Parish Church
The Church of England parish church of Saint John the Baptist seems to have existed by 1252, when it was a dependent chapelry of Coleshill parish church and was granted to the Benedictine Markyate Priory. The south wall of the nave and possibly the north wall date from this era. Two windows in the north wall are early 14th century in style. The nave was extended 9 feet (2.7 m) westwards in the 15th century for the addition of a bell-cot. The south porch is another addition that seems to date from the 15th century.
In 1876-77 the chancel was rebuilt and the north-west tower was added. The tower has three bells, the oldest of which was cast by John Rudhall of Gloucester in 1791. The other two were cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough in 1855 and 1873. The church contains numerous monuments to members of the Adderley family, including one from 1784 made of Coade stone.
Rev. Thomas Bray was briefly vicar of Lea Marston in about 1693. Bray founded the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in 1699 and the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts in 1701.
Read more about this topic: Lea Marston
Famous quotes containing the words parish and/or church:
“My stardust melody, the memory of love’s refrain.”
—Mitchell Parish (1901–1993)
“The Church seems to totter to its fall, almost all life extinct. On this occasion, any complaisance would be criminal which told you, whose hope and commission it is to preach the faith of Christ, that the faith of Christ is preached.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)