St Lawrence's Church, Snarford
Encyclopedia
St Lawrence's Church, Snarford, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the parish
of Snarford
, Lincolnshire
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church stands to the north of the A46 road
between Market Rasen
and Lincoln. It is a medieval
building containing impressive 16th- and 17th-century monuments.
in the 19th century. It served the residents of the nearby Snarford Hall, including the St Paul (or St Pol) family, but nothing now remains of the hall. The church was declared redundant in July 1995.
with tiled roofs. Its plan consists of a nave
, a chancel
with a north chapel, and a west tower. The tower dates from the 12th century. It has one stage, stands on a plinth
, and has a hipped roof
. In the west wall of the tower is a 15th-century window, with a 14th-century ogee
-headed window above it. The north wall of the nave contains a blocked 14th-century doorway with a pointed arch, and two 15th-century two-light windows. The chapel has a 16th-century two-light west window, and an east window dating from about 1800. The chancel contains more two-light windows, one at the east end, and two in the south wall, and there are two similar windows in the south wall of the nave. The south doorway dates from the 15th century.
is from the 15th century; its bowl has panels carved with heads, shields and foliage. The remainder of the fittings are from the 19th century.
s decorated with acanthus leaves
, and the panels between them contain shields with wreathes. On top of the chest are effigies
of a man and a woman. The man is dressed in plate armour
and is holding a sword and a prayer book. His head rests on a helmet, his feet on a cushion. The woman is wearing a long dress, a cloak and a hat,and is holding a Bible. Above them is a canopy
carried by six pillars. The entablature
is decorated with an egg and dart frieze
. On the top of the canopy, above each pillar, is the statue of a weeping figure. In the centre is an altar, in front of which is a kneeling female figure, and on the top is a male figure, also kneeling. The whole monument is painted and gilded
. On the north side of the chapel is the tomb of Sir George St. Pol, who died in 1613, and his wife. On the side of the tomb are three niches
. The central niche contains a carving of Sir George's daughter, and the lateral niches have mourning putti
. On the tomb are two recumbent effigies, each lying on their right side, propped on an elbow. The nearer effigy is a female in mourning dress with a ruff
and a hat, holding a prayer book. Behind in a higher position on a step is a male figure in plate armour, holding a sword. The effigies are contained in a semicircular-headed recess, the archivolt
of which is decorated with roses. The back wall has an inscribed panel surrounded by scrolls and memento mori
. At the sides are pillars supporting a frieze and an entablature. On top of the monument are flaming urns, an achievement of arms
, shields and obelisk
s. In the north wall of the chapel is an alabaster
painted and gilded plaque to Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick
who died in 1619. It contains a circular medallion carved with the head and shoulders of the deceased, behind which is the profile of his wife. On each side are pilasters, and above is an entablature carrying a coat of arms and heraldic
supporters. Underneath is a panel inscribed with a poem. This memorial is thought to have been made by Epiphanius Evesham
. Elsewhere, on the east wall of the chapel and the south wall of the chancel, are brass memorial plaques
.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Snarford
Snarford
Snarford is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, about north west of the city of Lincoln and about south west of the town of Market Rasen....
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church stands to the north of the A46 road
A46 road
The A46 is an A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway development...
between Market Rasen
Market Rasen
Market Rasen is a town and civil parish within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the River Rase northeast of Lincoln, east of Gainsborough and southwest of Grimsby. According to the 2001 census, it has a population of 3,200....
and Lincoln. It is a medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
building containing impressive 16th- and 17th-century monuments.
History
The church dates from the 12th century, with additions and alterations in 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, and a restorationVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the 19th century. It served the residents of the nearby Snarford Hall, including the St Paul (or St Pol) family, but nothing now remains of the hall. The church was declared redundant in July 1995.
Exterior
St Lawrence's church is constructed in limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
with tiled roofs. Its plan consists of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
with a north chapel, and a west tower. The tower dates from the 12th century. It has one stage, stands on a plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
, and has a hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
. In the west wall of the tower is a 15th-century window, with a 14th-century ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
-headed window above it. The north wall of the nave contains a blocked 14th-century doorway with a pointed arch, and two 15th-century two-light windows. The chapel has a 16th-century two-light west window, and an east window dating from about 1800. The chancel contains more two-light windows, one at the east end, and two in the south wall, and there are two similar windows in the south wall of the nave. The south doorway dates from the 15th century.
