Stainfield Church ~ Visitors Guide & History
Stainfield Church
I just came across this one, by accident almost, whilst on a day out with my brother, he was driving and I yelled . . . “church” . . . “stop”
We were actually on our way to Barlings Abbey when we saw Saint Andrew’s which forms part of the set up of Stainfield Hall.
Rebuilt in 1711 the church is unusual as it’s not orientated, that is to say does not face East as usual.
Many of the original features have long since disappeared and the place was given a minor gothic makeover in 1887 by James Fowler.
There is a suggestion that it was originally designed by Sir Christopher Wren
I found note of the church’s relics which include some armour claimed to be from the Tyrwhitt family, sadly further research suggests this was stolen in 1995. This did bring up some very interesting stories though which has lead me into thinking about doing another section on the site about Folklore and Mystery etc - so I think I’ll cover the rest of this story in another post.
I did have a massive “earthworks attack” as we initially drove just passed the church, unsurprising as it turns out that there was a priory of Benedictine nuns established here during the reign of Henry II, a small priory founded by Henry Percy in the 12th century.
At the dissolution is was given over to Sir Robert Tyrwhit who built a house on the site, it was subsequently destroyed by fire but according to Mee a pillar still remains from the old gateway
Stainfield Church
This is an area we’ll be returning to in regard to myth and folklore but if you know anything of the church and its history please do leave a comment - thank you.
Regards
Rod
See Our Complete List Of Churches in Lincolnshire
Pete said,
April 18, 2011 @ 9:50 pm
Hi Rod
I have been reading through the site and what a great source of information into Lincolnshire history
With regards to Stainfield Church I have a possible interesting story to tell
Growing up in the nearby village of Wragby a story was told of the Wild Man of Stainfield who lived in the woods terrorising the local people. A knight came to the area and mortally wounded the man and as such staining the fields with his blood hence the name Stainfield.
Armed with this story me and a couple of my friends set of on our bikes to investigate this story . The year would have been around the late 1960s
Riding around the village we where very dissapointed not to find any evidence of wildmen or blood on the fields.
The church was our only hope left. Entering the church we were amazed to see a the top half and pointed faced helmet of a suit of armour looking about the size to fit a teenage boy hanging from the ceiling. Also around the walls were flags and standards in different states of wear. By know our minds were working on overtime of matching the story to our finds within the church.
Thanks for your site for bringing back great memories of my childhood
Rod said,
April 19, 2011 @ 7:14 am
Pete,
thanks for the wondeful comment and welcome to the site - it’s a great story !
Pleased the site is of some interest and I hope you’ll return - there’s plenty here and more to come
All the best
Rod