English Churches - Lincolnshire
St Mary's Church, Barton-upon-Humber
An nice parish church which has grown over the centuries to reflect the importance of Barton-upon-Humber
The first records for St Mary’s Church date from the C12th when it seems to have been a chapel of ease to St Peter’s Church. Barton upon Humber was a thriving town and St Mary’s Church soon grew from a simple rectangular building to a large church with side aisles and tower. It is now the parish church.
St Mary’s is a splendid building surrounded by Georgian and Victorian buildings. The tall square tower has eight pinnacles, carved balustrade round the top and tall pointed windows with pillars. Much of the detail in the carving has been lost as a result of weathering.
The nave has a clerestory roof above the later side aisles which have large perpendicular windows. There is a large south porch with a C13th pointed archway and a room above.
The arcade separating nave and north aisle is C12th Norman and has massive round pillars supporting carved round arches above.
The south arcade and south aisle are later, dating from about 1300. The octagonal columns with smaller pillars running up them are similar to those seen in Lincoln Cathedral. Apparently the waterleaf capitals are quite rare. The wooden pews survive in the aisles but have been replaced in the nave by chairs.
There is a pointed arch at the base of the tower with carefully carved capitals and a carved wood screen shuts off the base of the tower.
The side aisles and chancel were stripped by the Victorians down to the stonework. The nave has been replastered and whitewashed. All have a wooden beamed roof. Apart from a Victorian stained glass window in the south aisle, the windows are plain glass making the inside of the church very light.
At the east end of the north aisle is an altar dedicated to St Thomas a Becket. To one side is a piscina. On the window ledge is a fragment of gravestone to Faith Lowe who died in 1706, aged 23. There is a massive treasury chest used to store processional crosses and banners. This has massive iron hinges and locks and was carved from a single oak tree trunk in the C14th or C15th.
The altar in the south aisle is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. There is the remains of a sedilia on the south wall. The small window seen on the outside of the south aisle was inserted to give light onto the altar.
Beyond is a C19th organ in a wood panelled casing. This came from St Peter’s Church after it closed.
The simple chancel arch has a crucifix hanging from the ceiling.
Next to it a small Victorian carved wood pulpit.
There is a lovely full size brass of Simon Seman, a vintner who was an alderman in London. He died in 1433 and his feet rest on two barrels of wine. Close to this on the wall is an unusual shaped memorial in the shape of a pillar dedicated to Jane Shipsea who died in childbirth aged 22 in 1626.
The Chapel of St James the Deacon is an extension of the south aisle and was built in the C14th. It has pointed arches with lovely carved heads at the base of the arches.
It is furnished with old wooden pews and
has a carved altar rail and simple table altar. There is
a sedilia on the south wall. During the C18th this
was a school room when the beautifully carved wooden
screen separated it from the rest of the church.
This is a very nice parish church which has grown over the centuries and reflecting the wealth of medieval Barton. It is open everyday and well worth visiting. There is parking on the road outside the church. The post code for the church is DN18 5EZ. The grid reference is TA033220.