"A church was recorded at Elloughton, in the Domesday Book, in 1086, where it is said “In Elgendon (Elloughton) . . . . . . . . . . a Priest is there and a Church”. In all probability it would have been Anglo-Saxon, built of timber and on or near the site of the later church. It evidently belonged, along with the manor, to the Archbishop of York and was assigned to the prebend of Wetwang, presumably at its formation, before 1233. By 1291, the church had been appropriated and a vicar ordained.
The prebendaries of Wetwang were patrons, though in 1582, the vicar was collated by the chapter, by lapse. When the prebend passed to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, in 1844, the right of presenting a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice became vested in the Archbishop. Since 1968, he and the chapter of Durham, as patrons of Brantingham, have presented jointly although the church is under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of York.
The present church, dedicated to St Mary, the Blessed Virgin, was built in the latter half of the 13th century and was built of ashlar and stone rubble. It is of cruciform design and consists of chancel with north vestry, north and south transeptal chapels, nave with south porch and west tower. The Chapel in the North Transept was dedicated to St Catherine and the South Transept Chapel held an image of St Mary. In 1841 it was stated that the chapel (what we know as the south transept) has a pointed window of three lights, with cinquefoil heads whilst the chancel, on both sides, has some very early lancet lights and in the east end there is a pointed window of two lights with trefoil heads. Also, the north aisle (there is no longer a north aisle) in the interior is separated from the body of the church by two circular arches resting on similar columns, whilst the chapel on the south side was open to the nave by a pointed arch.
The earliest surviving part of the fabric is the 13thcentury south doorway, with dogtooth ornamentation.
In 1523, Richard Laikoke, the vicar between 1519 and 1528, made his will:
“giving his soul to God, his body to be buried before the stall in the High Quire of Our Blessed Lady in the Parish Church of Elloughton, and twenty shillings to the building of Elloughton Church Steeple". The Tower was built between 1520 and 1530 and is in the Perpendicular style, embattled with pinnacles at the angles and built of Tadcaster stone, as is the South Nave doorway, with pointed arch.
Like the earlier church, the church we see today is rubble built of undressed stone; a mark round the exterior of the body of the church (about 3 feet or just under one metre from the ground), shows where builders started the work of restoration in 1543. The window jambs of Tadcaster stone suggest repair or copy of the original lance and replaced in the new structure.
The medieval building gradually fell into disrepair. However, in 1843, notice of a Vestry meeting was called which sought to
“take into consideration the dilapidated state of the said church and to resolve on the best means to be adopted for the improvement thereof". At the resultant meeting, on 15th June 1843, it was agreed
“to rebuild the body of the church and for that purpose to lay a rate of 7d in the £ to be paid by the tenants – the proprietors agreeing to pay a rate of ½d in the £, in addition to the above." Part of the cost of rebuilding was carried out in an Early English style, by J. L. Pearson, and this took place between 1844 and 1846.
The Living ceased to come under the patronage of the Prebend during the 1850’s and became the presentation of the Archbishop of York. Further work was done between 1867 and 1875. The Vestry was enlarged under a faculty of 1879 and the south porch was added in 1901, at a cost of £800, in memory of Mr. Richard Blythe.
As already stated, the church is a Grade II* Listed building, as of 7th February 1968. Its Listing text includes the following:
“Church. C15 west tower, remainder rebuilt in Early English style, reusing some old materials, by J L Pearson 1844-6. Ashlar to tower, coursed oolitic limestone rubble with freestone dressings and slate roofs. 2-stagewesttower, 2 bay nave with south porch and single-bay transepts, 3-bay chancel. West tower: plinth, diagonal buttresses with offsets. Slit windows to firststage. Chamfered first-floor band; 2-light pointed belfry openings with Y tracery; eaves string course, crenellated parapet with crocketed cornerfinials. West window: pointed, of 2 lights, with Perpendicular tracery. South porch: pointed door of 2 orders with nook-shafts under hoodmould with stylised mask stops; raised coped gable. South door: rebuilt early C13. Pointed door of 3 moulded orders, the outer two on nook-shafts, the inner order on an attached keel-rolled shaft. Nail head to imposts. Dogtooth between the nook-shafts. Hoodmould. Transepts: buttresses with offsets and moulded sill band. Paired lancets under a continuous hoodmould, pierced quatrefoil over, raised coped gables with cross finials. Chancel: chamfered plinth, buttresses with offsets. Sill band. Central, pointed, priests' door flanked by triple lancets under continuous hoodmould. East elevation: 3 stepped lancets under continuous hoodmould, raised coped gable with crossfinial. The east wall incorporates a C18 tombstone with inscription to John Robinson (date illegible). Interior: plain. Remodelled after a fire in 1964. Segmental rear-arch with attached keeled roll to south door. Interesting brass memorial (1921), to US Navy Officers who died in R38 airship crash, on north wall of nave. Stone pulpit reached via door fromthe vestry. ”The Pulpit and Font date from the 1840’s and were probably introduced at the time of the restoration.
The original organ was erected in 1879, at a cost of £300 (later destroyed by the fire as detailed below). The Chalice used was made by a Hull silversmith in 1678 whilst there is a Cup and Salver, given to St Mary’s in memory of Commander Louis Maxwell of the US Navy by his wife in 1921. Commander Maxwell lost his life in the R38 airship disaster in the Humber estuary in 1921.
The church was damaged by fire in October 1964 but restored and Re-Hallowed the next year and the resulting restoration remains visible today.
The church is the centre of the community, acting as required at times of happiness, sadness and need. It grows with that community and it is crucial that we are equipped spiritually and with well-maintained church buildings and facilities. Hence, it was inevitable, that further work would at some time be necessary to ensure the church is maintained to a high standard.
In 2004, therefore, came another bout of renovation works since it was noted that paint and plaster was flaking and there was evidence of dampness and rising salt on the walls of the Nave, Chancel, and South and North Transepts. Sadly, this couldn’t be eliminated by simply re-painting as it was linked to the structure, sandstone and poor damp-coursing, following the renovation and re-building of some parts of the church in 1965. Following a detailed survey, work was undertaken in early 2005 to include new damp-proofing and plastering; external repairs and maintenance; a new programmable lighting system; a sound loop system; redecoration; new carpets; a new kitchenette; and a new toilet. The church was closed eventually for around 9 weeks since it was necessary to remove the pews, and, as with all work on ancient buildings, additional problems were discovered in respect of floorboards, joists and other areas of plasterwork –Coniophora Puteana and Pentarthrum Huttoni (wet rot and weevil) had done their worst, meaning that rotting floors had to be replaced. Several hidden features were unearthed during the works, such as Minton tiles, hidden for decades by paint and curtains.
In 2005, St Mary’s Church joined the recently formed East Riding Historic Churches Group, run by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, strongly supported by the Diocese of York. The Group was set up in 2004 to encourage a greater appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the churches in the area."
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