English Bicknor - St. Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church

The present day church is Norman dating to c1100 AD and is set in an oval churchyard of Anglo Saxon origin within the outer courtyard of a Norman motte and bailey castle. The exterior walls, renewed in Victorian times, offer no clue to the Norman building work within. Only the exterior stonework of the 13th century west tower is original. Inside the church, the four bay north arcade and five bay south arcade are both Norman, but interestingly have different decoration around the capitals. The church had a central tower before the current west tower was built. The interior of the church is dominated by Romanesque pillars and contains a flat tomb with a rare example of Lombardic script which is dated to c 1420. This translated means "Pray for the soul of our departed brother in Christ".

The font is Norman, and amongst the treasures of the church are three stone figures representing church monuments. Cecilia Muchegros, who lived in the village and died in 1301, and Hawisia, who died in 1353 and whose figure is dressed in a long flowing robe, both have dogs at their feet. The third figure is of a priest, with an old body and a young head. It is not known who he was, but may have been the priest in the church in the early 14th century. Other objects of notable interest include stained glass by Percy Bacon from 1908.