A large, Perpendicular Gothic church,
serving the Parish of Thirsk in the Diocese of York

The Benefice of Thirsk
Rector: Revd. Canon Richard Rowling
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history

St. Mary's Parish Church, Thirsk: History 

This fine example of what is known as Perpendicular Gothic church architecture is over 500 years old. It was begun about the year 1420 and probably took half a century or more to reach its present form. It succeeded a Norman Church, traces of which remain in a block of stone at the bottom of the South Aisle and in the walls. Before that there was almost certainly a Saxon Minster serving the surrounding countryside. It is first mentioned  in 1145, when Robert de Mowbray gave it to the Augustinian Canons at Newburgh Priory. They held the living and provided Vicars to serve the Church. The list of incumbents since the Reformation is to be found hanging near the vestry door. Parish registers date back to 1556. 

The present building is remarkable chiefly because it hasn't  been noticeably altered since it was built, apart from the chancel arch, which seems to have been reshaped several times. The great Victorian architect, Street, carried out the usual sweeping restoration in 1876 but carefully preserved everything he found. It is unusual to find this type of design, that the roof is not at the same height from West to East, but that is probably due to the nature of the sloping ground below the chancel, which was added to the original small nave

THE EXTERIOR

buttressed 80ft tower The pierced parapet (similar to that at Coxwold) is very impressive adding grace to a rather chunky outline. It is noticeable that the nave and tower form a unit which is extended by the chancel, though in fact the nave at first was only half the present height, the clerestory and chancel having been added together later, the tower and porch last of all. The tower is 80 ft high and contains eight fine bells , the oldest of which bears the inscription in Latin “In the year 1410 was this JESUS bell made”. On the West exterior wall of the tower are the remains of a carving of the Virgin and Child below the window of the ringing chamber.

The large South porch has, as usual, a room above (Parvis Room) which during the centuries has had many uses. In 1513 an anchorite, or hermit, named Thomas Parkinson, lived there, and stayed by himself for some years. From Thirsk he went to Mount  Grace  Priory and then to the Lady Chapel, but he did not die there. With the rest of the Carthusians he was turned out at the Dissolution of Mount Grace and spent years wandering destitute until he fell in with tinker's widow and her family and married her.  The Parvis Room was originally accessible only by a ladder from inside the church – now there is a stone stair. The great South Door is one of the finest examples in the country. It was put in when the church was built, and most of it has remained the same until now, though the date 1747 can be seen on the present hinges.


THE INTERIOR: THE NAVE
This is the oldest part, probably built around the former nave. At the top of the South Aisle is the tomb of  Robert of Threske who couldNave and carved roof be regarded as the Founder of the present Church. Robert of Threske(  Threske is the old name for Thirsk) was  Henry1V's  King's Remembrancer in the Court of the Exchequer.  We do not know his surname  or even if he had one as  he was born in the fourteenth century before the adoption of surnames became general .  He died in 1419 leaving a fund to build a chantry chapel in the Parish Church and from that seems to have sprung the great rebuilding a few years later. His brasses are now almost illegible in the floor, but originally showed a priest vested and a rhyme.

The roof, restored in 1953,is a fine example of mediaeval carving and has some  grotesque masks at the ends of the beams.  On the upper part of the walls (clerestory) are some fading paintings of the Apostles, thought almost certainly to be 17th century.The old Hatchments, armorial bearings of local families, especially the Bells, have been placed above the arches. Above  the North Door can  seen the Royal Arms of George 1V. An old print shows  the gilded Angel used to preside over the organ at the West end 150 years ago.  There are some  fine screens to the Chantry Chapels which, together with the upper part of the Font Cover, represent the achievements of mediaeval carvers. The Font cover, 21 ft high,  partly 15th century with crocketted pinnacles, rests on a Victorian font and was in use until mid 2007 when the suspension cable snapped. Thanks to a generous donor a  new cable  fitted in February 2010 returned the Font to use. Two 16th century pew ends carved with heraldic devices of families connected to the church are displayed in the North aisle. Some  pew ends are poppy headed. 

The  view from  the Altar Rail looking  down the church shows it to be a tall, narrow building in the main, dominated by the magnificent Tower Arch.

WINDOWS

medieval stained glass in south east cornerIn the nineteen century  all the mediaeval glass in the church was collected into the window at the East end of the South Aisle. A bomb blew it out again in 1940, but after the war Dean Milner- White carefully restored it and it contains great heraldic interest. (After the restoration the surprised Dean found himself with a little of the glass left over. This was taken to York and later incorporated into the windows of the Minster.) The East window was designed locally in 1844, as a tablet on the chancel wall records. The West windows are pleasant Victorian examples. The large window in memory of Sir Robert Bower was designed by Strachan in 1932, on the theme of “The Happy Warrior”.

