Statement of Significance 2019 - Grade 1 Listed Building St. Mary’s Parish Church, Ecclesfield, Diocese of Sheffield Section 1 Brief history and description of the church building(s), contents, churchyard and setting The Domesday Book refers to Egglesfeld (meaning ‘church in a field’), so it is likely that a church existed here many years before the Norman Conquest in 1066. In Anglo Saxon times, when parish boundaries were first marked out, Ecclesfield was important enough to become the mother church of an enormous West Riding moorland parish covering the whole of Hallamshire. In the mid12th century it covered over 71,000 acres including most of what we now know as Sheffield City as well as Bradfield, the only other churches in the parish and stretching to four County boundaries. When Sheffield became a separate parish, Ecclesfield still covered nearly 50,000 acres, including Bradfield. Even up to the 1840’s it was still the parish church of places such as Wadsley, Grenoside, High Green, Chapeltown, Shiregreen, Wincobank, Southey and Parson Cross. The size of the ancient parish is the reason that Ecclesfield still has four churchwardens. The church was built in a prominent position, on a knoll of higher ground. The earliest mention of a church building here is in 1141 and traces of the Norman church still exist in the interior of the present building. The oldest parts of the church are the pillars in the nave and the half-pillars that take the arches into the western wall. The north aisle pillars are circular and the south aisle ones are octagonal. Such variations are common in Mediaeval churches and Pevsner, the historian, thinks they were first built around 1200 and were re-worked later. The early 14th century church had a similar plan to the present one with nave, aisles, crossing and tower, transepts and chapels. The central tower symbolised its size and importance. Fabric and Structure Church. Arcade piers of c1200, rest largely Perpendicular. Ashlar sandstone, lead roofs. Cruciform plan: 5-bay aisled nave with south porch, crossing tower, and 3-bay chancel with north and south chapels. A shallow single-bay projection in the angle of each aisle and transept. Chamfered plinth beneath double wave-moulded bands, off-set buttresses between bays, embattled parapets throughout with crocketed pinnacles to all except aisles. Roofs: Traditional Lead roofs, Knave, South and North Aisle roofs fully refurbished 2017/18 with upgraded thermal insulation and ventilation. Nave: south porch to bay 2 has half-detached angle buttresses with pinnacles linked to wall by small flying buttresses. Similar buttresses to rest of south aisle. Each bay has 3-light windows with transoms and cusped tracery, depressed arches with hoodmoulds. 3-light arched clerestorey windows. West end: recessed, arched doorway beneath west window of 5 lights with panel tracery, 3-light aisle windows. 1 Tower: 3 stages with string course to each. Clock set in lozenge-shaped panel on south wall, 2-light round-headed bell openings above. Gargoyles to string course beneath embattled parapet with 8 pinnacles. South transept: small recessed doorway beneath 5-light transomed south window with cusped tracery. Chancel: 3-light windows to south chapel as aisle, 3-light windows to end bay of chancel without transom. East window: 5 lights, panel tracery. Interior: fragment of C13 arch re-erected within porch. North arcade piers cylindrical, south piers octagonal, keeled responds to west wall, double-chamfered arches. Chancel arch with 3 sunk quarter-round mouldings, half-octagonal responds. Font: octagonal on moulded plinth, bears date 1662, reworked. Rood screen: with traceried 2-light divisions, restored coving. Parclose screens with single-light divisions. Stalls attached to rood screen have 2 misericords with heads, heads also carved on arms. Good carved figures on bench ends in the north chapel. A south chapel bench end bears the date 1564. South chapel: monument to Sir Richard Scott, 1640 by William Wright, restored 1749: Recumbent figure behind 2-bay arcade with taller central column, all set within wrought iron enclosure. Chapels have fine original timber roofs with bosses. C20 nave roof. Medieval glass in bay 1 of north aisle otherwise good Victorian work detailed in Pevsner, Buildings of England: Yorkshire The West Riding, 1967 ed. p190. Sources and Resources Books and journals: Pevsner, N, Radcliffe, E, The Buildings of England: Yorkshire: The West Riding, (1967), 190 Internet Resources www.stmarysecclesfield.com/History/History_Page01.html Floor Plan Exterior View 2 Section 2 The significance of the church (including its contents and churchyard) in terms of: Its special architectural and