St Mary's Church, Sandbach

St Mary's Church is in the town of Sandbach, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Congleton.

History

The Domesday Book () records the presence of a priest and a church on the site of the present church, and it is shown on an 1840 map of the town centre of Sandbach.Sandbach 1840 town centre map, copy also at Sandbach Library This was replaced by another church erected about the time of Henry VII. This church was built in sandstone which became badly weathered. The present church dates largely from the considerable degree of rebuilding by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1847–49. Much of the existing fabric was replaced and the remaining fabric was encased in new stone. The east end of the church was extended by some and the tower was rebuilt as a copy of the former tower. The builders were Cooper and Son of Derby. The stone, which came from quarries in the Mow Cop area, was given by Sir Philip Grey Egerton MP. Part of the west end had to be repaired in 1894–95 following a fire. In 1930 Austin and Paley added a choir vestry, and a north porch, at a cost of £1,331. The parish registers date from 1562 and are complete. The churchwardens' accounts prior to 1888 are lost.

Architecture Exterior The plan of the church consists of a clerestoried nave and a choir of five bays, with aisles, side chapels, and a tower at the west end. The choir vestry projects from the northwest. The tower is unusual in that it stands on three open arches through which passes a public footpath. The style is mainly Perpendicular and some medieval masonry is still present in the arcades.

Interior

The font dates from 1859; it is made of Caen stone and was constructed by Thomas Stringer. It has a Greek palindrome inscription, which reads . This translated means "Wash my sin not my countenance only".Sandbach Guide 1970 page 9 The old octagonal font dated 1669 and decorated with acanthus leaves, was returned to the church in 1938. Scott arranged the memorials around the walls of the aisles. One of these is a marble relief to the memory of Rev. John Armistead, who was vicar from 1828 to 1865. It was designed by George Frederic Watts and sculpted by George Nelson in 1876. Another is to John Ford, who died in 1839, which includes a life-size allegorical female figure by an altar. The roofs are dated 1661. The roof over the north aisle includes a large coat of arms in a wreath. In the chapels and chancels is stained glass by William Wailes, and in the north aisle is a window by Kempe.

Bells There is a ring of eight bells. Four of the bells were cast by Abraham II Rudhall in 1719, and a bell dated 1782 is attributed to Thomas Rudhall. Three later bells by John Warner and Sons are dated 1857, 1858 and 1868.

External features

The churchyard walls, gateways and railings to south-east and north of the church are listed at Grade II. The churchyard contains the war graves of 14 service personnel, 11 of World War I and three of World War II.

Rectors, vicars and curates Rectors before 1128: Steinulf the PriestJohn Parsons Earwaker, The history of the ancient parish of Sandbach, co. Chester: Including the two chapelries of Holmes chapel and Goostry., Printed by the Hansard publishing union] for private circulation, 1890, 316 pages. pp.45. Online here before 1153: Roger de Lech : Thomas

Vicars

Before 1327: Richard Burgillion ( 1327) 7 April 1327: Philip de Goodrich Castle (de Castro Godrici) 15 January 1344: William de Mere 23 June 1348: Thomas Chaumpain 7 September 1349: William de Upton (alias Welton) 15 October 1349: John de Tydrynton 7 March 1371: Randle del Ford 18 October 1401: Thomas de Hassall 21 September 1418: Thomas Hassall 7 May 1455: James Whiteacres September 1465: Randle Penketh 7 March 1481: Roger Clifton : Hugh Brereton 15 September 1535: Thomas Smyth 27 September 1548: Richard Smyth 19 May 1554: Peter Prestland 1565: Richard Smyth 23 May 1576: John Shaw 1616: Laurence Wood 16 November 1630: Thomas Tudman 1644: Joseph Cope (1622–1704)William Urwick, ed., Historical sketches of Nonconformity in the county palatine of Chester, Publisher Kent & Co., 1864, pp. 187 : Thomas Tudman 15 May 1674: William Hayes 19 Mar 1695: Thomas Welles, M.A. 13 May 1729: Hugh Mee, M.A. 13 April 1733: Samuel Allon, B.A. 25 September 1736: Blayney Baldwyn, M.A. 13 May 1739: Henry Baldwyn, M.A. 21 April 1773: Peter Haddon, M.A. 13 January 1787: Richard Lowndes Salmon, M.A. 20 February 1828: John Armitstead, M.A. 20 October 1865: John Richard Armitstead, M.A. 1919: John Hornby Armitstead, M.A.John Minshull, A Short History and Description of St. Mary's Church Sandbach, Cheshire, 1974, Publ. St Mary's Parochial Church Council. pp.10. 1941: Reginald Norton Betts, M.A. 1964: Geoffrey Thomas Wykes, B.A. 1972: John Basil Rigby ( 2001)"Former vicar mourned", 19 December 2001 Chester Chronicle Series 9 September 1983: David W.G. Stocker, B.A. 2001: Rex Buckley 2008: Thomas Shepherd, B.A. 2020: Bee Boyde"We have a new Vicar!", St. Mary's Church Sandbach Facebook page, 22 Sep 2020

Curates 1548: Ricardus Rudiarte 1565: Johannes Shawe 13 January 1573: unknown 20 May 1701: Galfridus Williams 1708: Gulielmus Repton 21 June – 7 July 1725, Ranulphus Hazlehurst 5 June 1733: Joseph Twemlowe 19 December 1737 – 13 July 1742: William Dickens 10 June 1745 – 6 August 1754: George Penlington 1 June 1760: John Sibson

St Mary's Church, Sandbach

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