CHAPELS

The South Chapel was originally a chantry of St. Anne. The North Chapel now contains the organ installed by Postill of York in 1877, improved by Denman in 1884, rebuilt by N P. Mander in 1964 and much repaired and improved in 2007 by Geoffrey Coffin of York.  

CHANCEL

Here again the roof should be noticed, with its quaint scenes of domestic life, and heraldic devices. No doubt it was once all coloured. The form of the window traceries shows that the chancel and the clerestory were later additions to the original building, which must have included a chancel at the end of the present nave. The stone seats (Sedilia) are noted for their original carving, as is the Piscina( mediaeval hand basin). The Altar Table is curiously carved in Flemish style. The painting in the chancel is thought to be  a contemporary copy of Caravaggio’s “Incredulity of St. Thomas”. The ancient door by the side of the choir organ leads down to the roomy Crypt with its barrel roof, once used as a Grammar School. 

The Chancel at St Mary's

THE PARISH CHEST

is in the North aisle.It  is dated 1620,was  made or presented by Anthony Bell, and once  received contributions for the Church.  Visitors  contributions towards the upkeep of this magnificent but costly building are  always  welcome but  nowadays  they are placed  in the 'hole in the wall' by the door. 

THE BELLS OF ST. MARY’S

The unseen, but no less familiar guardian of the hours, our heaviest bell celebrated the six hundredth anniversary of its casting in 2010.  This venerable artefact therefore pre-dates almost all the fabric of the present Church.  It is perhaps a little sobering to reflect that it was around before the bloodbath at Agincourt, witnessed the horrors of the War of the Roses, and survived the turmoil and iconoclasm of the Reformation, the Civil War and the Commonwealth, to say nothing of the aerial bombardment of World War II.

Tradition links the bell (in ringers’ parlance: the “tenor” signifying the heaviest of the ring) with Fountains Abbey.  There may be something in this but Cistercian rules forbade towers and  Abbot Huby’s monster campanile did not materialise until almost 100 years after the date of casting.  It was the handiwork of a well known York bellfounder named John Potter.  There seems no reason why the bell should not have come directly to Thirsk but perhaps what really matters is that we still have it – a precious survival of the heritage of our Parish.  And a lovely piece of work it is: tuned to the key of F, weighing in at 14 cwt 3 lbs (bellringers still use old money!) possessing a beautiful resonance.  The crown of the bell bears a Latin inscription detailing the year of its casting and, lest anyone doubt its real purpose, the name “Iesus”.  Also  evident is the founder’s hallmark.

CENTENARY PEAL

 The Bellringing fraternity’s house magazine ‘the Ringing World’ celebrated its centenary in March 2011.  St Mary’s tower featured in the peal records of the first edition and  the editor decided to invite all the towers which participated in 1911 to repeat the performance this March.  Thus it was that during the evening of Friday 11 March a centenary peal was rung at Thirsk.

 The ringers involved were:

 Treble                   Jennifer A. Town            (All Saints, Northallerton)

2                           David A Town                                     do

3                           Dot Salmon                                         do

4                           Martin J Kirk                                      do

5                           Gerry Parsons                 (SS Peter & Paul, Stokesley)

6                           John Limbach                  (St Oswald, Sowerby)

7                           Graham A Blackburn        (All Saints, Northallerton)

8                           Peter F Town                                      do

 
The peal was conducted by Jennifer Town and took 3 hours precisely.  For those of an anorak disposition the method (as in 1911) was Kent Treble Bob Major. This   involved 5056 changes in the order of the bells (out of a possible 40,320) so no wonder it took three hours! 

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This magnificent old church has withstood the ravages of centuries and  witnessed  generations of faithful service to God.  The building is indeed one of the gems of North Yorkshire and often called the 'cathedral of North Yorkshire' because of its beautiful architecture and commanding presence. We hope this short history and description of many of the features of the church are of interest.If you have anything to add please contact the Media Officer who will be delighted to hear from you. However it is not possible for any Officer to undertake  research on your behalf.

St.Mary's is not a showpiece or museum  but a place of worship and prayer.  Those who worship here pray for the community of Thirsk,  Christian people everywhere,  the needs of all people  and  peace and justice  throughout the world.    May the peace of God be with you.