St Martin's Church, Bole Explained

St Martin's Church, Bole
Coordinates:53.3739°N -0.811°W
Location:Bole, Nottinghamshire
Country:England
Denomination:Church of England
Website:www.achurchnearyou.com
Dedication:Martin of Tours
Heritage Designation:Grade II listed
Bells:3
Bells Hung:Temporary Unringable
Bell Weight: 5.5 cwt
Parish:Bole with Saundby
Deanery:Bassetlaw and Bawtry
Archdeaconry:Newark
Diocese:Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham
Province:York
Circuit:Retford Area
District:Bassetlaw
Bishop:Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham and The Bishop of Sherwood
Dean:Dean of Bassetlaw & Bawtry
Archdeacon:Archdeacon of Newark
Vicar:Rev M Cantrill
Reader:Mrs L Keating
Warden:Mrs J Martin

St Martin's Church is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England[1] in Bole, Nottinghamshire.

History

The church dates from the 13th century. It was restored in 1866 by Ewan Christian.

Bells

There are three bells at St Martin's Church.

The three bells are in a wooden frame for three bells with traditional fittings in a dilapidated state, making them unringable. The treble weighs 4 cwt, dated 1611 and cast by Henry II Oldfield, the second weighs 4.5 cwt, dated 1500+ and cast by John Seliok. The tenor weighs 5.5 cwt, dated 1611 and cast by Henry II Oldfield. The bells are rung from ground floor.[2]

Clock

There is evidence of there once being a clock at St Martin's church. The room under the bells is where the clock would have been situated. There is a picture of the church that was given to a vicar in the Second World War, that showed a clock face on the south side of the tower.

Clays Group of Churches

The Church of England church and the Methodist chapel in North Wheatley entered into a single sharing agreement and became "The Church in Wheatley". Sadly, due to cost prohibitive repairs, the Methodist Chapel was sold in 2023 as a housing development. At South Wheatley there are ruins of the church of St Helen.. St Martin, North Leverton, and All Saints, South Leverton, along with the Methodist Chapel form "The Church in the Levertons".

Clergy

The Clays Group has the one Vicar, the Team Vicar, Rev M Cantrill who has the responsibility of all the above parishes. He is an ordained Church of England and Methodist Minister. He has the responsibility of Grove Street Methodist church, Retford. The Clays Group has a Lay Reader.

Vicars of Bole[3]

Although a church at Bole was mentioned in Domesday Book, the names of most of its clergy before the late 14th century have been lost. Prior to 1864 the vicars had been non-resident in the parish for about two hundred years.[4] Hence most of the routine work during this period would probably have been carried out by assistant curates.

Assistant Curates have included:

Bole has a former Vicarage dating to 1864, but not used as such since 1965. It is now known as "Bole House" and was sold once again in 2009.

See also

Notes and References

  1. The Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire: Nikolaus Pevsner.
  2. Web site: Tower details.
  3. Largely based on the list in K S S Train, Lists of the Clergy of North Nottinghamshire, Thoroton Society, 1961, with some additions from Crockford's Clerical Directory
  4. http://anglicanhistory.org/africa/henrietta/home.html Sister Henrietta, Community of St. Michael and All Angels (edited by Dowager Lady Loch and Miss Stockdale). London: Longmans, 1914.
  5. Mentioned in J S Purvis, A Mediaeval Act Book, York, 1943, p27; accused of adultery with two married women ; probate of will, 1468; York Chapter Wills, I, p318