Ramsey St Mary's
Encyclopedia
Ramsey St Mary's is a village in Ramsey
civil parish
, part of the Huntingdonshire
district of Cambridgeshire
, England
.
, Trundle and Ugg Meres were drained. Also, houses existed which were at least four miles from any church. The church was founded in 1858 by Mrs Emma Fellowes, widow of William Henry Fellowes
of Ramsey Abbey, Cambridgeshire, and was opened in 1859. The Parish of Ramsey St Mary was created on 3 July 1860, and in 1861 had a population of 1,088, increasing only slightly as the century progressed. In addition to the church, a large vicarage was built on its East side, and a school and school house were built on the West side. The Vicarage was demolished after suffering subsidence. The school house and school still standing, being used as a private dwelling and a garage. All of these buildings were constructed using buff-coloured local brick.
The building is an elegant Victorian Church, built in the Early Decorated/Gothic style, with yellow brick and facings of stone. It stands on a vaulted foundation supported by a large number of long bog oak
piles, which were driven through peat and soft clay down to a level of hard clay by pile driver, the weight for which was left in the corner of the churchyard for many years. The architect was Richard Armstrong of London and the builder John Bird of Huntingdon.The building consists of a tower, nave and chancel. The tower was originally surmounted by a wooden and slated broach-spire complete with a weathercock. Over the years the spire became unsafe, and was removed about 1920, leaving battlements which were themselves removed from the tower in 1974. The tower contains a clock with two faces, one to the north and one to the west, and also two bells, one weighing 4 cwt. 2 qrs. 7 lbs. and the other 4 cwt. 14 lbs., each inscribed "G. Mears Founder London 1858", supplied by Chas. and Geo. Mears of 267 Whitechapel Road, London.
The nave has five bays, the one on the north-west corner being taken up by the tower. All the wall pieces are supported on well carved stone corbels, which have alternate male and female heads. There are sixty-one of them, mainly depicting kings and queens of England. In the centre of the rear of the nave is the font, which has panels carved alternately with foliage and scenes, the latter being the Nativity, Baptism, Crucifixion and Ascension of our Lord.
The chancel has one step from the nave up to it and two more to the sanctuary. Originally the ten commandments and creed on the east wall were decorated with ornamental patterns, these have now been limewashed over. The Chancel windows are more enriched than those in the aisles, all have stained glass. The chancel arch is supported on large corbels, representing angels playing musical instruments, their wings extending backwards and embracing the wall although these have been badly damaged by the damp.
The churchyard is still in use and has been extended on three occasions. A walk around reveals the last resting places of William Caldwell Harpur, "Vicar of this parish 1875-1912", and Charles Brown, "for 12 years Vicar of Ramsey St Mary". The names of some of the men who died during World War One are mentioned on the gravestones of their parents, and there are several Commonwealth War Grave headstones here. There must be sad tales to tell about the Emmington, Phillips and Pledger families who lost 3, 6 and 3 children respectively. However, there are almost twenty instances where the persons were aged ninety years or more at the time of their deaths.
Between 1997 and 2000 renovations were carried out on the building and surroundings.The work was funded by the villagers of Ramsey St Mary’s and Ramsey Heights, with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Millennium Commission, and others. A summary of the work was as follows:
The soil, its transport, and required labour were all donated by local farmers.
branch line running from the main Great Northern Railway
at Holme railway station
through to Ramsey North railway station
Ramsey, Cambridgeshire
Ramsey is a small Cambridgeshire market town and parish, north of Huntingdon and St Ives. For local government purposes it lies in the district of Huntingdonshire within the local government county of Cambridgeshire....
civil parish
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...
, part of the Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
district of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Church
During the 1850s, the need for a church in Ramsey St Mary's was realised, due to an increase in the population of Ramsey which was outgrowing the capacity of the Parish church, Thomas a Becket. This increase was in part due to a large number of settlers, who had moved onto reclaimed land when Whittlesey MereWhittlesey Mere
Whittlesey Mere was an area of open water in the Fenland area of the county of Huntingdonshire , England.It occupied the land south-east of Yaxley Fen, south of Farcet Fen and north of Holme Fen. The town of Whittlesey lay to the north-east.Whittlesey Mere was the last of the 'great meres' to be...
