Whicham Church

St Mary's Church in Whicham is built on a low mound, and as the organist and local historian Peter Acott believes, could well be a religious site of great antiquity. The Giants grave at Kirksanton and stone circles on Lacra are the earliest evidence of settlement in the parish. The oldest visible part of the church is the south door, built in Norman times in the 12th century.

Map and Gallery:

 Location Map

 Imagine the wonderful array of people who have passed through it over the centuries. Generations of farming families; Norman Lords from Millom Castle; Scottish marauders under Robert the Bruce, who came storming round Black Combe and, it is said, ransacked the Rectory in 1322; bowmen at archery practice, making scratch marks on the stone as they sharpened their arrows (they are still there); and children from Whicham Grammar School, which was founded in 1540, and among the oldest in the country

 The earliest registers, now in the county archives at Whitehaven, are dated 1569 and record the birth of Andrew Myers, the marriage of Peter Lewthwaite, and the burial of John Brockbank. The names are still to be found in more recent registers, and on tombstones in the church yard. The church presents an ever changing pattern of speech, customs and usage. Remote it may seem, yet it was William Brockbank, a London grocer, who donated the silver chalice to the church in 1629, and which is still in use.

 The changes continue, both to the church and the fabric and n the forms of worship. Ladies in the parish have now organised new alter hangings, and kneelers for the alter rail. The pews are now more comfortable thanks to the gift of pew cushions given by St Pauls, Barrow.

 The original building was rectangular, with stone and cobble walls 4-5ft thick, but its present appearance is due to a major restoration begun in 1858 when the north transept was added; the ceiling was heightened; the pews were installed ; the aisle floored with St Bees sandstone, the porch rebuilt and the vestry added. One source says, "the building has been so much mauled that it would be difficult to assign the dates of its early history".

 At this time the five painted memorial windows were given to the church, and the organ installed. Before this there is a lovely record of the "singing pew" being re-sited to allow for new pews to be installed for local families.

 The east window, with its scenes from the life of Christ in seemingly haphazard arrangement may well have come from another church building (Seaton Hall from Bootle has been suggested). The window does not quite fit the stone aperture, and the alter curtains hide the fact that the lower pains are plain glass.

 A more recent addition is the new "eagle" window, given as a memorial to Ronald Shaw, a parishioner and an aeronautical engineer who had a large part in the development off the hovercraft.

 The brass candle sticks for the alter are in memory of Joseph Coward, churchwarden, who died in 1945. For security reasons these are not normally on display during the week, being locked away in the vestry, together with the brass cross which came from Kirksanton, when the village became part of the Whicham parish in 1968.

 The coat of arms above the door is that of George III; in times past the royal coat-of-arms was displayed by law in every church, together with the Lord's Prayer; the Creed, and the Ten Commandments. This and the memorial tablets on the west wall, would benefit from cleaning, for they tell the tale about past rectors of the church, many of whom served for long periods.

 There is a list of Rectors, compiled by the last incumbent, the Revd. Malcolm Ridyard, gleaned from the registers and records from 1535 when John Woodall was in charge (still a memorial name up the coast in Waberthwaite!), until William Pelisier Ingledow, who was the last rector to hold Wicham as a singe parish.

 One of the greatest treasures is the Victoria Cross, won by Tom Mayson of Silecroft, and left by him to the church; a replica is on display, and the original is nor on loan to the military section of the Lancaster Museum where it can be displayed with more security.

 The font is made from St Bees sandstone, and dates back to medieval times: it was originally decorated with painted shields round the outside where you can just see the hexagonal outlines; perhaps Cromwell's soldiers caused their removal when any sort of decoration was forbidden.

 The oak pulpit and lectern, and the carvings on the choir stalls are lovely examples of modern woodworking. Although we have no record of the craftsman, Mr C. Walker thinks that his grandmother, Mrs Elizabeth Anderton Walker, who made and crafted much of the furniture of Kellet house in the village, is reputed to have designed and carved the lectern and the pew decorations.

 There is a huge chest in the vestry made by Henry William Martin, Silecroft joiner, 1889.

