St Martin's Church, Stamford
St Martin's Church, Stamford
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipBroad Church
Websitewww.stamfordchurches.co.uk/st-martins.shtml
History
DedicationSaint Martin
Administration
ProvinceCanterbury
DioceseLincoln
ParishSt Martin's Without
Clergy
Priest(s)Vacant
Laity
Organist/Director of musicNigel Stark

St Martin's Church, Stamford, is a Grade I listed[1] parish church in the Church of England located in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. The area of the town south of the River Welland was in Northamptonshire until 1889 and is called Stamford Baron or St Martin's.

History

Tomb of Sir Richard Cecil (died 1553)
Tomb of William Cecil, Lord Burghley (died 1598)

A church was first erected here between 1133 and 1147 by Martin de Vecti (also known as Martin de Bec), Abbot of Peterborough from 1133 to 1155. He dedicated the church to the saint whose name he held. It is thought that the church may have been damaged in Wars of the Roses by Lancastrian forces in 1461. By 1473 it was reported as being in a ruinous state. Rebuilding was started in 1482, and completed in 1485 in the Perpendicular style.[2]

The majority of the mediaeval coloured glass was bought by the Earl of Exeter from the Church of the Holy Trinity at Tattershall in 1754.[3]

The church was re-ordered in 1843 by Edward Browning when new pews and a new pulpit were installed. The Cecil Chapel was extended to the north in 1865 and houses the tombs of the Cecil family, including monuments to Sir Richard Cecil, William Cecil, first Lord Burghley, and John Cecil, 5th Earl of Exeter. During the nineteenth century the church also received a new nave roof, a lowered floor, new bells and in 1890 a new organ. New choir stalls and an altar were erected in 1894 as a result of a general subscription in the parish.[4]

Later additions in 1920-30s include a new screen and pulpit with carvings by Mahomet Thomas Phillips[5] while working at Bowman & Sons.

Properly it is the Church of St Martin Without, Stamford Baron.

Burials include Dutch portrait painter William Wissing (1687), in the churchyard, and Daniel Lambert (1809), in the detached part of the churchyard.

Memorials

Bells

The church tower holds a ring of 6 bells. They were all cast in 1850 by Charles and George Mears.[8] The tenor weight is 1,505 pounds (683 kg).

Organ

The organ case in St Martin's

Until 1890 the organ sat in a gallery at the west end. It comprised two manuals and 14 stops.[9] The current organ is by Bevington and it was dedicated on 23 May 1890.[10] At the dedication service at 11.00am Haydn Keeton, the organist of Peterborough Cathedral, presided at the organ. Haydon Hare gave a recital in the afternoon on the same day. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

List of organists

References

  1. ↑ Historic England, "Church of St Martin, Stamford (1169102)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 15 October 2023
  2. ↑ The Antiquities of Stamford and St Martin's: Compiled Chiefly from the Annals of the Rev. Francis Peck, with Notes; to which is Added Their Present State Including Burghley; by W. Harrod. ... By Francis Peck, William Harrod. Published by printed by and for W. Harrod, and sold by W. Lowndes, London, 1785
  3. ↑ Church of the Holy Trinity at Tattershall website
  4. ↑ "Stamford". Stamford Mercury. England. 22 June 1894. Retrieved 15 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ Hughes, H (17 October 2022). "Mahomet Thomas Phillips Part 2". University of Lincoln.
  6. ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Harris, John (1973). The Buildings of England. Lincolnshire. Penguin Books. p. 661. ISBN 0140710272.
  7. ↑ "Memorial to Marquess". Stamford Mercury. England. 22 February 1957. Retrieved 18 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Stamford Baron, Lincolnshire, S Martin". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Dovemaster. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "To be disposed of". Stamford Mercury. England. 2 May 1890. Retrieved 15 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ↑ "Organ Dedication". Stamford Mercury. England. 23 May 1890. Retrieved 15 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ↑ Norfolk Chronicle – Saturday 2 November 1833
  12. ↑ Stamford Mercury – Friday 6 December 1833
  13. ↑ British Musical Biography By James D. Brown
  14. ↑ Stamford Mercury – Friday 1 July 1836
  15. ↑ Chronology of Stamford: Compiled from Peck, Butcher, Howgrave, Harrod, Drakard, Parliamentary Reports, and Other Important Works, George Burton. Published by R. Bagley, 1846
  16. ↑ "Organist Retires". Stamford Mercury. England. 6 May 1927. Retrieved 15 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ↑ "Presentation". Stamford Mercury. England. 22 July 1927. Retrieved 15 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ↑ "Stamford Organist". Leicester Evening Mail. England. 5 October 1938. Retrieved 15 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ↑ "Stamford Organist". Leicester Evening Mail. England. 4 November 1939. Retrieved 15 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.

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52°38′57″N 00°28′37″W / 52.64917°N 0.47694°W / 52.64917; -0.47694

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