, Trundle and Ugg Meres were drained. Also, houses existed which were at least four miles from any church. The church was founded in 1858 by Mrs Emma Fellowes, widow of William Henry Fellowes
William Henry Fellowes
William Henry Fellowes , of Ramsey Abbey in Huntingdonshire and Haverland Hall in Norfolk, was a British Member of Parliament....
of Ramsey Abbey, Cambridgeshire, and was opened in 1859. The Parish of Ramsey St Mary was created on 3 July 1860, and in 1861 had a population of 1,088, increasing only slightly as the century progressed. In addition to the church, a large vicarage was built on its East side, and a school and school house were built on the West side. The Vicarage was demolished after suffering subsidence. The school house and school still standing, being used as a private dwelling and a garage. All of these buildings were constructed using buff-coloured local brick.
The building is an elegant Victorian Church, built in the Early Decorated/Gothic style, with yellow brick and facings of stone. It stands on a vaulted foundation supported by a large number of long bog oak
Bog oak
Bog-wood, also known as morta is wood from trees that have been buried in peat bogs and preserved from decay by the acidic and anaerobic bog conditions, sometimes for hundreds or even thousands of years. The wood is usually stained brown by tannins dissolved in the acidic water...
piles, which were driven through peat and soft clay down to a level of hard clay by pile driver, the weight for which was left in the corner of the churchyard for many years. The architect was Richard Armstrong of London and the builder John Bird of Huntingdon.The building consists of a tower, nave and chancel. The tower was originally surmounted by a wooden and slated broach-spire complete with a weathercock. Over the years the spire became unsafe, and was removed about 1920, leaving battlements which were themselves removed from the tower in 1974. The tower contains a clock with two faces, one to the north and one to the west, and also two bells, one weighing 4 cwt. 2 qrs. 7 lbs. and the other 4 cwt. 14 lbs., each inscribed "G. Mears Founder London 1858", supplied by Chas. and Geo. Mears of 267 Whitechapel Road, London.
The nave has five bays, the one on the north-west corner being taken up by the tower. All the wall pieces are supported on well carved stone corbels, which have alternate male and female heads. There are sixty-one of them, mainly depicting kings and queens of England. In the centre of the rear of the nave is the font, which has panels carved alternately with foliage and scenes, the latter being the Nativity, Baptism, Crucifixion and Ascension of our Lord.
The chancel has one step from the nave up to it and two more to the sanctuary. Originally the ten commandments and creed on the east wall were decorated with ornamental patterns, these have now been limewashed over. The Chancel windows are more enriched than those in the aisles, all have stained glass. The chancel arch is supported on large corbels, representing angels playing musical instruments, their wings extending backwards and embracing the wall although these have been badly damaged by the damp.
The churchyard is still in use and has been extended on three occasions. A walk around reveals the last resting places of William Caldwell Harpur, "Vicar of this parish 1875-1912", and Charles Brown, "for 12 years Vicar of Ramsey St Mary". The names of some of the men who died during World War One are mentioned on the gravestones of their parents, and there are several Commonwealth War Grave headstones here. There must be sad tales to tell about the Emmington, Phillips and Pledger families who lost 3, 6 and 3 children respectively. However, there are almost twenty instances where the persons were aged ninety years or more at the time of their deaths.
Between 1997 and 2000 renovations were carried out on the building and surroundings.The work was funded by the villagers of Ramsey St Mary’s and Ramsey Heights, with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Millennium Commission, and others. A summary of the work was as follows:
- Main roof retiled using original tiles where appropriate;
- Tower repointed and bell-frame strengthened;
- New path designed and laid;
- Mixed hedge planted, and post and rail fence erected, with a gate for vehicular access;
- Interior of the building completely redecorated;
- A meeting room containing toilet and kitchen facilities constructed;
- All interior roof and floor timber treated with preservative;
- Level of land on north side raised to counteract settlement.
The soil, its transport, and required labour were all donated by local farmers.
Railway Station
St Mary's railway station served the village between 1863 and 1947 on the RamseyRamsey
Ramsey may refer to:In places in the United Kingdom:* Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, small market town in England* Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England* Ramsey Abbey, historic ecclesiastical centre near Ramsey, Cambridgeshire...
branch line running from the main Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
at Holme railway station
Holme railway station (Cambridgeshire)
-History:The first section of the Great Northern Railway - that from to a junction with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at Grimsby - opened on 1 March 1848, but the southern section of the main line, between and , was not opened until August 1850...
through to Ramsey North railway station
Ramsey North railway station
Ramsey North railway station was a railway station in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire which is now closed.It was the terminus of a branch line from Holme on the East Coast main line run by the Great Northern Railway.-History:...