Interior
The tower arch dates from the 14th century and the chancel arch from the 15th century. The octagonal fontBaptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is from the 15th century; its bowl has panels carved with heads, shields and foliage. The remainder of the fittings are from the 19th century.
Monuments
The most important monuments are in the chancel and the chapel. Behind the altar is the free-standing tomb chest of Sir Thomas St. Pol, who died in 1588, and his wife. On the sides of the chest are pilasterPilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s decorated with acanthus leaves
Acanthus (ornament)
The acanthus is one of the most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration.-Architecture:In architecture, an ornament is carved into stone or wood to resemble leaves from the Mediterranean species of the Acanthus genus of plants, which have deeply cut leaves with some similarity to...
, and the panels between them contain shields with wreathes. On top of the chest are effigies
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of a man and a woman. The man is dressed in plate armour
Plate armour
Plate armour is a historical type of personal armour made from iron or steel plates.While there are early predecessors such the Roman-era lorica segmentata, full plate armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, especially in the context of the Hundred Years' War, from the coat of...
and is holding a sword and a prayer book. His head rests on a helmet, his feet on a cushion. The woman is wearing a long dress, a cloak and a hat,and is holding a Bible. Above them is a canopy
Canopy (building)
A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor....
carried by six pillars. The entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
is decorated with an egg and dart frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
. On the top of the canopy, above each pillar, is the statue of a weeping figure. In the centre is an altar, in front of which is a kneeling female figure, and on the top is a male figure, also kneeling. The whole monument is painted and gilded
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
. On the north side of the chapel is the tomb of Sir George St. Pol, who died in 1613, and his wife. On the side of the tomb are three niches
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
. The central niche contains a carving of Sir George's daughter, and the lateral niches have mourning putti
Putto
A putto is a figure of an infant often depicted as a young male. Putti are defined as chubby, winged or wingless, male child figure in nude. Putti are distinct from cherubim, but some English-speakers confuse them with each other, except that in the plural, "the Cherubim" refers to the biblical...
. On the tomb are two recumbent effigies, each lying on their right side, propped on an elbow. The nearer effigy is a female in mourning dress with a ruff
Ruff (clothing)
A ruff is an item of clothing worn in Western Europe from the mid-sixteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century.The ruff, which was worn by men, women and children, evolved from the small fabric ruffle at the drawstring neck of the shirt or chemise...
and a hat, holding a prayer book. Behind in a higher position on a step is a male figure in plate armour, holding a sword. The effigies are contained in a semicircular-headed recess, the archivolt
Archivolt
An archivolt is an ornamental molding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental moldings surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the architrave in the case of a rectangular opening...
of which is decorated with roses. The back wall has an inscribed panel surrounded by scrolls and memento mori
Memento mori
Memento mori is a Latin phrase translated as "Remember your mortality", "Remember you must die" or "Remember you will die". It names a genre of artistic work which varies widely, but which all share the same purpose: to remind people of their own mortality...
. At the sides are pillars supporting a frieze and an entablature. On top of the monument are flaming urns, an achievement of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
, shields and obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
s. In the north wall of the chapel is an alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
painted and gilded plaque to Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick
Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick
Robert Rich, 3rd Baron Rich, created 1st Earl of Warwick was the son of Robert Rich, 2nd Baron Rich, and Elizabeth Baldry.-Marriages and children:First married Penelope Devereux on 10 January, 1581...
who died in 1619. It contains a circular medallion carved with the head and shoulders of the deceased, behind which is the profile of his wife. On each side are pilasters, and above is an entablature carrying a coat of arms and heraldic
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
supporters. Underneath is a panel inscribed with a poem. This memorial is thought to have been made by Epiphanius Evesham
Epiphanius Evesham
Epiphanius Evesham was a British sculptor.He was born in Wellington, Herefordshire, a twin, and the youngest of fourteen siblings! His parents were William Evesham of Burghope Hall and his wife, Jane Haworthe, daughter of Alexander Haworthe...
. Elsewhere, on the east wall of the chapel and the south wall of the chancel, are brass memorial plaques
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
.