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SIRMON FAMILY GENEALOGYFladbury, Worcestershire, UKUK History: St. John the Baptist |
 St. John the Baptist |
God our Heavenly Father, make the door of our church wide enough to receive all who seek you, may we welcome them with love and friendship; make the door narrow enough to shut out indifference, envy and pride. May the troubled find help, those suffereing receive comfort and the thoughtless be awakened to repentance, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen |
This has been a site of Christian worship since monks settled here in 691AD when Etheired, King of Mercia, made a grant of land to Oftfor the then Bishop of Worcester. The monks later moved on to found the monastery that became Evesham Abbey. No trace of the early Saxon building remains, the present building dates from the 12th century with only the base of the tower dating back to Norman times. The church was rebuilt in 1340 with significant restorations taking place during Victorian times.
In 1783 oak pews were provided in the nave but, as was the custom at the time, these were 'appropriated' to particular families and the better off members of the community. Galleries were erected at the back and sides of the church to provide seating for the rest of the congregation. In 1871 agreement was obtained to abandon this and the galleries were removed. The black panels at the back of the church came from the west gallery.
The ceiling is Georgian. From outside the church you can observe that during roof alterations red brick was used above the clerestory to heighten the nave walls.
The Porch is 14th Century but was resurfaced in the 17th century. Note, when outside, the medieval scratch sundial. Inside the church, and to the left of the entrance door, there is a blocked stairway decorated with 15th century encaustic tiles. This staircase once led to a room above the porch. You will also notice above the church entrance door the remnants of a window into this room.
This was formerly a Chantry Chapel established in 1448 by Eleanor Throckmorton in memory of her husband, Sir John. The Piscina (the alcove set in the wall alongside the altar) dates from then. The present Chapel was dedicated in 1961 and the material for the altar frontal originally came from part of the hangings in Westminster Abbey made for the Queen's Coronation.
The Virgin and Child illuminated glass panel, set in the oak cross behind the altar is 14th century and is perhaps the church's finest medieval treasure. It has been displayed in various exhibitions including ones at the British Museum and the Louvre in Paris.
The present organ was built by Nicholson and Co. of Worcester in 1900 and completely overhauled and restored in 1977. It has 10 speaking stops, two manuals, pedals, and incorporates part of an earlier single manual instrument dating from 1835.
The Chancel Arch, the east and south walls, the Priest Vestry, the pulpit and font date from the Victorian restorations between 1865 and 1871. The architect Frederick Preedy belonged to a well-known local family to whom various monuments found on the walls are dedicated. Interesting old brasses, dedicated to past Rectors of Fladbury, can be found hidden under carpets. One is near the door to the right of the altar and is dedicated to Thomas Mordon, (1458) who became treasurer to St. Paul's Cathedral. The other is near the vestry door to the left of the altar. Dated 1504, it shows a robed tonsured priest, William Plewme. The marble monument to the left of the altar is dedicated to the Rev. William Lloyd who later became Bishop of St. Asaph, Lichfield and Worcester. In 1688 James II imprisoned him and six other bishops in the Tower of London for refusing to have read out in churches in their dioceses a "Declaration of Indulgence" which was favourable to Roman Catholics. His son was also a past Rector of Fladbury!
This is set in the North wall of the Chancel near the pulpit. It records six heraldic shields of the knights who fought at the battle of Evesham in 1285. The glass was probably brought to Fladbury from Evesham Abbey after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The window was noted by one of the attendants of Charles I when he visited the village on his way to the West of England in 1644. A fortnight earlier, when roundheads visited the village, glass in the church was smashed but fortunately this window Survived.
The screen was placed here in 1953 and records the Parish Charities. Behind it, at the base of the tower, lies the Choir Vestry. Note the rounded tops to the Norman windows. The impressive tomb of Sir John Throckmorton (1446) and Eleanor his wife are the oldest in the church and formerly stood in the nave. Sir John took part in the French wars of Henry V and became the Under-treasurer of England.
The Throckmortons originated from a village of that name situated just north of Fladbury. Sir John moved to Coughton, near Alcester, when he married Eleanor, heiress to Coughton Court. Their son Thomas was grandfather of Sir Nicholas Throgmorton a renowned Elizabethan courtier after whom Throgmorton Street in the City of London is named. In 1752 a wooden steeple on the top of the tower was removed and the tower raised to its present height. In 1983 the tower pinnacles and balustrade were restored at a cost of over £30,000. Many years earlier the bell frame had been found to be unsafe and the bells were removed for safe Keeping. Money was raised to replace the frame and rehang a ring of 8 bells. In 1991 the Church bells were rung for the first time after 60 years silence.
Each year Fladbury holds a village flower festival and walkabout and s due to be held during the second weekend in July. The church hosts the Flower Festival and many gardens in the village are opened for visitors to wander around and view. You will also find stalls on the village green selling a wide range of country fayre and many other activities taking place over the weekend, You can be sure of a warm welcome and an enjoyable day out.
SOURCE: The above informatiOn copied from brochure which was available in the Bookstall of the Church.