Grasmere Parish Church - Grasmere, Cumbria, UK.
N 54° 27.436 W 003° 01.419
30U E 498466 N 6034399
St Oswald's Parish Church is located in the village of Grasmere in the Lake District.
Waymark Code: WM12FVA
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/18/2020
Views: 2
St Oswald's Church is situated by the banks of the River Rothay in the centre of Grasmere village in the heart of the Lake District.
It is an historic place of worship, and has over 100,000 visitors each year.
The church was founded in 642AD by St Oswald, a 7th Century Christian King of Northumberland, who is said to have preached on this site.
Every year on the Saturday nearest St Oswald’s Day (5 Aug), Grasmere celebrates its Rushbearing Festival. This custom dates back to the days when the earthen floor of the church was strewn with rushes for warmth and cleanliness. The floor has been flagged since 1841, but the ceremony still continues.
The poet William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard. He planted eight of the yew trees in the churchyard, one of them marking the grave of him and his wife Mary. His sister Dorothy, his children Dora, William, Thomas and Catherine, Mary’s sister Sara Hutchinson, and other members of the family are buried nearby.
There is also the grave of Hartley Coleridge, eldest son of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
The information sign is located near the entrance to the church and gives the following information;
'Grasmere Parish Church
The church is dedicated to Oswald of Northumbria, king and champion of Christianity, who is believed to have preached on this site sometime before 642AD, when he died in battle.
It is a Grade One Listed building of national historic interest. The oldest parts date from around 1300AD, but it is probably the third church to have stood on this ancient site by the side of the River Rothay.
The register of parish priests commences in 1254 AD.
The Queen's College, Oxford, is patron of the church.'
(
visit link)
(
visit link)
(
visit link)
(
visit link)