Parish church of St.Mary-Whicham
N 54° 13.964 W 003° 19.712
30U E 478585 N 6009465
The Parish church of St.Mary at Whicham is believed to stand on a religious site of great antiquity.
the oldest parts of the church are 12th.Century.
Waymark Code: WM503D
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/20/2008
Views: 17
The Parish church of St.Mary welcomes visitors to the church who are on their way to climb Black Combe mountain.
St.Mary's is built on a low mound and is thought to be a religious site of great antiquity.
The oldest visible part of the church is 12th.Century,the rectory was ransacked by Robert The Bruce in 1322.
Bowmen at archery sharpened their arrows on the stonework and these marks are still visible.
The earliest registers for the church date from 1569 and are now in the county archives at Whitehaven.
The original building had walls 5 feet thick,
The coat of Arms above the door is that of George III.
Also of interest is the font which is made from St.Bees sandstone and dates to medieval times,it was originally decorated with painted shields around the outside where you can just see the hexagonal outlines,perhaps Cromwell's soldiers caused their removal when any sort of decoration was forbidden.
One of the greatest treasures of the church is the Victoria Cross won by Tom Mason of Silecroft and left by him to the church,a replica is on display,and the original is now on loan to the military section of the Lancaster museum where it can be displayed with more security.
The bells which hang in the Bell cote are over 500 years old,they are inscribed, "Sancta Maria ora pro nobis" and Sacta Michael ora pro nobis" St.Mary and St.Michael pray for us.
All information stated here is from the leaflet available from the church for a small price.
Building Materials: Stone
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Visit Instructions:
Logs for Medieval churches waymark must contain a date found and any details about the visit there. Also photos and other experiences related to the building are welcome.