 More recently three pieces of furniture have been added to the church. The table at the back was presented in memory of Mrs Chrissie Henderson who worked tirelessly for the church for many years. The case for the Book of Remembrance was given by the local branch of the National Farmers Union; and a new notice board for the porch and a garden seat were donated in memory of Elizabeth Sharpe, long time member of the church council. Another seat has been donated for the Garden of Remembrance in memory of Constance Cowell.

 The door in the south east wall, blocked during the Victorian restoration can still be seen from the outside. It probably led to a three tier pulpit, which was a feature of the days when sermons could last for hours, while the congregation stood and listened.

 Teh bells which hang in the bell cote are over 500 years old. They are inscribed "Sancta Maria ora pro nobis" and "Sancta Michael ora pro nobis", St Mary and St Michael pray for us.

 A few years ago, dampness was causing problems in the church. A new drain was constructed by Stan Walker and Son of Millom, to surround the building and allow the walls to dry out; and several sycamore trees which overhung the walls to a height of 5ft were taken out. The result has been a lighter and simpler appearance, which has pleased the congregation - and helped create a drier church.

 The new church heating system was installed in 1997.

 MILLENNIUM PROJECT:

It was decided to mark the millennium by refurbishing and modernising the north transept. The uncomfortable fixed pews, which also suffered from woodworm, were taken out and rotten floorboards and joists (even under the organ!) were replaced. The volunteers who helped the builder, Keith Walker, with the work did a great job and kept down the cost to the church.

The carpet was given, and the chairs and tables donated by parishioners, who dedicated them as they wished, so there is now an attractive meeting area, which still provides space and seats for larger then normal congregations.

 The piece of land through the gate to the west of the church was given by Mr Guy Wilson, and has been cleared to make an extension of the burial ground, and a Garden of Remembrance with a lovely view across the fields to Black Combe.
The churchyard contains the graves of several servicemen killed during the second world war. One was Cpl Amos of the Royal Australian Airforce; a few years ago his brother and sister-in-law came from Australia to see the grave. It was the Harvest Festival and a lovely autumn day; they found a warm welcome and much comfort in this lovely peaceful place.

 EXTRACTS OF PARISH HISTORY:

The earliest evidence of settlement is the standing stones at Kirksanton. A stone celt was found by the shore in 1868 by W.B. Walker and a stone hammer in 1862 by the Revd. J. Stackhouse.

The Celtic saint, St. Sancta, may have established a place of worship at Kirksanton in about 325 AD. A church built on a hill is mentioned in the Doomsday Book. This, the "Old Kirk" of Kirksanton was probably on Lacra at the time when St Patrick was evangelising in West Cumbria.

The name WHICHAM may have come from HWICA, an Anglo-Saxon name, although it could also be from one WHYCHE who lived in the time of Henry I. It is as WHITINGHAM that the name appears in the Domesday Book.

 A document of Clement Abbot of York in the 12th Century, gives the benefice of WITINGHAM to Gilandreas as rector, but also reserves the rights of Richard the Cleric, son of the rector of Kirksanton. This may be the founding of the church and parish of Whicham.

In 1278 Ranulph de Bretton granted John, parson of Whicham, the right of "Estovers"- the right to gather wood on his land for household use and the making of implements.

Silecroft (sometimes Selcroft) takes its name from the salt works established in the 13th century. With easily available peat and fresh water, and across to the shore, the salt works were sited near the present Whicham Terrace.

The Scottish raids of the 14th Century devastated to district. A battle was fought at Scotcroft near Whicham Hall and Whicham Rectory destroyed in 1322.

 About this time Reynard the Fewer (Fewer means a fugitive) gave the parish church to St Mary's Abbey in York, which assumed responsibility for providing a minister and collecting dues. After the Dissolution by Henry VIII the patronage was granted to Hugh Askew from Seaton Hall in Bootle, and in 1717 it was passed to the Penningtons from Muncaster. The Present Patron is Lord Lonsdale.

In earlier times the Rector lived at Rectory (now Parsonage) Farm. His salary came from a tithe payment from every householder in the parish. A few years ago the church wardens found an old map tucked away into a drainpipe at the back of the small shed, next to vestry. This has been restored by the county archivist in Carlisle, and found to be the Tithe Map from 1839. It is at present kept in the vestry, but has been displayed in the church.

In the Terrier of Tithes 1778, there is a note about "a certain tenement called Compstones to which the Rectors of Whichem in their respective succession stand as Lords".