historical interest and significant features of artistic or archaeological interest South Porch Supporting the stone seats on either side are two tombstones. Although very worn, one still shows a floriated cross, the other two rings and a shaft. There are three more such tombstones inside church, each bearing a floriated cross. One is on the north wall of the nave immediately opposite the porch and the others are in the south-west corner. They are probably late 13th century and were used to cover the remains of the early priors or vicars of Ecclesfield. The ornamental crosses indicate both the faith and the ecclesiastical rank of the deceased. The arch on the wall of the porch dates from the thirteenth century and was found under the nave during re-pewing in 1823-5. It was probably over a doorway in the Early English nave. Monuments - There are several interesting and unique monuments and memorials in St Mary’s. On the north wall of the chancel is a tablet to the memory of the Reverend Dr Alfred Gatty, Vicar of the parish 1839-1903. On the south wall are tablets to two former Vicars; the Revd Mansell, 1693- 1704 and the Revd Steer, Canon of York, 1708-1745. In the nave there are 3 interesting wall tablets. First is one made of alabaster and mosaic, in memory of Henry John Hawthorn, F.R.C.S. who died in 1903 after devoting 44 years of his life to the relief of sickness and suffering in the parish. On the north side is a small marble tablet placed by more than 1,000 children to the memory of Margaret Gatty “as a token of gratitude for the many books she wrote for them.” She was the wife of a former vicar of Ecclesfield, Dr Alfred Gatty. She wrote Parables of Nature and others. Below this tablet is one in marble and alabaster to the memory of Juliana Horatio Ewing, Margaret Gatty’s second daughter who was well known for her books ‘Jackanapes, The Story of a Short Life and other stories’. The Brownie movement took its name from one of her stories. The Font is octagonal in shape, as was the custom in Perpendicular churches. The eight sides stand for the seven days of creation and the beginning of the new creation in Jesus Christ. The eight panels are carved in strong relief. Four make up the year 1662, alternated with a heart, a fleur-de-lys, a lozenge and a Tudor rose. During extensive alterations in 1823-5 the font was turned out into the churchyard to make way for an inferior substitute by the south transept door. It was put back in church in 1852. The font’s position in the centre of church near the west doors indicates that it is through baptism we begin our Christian life. The font continues to be used regularly for baptisms today. The Pulpit was given in 1876 in memory of William Frederick Dixon of Page Hall and his wife by their surviving daughters. The four panels depict scenes from the life of St Paul. These scenes were carved in Antwerp and the rest of the work was carried out locally. The pulpit continues to be used as the gospel is brought to the present generation. The lectern was also installed in 1876. On the West Wall above the west door are several hatchments. These are framed heraldic bearings of deceased gentry. They contain the coats of arms of various local families, including the Shirecliffes and Foljambes - who have a memorial window, vault and several tablets in the church. 3 On the North Wall are the colours of the Ecclesfield Volunteers. There are also six of their swords and 3 of the 4 original bugles. The Ecclesfield volunteers were 200 local men, who were “raised in 1803 towards the defence of the country during the war with Napoleon.” These military relics were placed in the church on the restoration of peace. Two olive branches engraved on the plate enclose the regimental motto “Nothing is difficult to the brave and faithful” South Aisle: Adjacent to the small south door (8 o’clock door and primary entrance) is a Saxon Cross shaft and base stone. This is probably the remains of a double memorial cross or preaching cross. Chancel and Chapel: Much of the woodwork at the east end dates back to 1500. The roofs of the chapels are the most original in character and the four misere seats, rood screen and side-screens that divide the chancel and the chapels from the nave and the aisles were all commissioned for the Perpendicular building. On the arms of the misere seats are four heads, which may be monks or priests of the time. The misericords under the seats were designed to provide a small ledge to support a person standing without forming a seat. One reveals the smiling face of an angel, the other the scowling features of a fiend. Of particular interest are the fifteen carved figures (finials or projections) on the stall ends.