Church of St Mary the Virgin, Great Wymondley explained

Church of St Mary the Virgin
Coordinates:51.942°N -0.2341°W
Country:England
Denomination:Church of England
Status:Active
Heritage Designation:Grade I listed
Designated Date:1968
Diocese:Diocese of St Albans

St Mary's Church is an active Anglican church in Great Wymondley, Hertfordshire, England.It is a Grade I listed building.

History

In 1199, Reginald de Argentein, lord of the manor of Great Wymondley, brought a case against the Abbess of Elstow over the advowson of the chapel, as it then was. The Abbess claimed that the chapel was part of the possessions of the church at Hitchin, and had been granted to the Abbey by Judith of Lens, niece of William I. Richard lost the case. Although vicars were appointed to Great Wymondley from 1361, the church remained under Elstow Abbey until the Dissolution.[1]

The benefice is currently St Ippolyts with Great and Little Wymondley.

Architecture

It has a Norman nave and chancel, the latter being an apse built of small rounded stones.[2] Only two other medieval churches in Hertfordshire retain an apse (St Leonard's Church, Bengeo and St John the Baptist's Church, Great Amwell), but originally the church at Little Wymondley had an apsidal east end too.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fitzpatrick-Matthews . Keith . 2020 . The Archaeology of the Wymondleys .
  2. Young . Richard . Hamilton . Liz . April 2015 . The earth beneath our feet . Hertfordshire Life . 2021-09-03.