St Mary's Church, Twickenham, also known as St Mary the Virgin, Twickenham, is a Grade II* listedChurch of England place of worship dedicated to
Saint Mary the Virgin
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
The church stands on the site of an earlier one and incorporates its 15th-century medieval tower. On 9 April 1713 the ancient church's 14th-century nave collapsed. The painter
Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723), was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to English and British monarchs from ...
was a
churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ''ex officio'' members of the parish ...
of St Mary's at the time and was active in the plans for reconstruction in the Neo-classical style by the local architect John James.St Mary's Church at twickenham-museum.org.uk, accessed 14 October 2012
A local resident, Lady Wentworth, wrote a month after the collapse that it had been foreseen by a new vicar, Dr Pratt:
Inside the 18th-century church some older monuments have survived from the medieval nave, including a brass to Richard Burton, the King's chief cook, and Agnes his wife, dated 1443.
Inside the church are some fine monuments including those to:
* The Rt Hon. Lady Margaret Wildman (d.1825) by Sir Richard Westmacott RA
* George Gostlin (d.1782) and his wife Anne (d.1799) by John Bacon Junior
* Sir Chaloner Ogle (d.1750), Baronet and Admiral of the Fleet, by John Michael Rysbrack
* Nathaniel Pigott (d.1737) by
Peter Scheemakers
Peter Scheemakers or Pieter Scheemaeckers II or the Younger (10 January 1691 – 12 September 1781) was a Flemish sculptor who worked for most of his life in London. His public and church sculptures in a classicist style had an important influenc ...
* Alexander Pope (d.1761) by Prince Hoare of Bath.
On 20 June 1721 Dr Pratt baptised at the church "James Shandayes and John Twogood", described as two Indian princes. They were followed in 1747 by
Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel '' Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...
's son William.
Hallam Tennyson
Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, (11 August 1852 – 2 December 1928) was a British aristocrat who served as the second governor-general of Australia, in office from 1903 to 1904. He was previously Governor of South Australia from 1899 to 1 ...
, son of the poet
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...
, and eventually second
Governor-General of Australia
The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.christened at the church in 1852.
The 18th-century nave of the church is in red brick with Tuscan
pilaster
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...
s and
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedim ...
s. Following the reconstruction of 1713–14, the church was enlarged in 1754 and contains fittings of the same period, including a
reredos
A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images.
The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for e ...
and gallery fronts. The tower has a ring of eight bells, of which one dates from the early 16th century, three from the 17th and four from the 18th.SAINT MARY THE VIRGIN, TWICKENHAM at aim25.ac.uk, accessed 20 October 2012
All Hallows, Twickenham
All Hallows Twickenham is a Grade I listed church and parish of the Church of England in Twickenham, London. It incorporates the tower of All Hallows Lombard Street and is prominently south of a major road of west London, near Twickenham Stadiu ...
(1939). As these came into being, the parish of St Mary's became smaller, but it still takes in most of central Twickenham.
Burials
*
Bridget Markham
Bridget Markham (1579–1609), was a courtier to Anne of Denmark and subject of poems.
Bridget was a daughter of Sir James Harington (1542–1614) of Ridlington, Rutland, and Frances Sapcote (d. 1599) daughter and co-heir of Robert Sapcote of Elt ...
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...
who both died at
Twickenham Park
Twickenham Park was an estate in Twickenham in south-west London.
History
The New Park of Richmond, later called Twickenham Park, passed to Edward Bacon in 1574 and to the English philosopher, Francis Bacon, in 1593. In 1608 the property passed ...
in 1609. Markham is commemorated with an inscription inside.
* Sir William Berkeley (1605–1677),
Governor of Virginia
The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022.
Oath of office
On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...
from 1660 to 1677, was laid to rest in the
crypt
A crypt (from Latin '' crypta'' " vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics.
Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a c ...
of the church in 1677, unusually encased in "lead exactly fitted to the shape of the body, shewing the form of the features, hands, feet, and even nails", instead of a coffin. A year later he was joined by the remains of his brother Lord Berkeley, one of the
Lords Proprietor
A lord proprietor is a person granted a royal charter for the establishment and government of an English colony in the 17th century. The plural of the term is "lords proprietors" or "lords proprietary".
Origin
In the beginning of the European ...
of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
. The brothers are commemorated in a memorial window in the present church, under which the ancient
crypt
A crypt (from Latin '' crypta'' " vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics.
Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a c ...
survives.Warren M. Billings, ''Sir William Berkeley and the Forging of Colonial Virginia'' (
Louisiana State University Press
The Louisiana State University Press (LSU Press) is a university press at Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, it publishes works of scholarship as well as general interest books. LSU Press is a member of the Association of American Univ ...
, 2010 edition), p. 268 (footnote)
* Sir
Godfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723), was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to English and British monarchs from ...
died in 1723 and his remains were entombed in the church.
*
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...
(1688–1744) lies in the church under a stone slab engraved simply with the letter P, near a bronze memorial plate,Lynn F. Pearson, ''Discovering Famous Graves'' (Shire Discovering vol. 288, 2008, ), p. 82 joining his mother, Edith Pope (1643–1733), who had been buried in the church in 1733.
* The actress and soprano singer
Kitty Clive
Catherine Clive (née Raftor; 5 November 1711 – 6 December 1785) Catherine ‘Kitty’ Clive (1711-1785, active 1728-1769) was a first songster and star comedienne of British playhouse entertainment. Clive led and created new forms of English ...
(1711–1785) was buried in the churchyard in 1785. A plaque to her memory was affixed to the outside wall in the north-east angle of the church chancel.
*
General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...
William Tryon
Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...
(1729–1788), a soldier who served as governor of the
Province of North Carolina
Province of North Carolina was a province of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712(p. 80) to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the thirteen American colonies. The monarch of Great Britain was repre ...
(1765–1771) and of the
Province of New York
The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the U ...
(1771–1780) was buried in the churchyard in 1788.
* At the north-east corner of the church, in the graveyard, is a memorial to the tea merchant
Thomas Twining Thomas Twining may refer to:
*Thomas Twining (merchant) (1675–1741), English merchant and founder of the Twinings tea company
*Thomas Twining (scholar) (1735–1804), English scholar and classicist, grandson of the above
See also
*Twining (s ...
governess
A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, ...
of Princess Charlotte of Wales, was buried at St Mary's on 4 July 1810.
There is a memorial to timber merchant
James Montgomrey James Montgomrey (1 September 1811 – 4 June 1883) ran a large timber mill in Brentford, Middlesex, that was in the family for 120 years. He also led the development of considerable infrastructure in the town to enhance public amenity.
Life and fa ...
's wife Henrietta (1818–1905) in the church, but both she and her husband were buried at Isleworth CemeteryA. B. Willson, ''Memorials and Ledgerstones of St Mary’s Church Twickenham''
The funeral of
Neil Aspinall
Neil Stanley Aspinall (13 October 1941 24 March 2008) was a British music industry executive. A school friend of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, he went on to head the Beatles' company Apple Corps.
The Beatles employed Aspinall first as t ...
(1941–2008), head of
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' company Apple Corps and sometimes called "the fifth Beatle", took place at the church in 2008, although Aspinall was buried at
Teddington
Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long me ...
*''The story of St Mary's, the parish church of Twickenham'' (Parish Church of St Mary's Twickenham, 1961)
*''The Parish Church of Twickenham, St Mary the Virgin'' (British Publishing Company Limited, 1975, )
*E. A. Morris, ''The Bells of St Mary's, Twickenham'' (State Mutual Book & Periodical Service, 1986, )
*Adrian Mumford & Donald Herbert Simpson, ''The Organs of St Mary's Parish Church, Twickenham'' (St Mary's Parish Church, 1996, )
Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boro ...