St John's Church, Waberthwaite
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St John's Church is situated on the south bank of the River Esk in the hamlet of Hall Waberthwaite in the former
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Waberthwaite Waberthwaite is a small, former rural civil parish (about 4 square miles in area) on the south bank of the estuary of the River Esk, in Cumberland, Cumbria, England. Since 1934 it has been part of the combined parish of Waberthwaite and Corney ...
(now part of the civil parish of Waberthwaite and
Corney Corney is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Waberthwaite, in the Cumberland district, in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England. It is in the west of the Lake District, near the A595 road, and it is located north eas ...
),
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
, England. It is an active
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
in the deanery of Calder, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland, and the
diocese of Carlisle In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
. Its
benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
is united with those of St Paul, Irton; St Michael, Muncaster; and St Catherine, Boot. The church is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...
as a designated Grade II*
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.


History

St John's probably dates from the 13th century, with later alterations and additions, but the presence of the remains of 9th- and 10th-century crosses in the churchyard indicates that the site was a religious centre for centuries before that.


Architecture

The church is constructed in
roughcast Roughcast and pebbledash are durable coarse plaster surfaces used on outside walls. They consists of lime and sometimes cement mixed with sand, small gravel and often pebbles or shells. The materials are mixed into a slurry and are then throw ...
stone with
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
roofs. Its plan consists of a single cell (i.e. there is no
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
and the
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
and
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
share the same space with no dividing arches or screens between them). A
vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...
is attached to the east end of the north wall, and a porch covers the entrance at the west end of the south wall. The porch was rebuilt in 1825.


Internal features

Inside the church is an octagonal wooden
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
with carved decoration and the inscription: THE GIFT OF ABRAHAM CHAMBERS GENT. VA(E) MIHI SI NON VERUM PRAEDICO ("Woe to me if I preach not the truth"). It is initialled S.R. and dated 1630 (S.R. was possibly Samuel Rutter who appears to have been
rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of Waberthwaite in 1630. He subsequently became
Bishop of Sodor and Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Cathedral Church of St German where ...
.) The
font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...
is a lead-lined hollowed-out
monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid igneous or metamorphic rock. Some monolit ...
of sandstone with a square plan and oak lid. On the north wall opposite the door are the
royal arms The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, also referred to as the royal arms, are the arms of dominion of the British monarch, currently Charles III. They are used by the Government of the United Kingdom and by other The Crown, Crown instit ...
of
George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
. The interior of the church was fitted with box
pews A pew () is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a synagogue, church, funeral home or sometimes a courtroom. Occasionally, they are also found in live performance venues (such as the Ryman A ...
, and flagged and ceiled in 1807. The oil lamps of an earlier age have been retained and artfully converted to electric.


External features

The church has a
bellcote A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...
on the west
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
containing two 15th Century bells which were retained when the bellcote was refurbished in 1796. The south bell (the
tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
) has the inscription SANCTUS JACOBUS (Saint James). DOMINUS THOMAS WALKER (Sir Thomas Walker) in Lombardic lettering. Thomas Walker was rector of the church from 1439 till some time after 1473. The north bell (the treble) bears the inscription HENRICUS SEXTUS REX (King Henry the sixth). This is also in Lombardic lettering. Whether the bells were donated by Henry VI (e.g. in gratitude for the safe haven provided by Lord Muncaster when Henry was fleeing after his forces had suffered a defeat at the hands of the Yorkists in the
battle of Hexham The Battle of Hexham, 15 May 1464, marked the end of significant Lancastrian resistance in the north of England during the early part of the reign of Edward IV. The battle was fought near the town of Hexham in Northumberland. John Neville, ...
in 1464 or the
battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...
in 1461 (sources vary) – cf "The Luck of Muncaster" at
Muncaster Castle Muncaster Castle is a privately-owned castle in the parish of Muncaster, Cumbria, England. It stands overlooking the River Esk (Ravenglass), River Esk, about a mile east of the coastal village of Ravenglass. It is recorded in the National Herit ...
), or whether they were merely installed during his reign (1422 to 1471), we do not know, but in either event it gives us a possible date range for their installation which is consistent with their installation during the rectorship of Thomas Walker. The naming of St James on the south bell is interesting. Though there may be nothing unusual in church bells bearing the name of a saint to whom the church is not dedicated, it is worthy of note that when the
advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...
of Waberthwaite church was transferred to Sir Richard de Kirkby in 1392, the church was referred to as St James. If the church was originally dedicated to St James and subsequently re-dedicated to St John, then it would appear that the re-dedication may have taken place after the reign of Henry VI.


Churchyard

In the churchyard are the remains of two Anglo-Scandinavian high cross shafts constructed in
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
. W. G. Collingwood has dated the two cross shafts. The fallen shaft he has identified as being Anglian in the style of its decoration, and has dated it as no earlier than 850 and no later than 925. The standing shaft shows strong Norse influence in its decoration, and Collingwood has dated it to about 950. Both shafts have rectangular cross-sections, and are decoratively carved on all sides, but the fallen shaft was used as a threshold for the church door for a long time and is badly worn on one face. The standing shaft was found in the churchyard in 1825, and then used as a
lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case ...
. It was moved into its present position and reunited with its socle, which was also found in the churchyard, between 1884 and 1889. The standing shaft is a
scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
. The churchyard also contains a 5' 6" high sundial. An inscription states that it was made in 1830 by Watkins and Hill of London for the Reverend J. Stanley and it is calibrated for the latitude of 54 degrees, 13 minutes. The plinth is of sandstone and has a square top on which are mounted a brass
gnomon A gnomon (; ) is the part of a sundial that casts a shadow. The term is used for a variety of purposes in mathematics and other fields, typically to measure directions, position, or time. History A painted stick dating from 2300 BC that was ...
and an inset circular brass plate graduated in hours and 2-minute intervals. The dial also has a scale of months and days. It is registered as dial number 2220 in the register of the British Sundial Society.


Legacy bell

On the internal sill of the west window is a bell that originally belonged to the Chapel of St. Luke which stood at Lane End in Waberthwaite. The bell is dated 1882 and was moved to the church when the chapel was demolished.


Gallery

image:Waberthwaite_church_cumbria.jpg, Waberthwaite church image:Waberthwaite church.jpg, St John's Church, Waberthwaite, from across the Esk image:Waberthwaite_cross_cumbria.jpg, The large cross shaft – 10th century.C A Parker, ''The Gosforth District'', pub Titus Wilson 1904. image:Waberthwaite_church_and_cross.jpg, Waberthwaite church showing sundial and cross shaft image:Waberthwaite_church_and_crosses.jpg, View of sundial and both the standing and fallen cross shafts. The fallen shaft is at the foot of the sundial.


See also

*
Grade II* listed buildings in Cumberland There are over 20,000 Grade II* listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the district of Cumberland in Cumbria. It is split by the three former districts which make up the unitary authority area, Allerdale, the Bor ...
* Listed buildings in Waberthwaite


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waberthwaite, St John's Church Church of England church buildings in Cumbria Grade II* listed churches in Cumbria Diocese of Carlisle Paley and Austin buildings Monumental crosses in England