St Mary's Church, Coddington
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Coddington, is in the civil parish
of Coddington
, Cheshire
, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the diocese of Chester
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice
is combined with that of St Chad's, Farndon
.
between 627 and 653. Following the Norman Conquest
the parish was given to Hugh Lupus
. The parish is recorded in the Domesday Book
and in 1093 its patronage
was in the possession of Hugh and Ralph de Arscio, the chamberlain
and butler
of Hugh Lupus. From 1098 the patronage was held by the Abbey of St Werburg
at Chester, and after the dissolution of the monasteries
it passed to Chester Cathedral
jointly with the Duke of Westminster
. The first church had been built between the 8th and 10th centuries in sandstone
with a thatched
roof and a central bell tower. This church became unsafe and was replaced by the present church in 1833. It was designed by John Atkinson. A west porch was added in 1914 as a memorial to Canon F. Royds, rector from 1855 to 1904.
with a grey slate
roof. Its plan consists of a nave
and chancel
in five bays
with a west porch and a north vestry
. At the west end is a stone bellcote
with a crenellated
parapet
and two-light bell-openings. On top of the bellcote is a short square concave spire. The windows are in Perpendicular style. Above the west porch is a clock which was made by Joyce
of Whitchurch
and installed as a memorial to the men of the parish who fell in the First World War.
and reading desk, three-sided altar rails, a parish chest, and a hatchment
commemorating the Aldersley family all date from the 17th century. In the church is a monumental brass
to members of the Massie family of Coddington. The east window is to the memory of Samuel Aldersey who died in 1855, and the southeast window is in memory of Hugh Robert Aldersey who died aged 20 in 1848. Both of these windows are by Wailes
. A third window is by Frampton in memory of Canon Royd's son, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy who died of wounds in 1884. The altar was given in 1912 in memory of Albert Lowe and the carved oak reredos
was given in the same year as a memorial to Catherine Hughes. The communion rails date from 1833. The processional cross was given in memory of John James Rutter, a churchwarden
from 1917 to 1926, whilst the litany desk was given in memory of Thomas Moore, the rector's warden for 55 years, and his wife Mary Ellen. At the west end of the church are two bibles, a Breeches Bible
and a Bishop's Bible.
inscribed with the date 1795 which was listed Grade II. This has since been removed for safekeeping.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Coddington
Coddington, Cheshire
Coddington is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.Coddington is home to descendants of the Great Richard Yeoward, who practically made Tenerife become know single handedly for its brilliant shipping and tasty...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
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 diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
is combined with that of St Chad's, Farndon
St Chad's Church, Farndon
St Chad's Church, Farndon, is in the village of Farndon, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas...
.
History
The parish of Coddington was created during the time of Honorius, Archbishop of CanterburyArchbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
between 627 and 653. Following the Norman Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
the parish was given to Hugh Lupus
Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester
Hugh d'Avranches , also known as le Gros and Lupus was the first Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England.-Early career:...
. The parish is recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
and in 1093 its patronage
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
was in the possession of Hugh and Ralph de Arscio, the chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
and butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
of Hugh Lupus. From 1098 the patronage was held by the Abbey of St Werburg
Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Chester, and is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly St Werburgh's abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
at Chester, and after the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
it passed to Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Chester, and is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly St Werburgh's abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
jointly with the Duke of Westminster
Duke of Westminster
The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. The current holder of the title is Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster....
. The first church had been built between the 8th and 10th centuries in sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with a thatched
Thatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge , rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates...
roof and a central bell tower. This church became unsafe and was replaced by the present church in 1833. It was designed by John Atkinson. A west porch was added in 1914 as a memorial to Canon F. Royds, rector from 1855 to 1904.
Exterior
The church is built in sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with a grey slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. Its plan consists of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
in five bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
with a west porch and a north vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. At the west end is a stone bellcote
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
with a crenellated
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
and two-light bell-openings. On top of the bellcote is a short square concave spire. The windows are in Perpendicular style. Above the west porch is a clock which was made by Joyce
JB Joyce & Co
JB Joyce & Co, clockmakers, were founded in Shropshire in England. The company claim to be the oldest clock manufacturer in the world, originally established in 1690, and has been part of the Smith of Derby Group since 1965...
of Whitchurch
Whitchurch, Shropshire
Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
and installed as a memorial to the men of the parish who fell in the First World War.
Interior
Inside the church is a west gallery. The pulpitPulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
and reading desk, three-sided altar rails, a parish chest, and a hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...
commemorating the Aldersley family all date from the 17th century. In the church is a monumental brass
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
to members of the Massie family of Coddington. The east window is to the memory of Samuel Aldersey who died in 1855, and the southeast window is in memory of Hugh Robert Aldersey who died aged 20 in 1848. Both of these windows are by Wailes
William Wailes
William Wailes, , was the proprietor of one of England’s largest and most prolific stained glass workshops.- Biographical :Wailes was born and grew up in Newcastle on Tyne, England’s centre of domestic glass and bottle manufacturing. His first business was as a grocer and tea merchant...
. A third window is by Frampton in memory of Canon Royd's son, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy who died of wounds in 1884. The altar was given in 1912 in memory of Albert Lowe and the carved oak reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
was given in the same year as a memorial to Catherine Hughes. The communion rails date from 1833. The processional cross was given in memory of John James Rutter, a churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
from 1917 to 1926, whilst the litany desk was given in memory of Thomas Moore, the rector's warden for 55 years, and his wife Mary Ellen. At the west end of the church are two bibles, a Breeches Bible
Geneva Bible
The Geneva Bible is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into the English language, preceding the King James translation by 51 years. It was the primary Bible of the 16th century Protestant movement and was the Bible used by William Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, John...
and a Bishop's Bible.
External features
In the churchyard was a sundialSundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
inscribed with the date 1795 which was listed Grade II. This has since been removed for safekeeping.