristram who received a commemorative bible to mark the occasion inscribed by the Bishop.
Incumbents
The list of incumbents goes back to the 14th century:- Hugh (1337)
- Thomas Clerke (1470)
- William Talbot (1485–1498)
- William Aldworth (–1530 d)
- James Alsebrook (1530–)
- William Helmsley (–1566 d)
- John Sye (1567–1575)
- Mr. Creasie (1575–1584)
- Robert Grace (1584–1587)
- Henry Elwe (1588–1598)
- John Collinson (1599–1602)
- Henry Ellyott (1602–1603)
- John Hains (1603–1636)
- James Reade (1636–1643 d)
- John Newton (1643–1649)
- Thomas Rose (1649–1663), evicted at the English RestorationEnglish RestorationThe Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
- Michael Buxton (1663–1741 d) (see memorial: perhaps 1890)
- William Thorpe (1716–1721 d)
- Thomas Allen (1722–1739 d)
- Robert Stanley (1740–1783)
- Seth Stevenson (1783–1794) (also Vicar of Oxton)
- John T. Beecher (1794–1801) (also Vicar of Oxton)
- John Hall Clay (1801–1822)
- C. F. Fenwick (1824–1830) (also Vicar of Oxton)
- John Downall (1830–1842)
- Martin Roe (1842–1849 d)
- John Porter (1850–1864 d)
- Richard Whitworth (1865–1908)
- Charles Littleholes (1908–1914)
- John Paddison (1914–1921)
- John Lowndes (1921–1933)
- Henry Carline Swingler (1933–1938 d)
- Robert Rogerson (1938–1939 d)
- Walter Warr (1940–1956)
- Jack Busby (1956–1967)
- Charles Sawyer (1967–30 November 1983)
- Raymond Beardall (4 May 1984–1999)
- Beryl Allsop (2000–) (technically Associate Priest since the amalgamation of the parishes of Blidworth and Rainworth)
Source
- The Buildings of England, Nottinghamshire. Nikolaus PevsnerNikolaus PevsnerSir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
- Rockings Ceremony and Incumbents moved from Wikipedia article on BlidworthBlidworthBlidworth is a small village approximately five miles east of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. Its history can be traced back to the 14th century, although many of the current houses were built in the first half of the 20th century to provide housing for workers at Blidworth Colliery .-Robin...
.