St. Mary the Virgin - Bishopsbourne
DAYLIGHT VISITS ONLY PLEASE
St Mary the Virgin church is situated at one end of The Street in the picturesque village of Bishopsbourne within the Elham Valley. A small and traditional village, Bishopsbourne was once home to the writer Joseph Conrad, and probably more significantly, the home to Rev. Richard Hooker. Hooker was Rector for the parishes of Bishopsbourne and Barham from 1595 until his untimely death in 1600. He played a major part in the development of Anglicanism as the 'middle way' between the two extremes of Protestantism and Catholicism. He wrote an eight volume of work ' The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity ', a critique of the Puritans and their attacks on the Church of England in general and on Thomas Cranmer's 'Book of Common Prayer in particular. Hooker is buried under the Chancel of St Mary's, although the exact position is not marked. A memorial to him can be seen on the south wall. The memorial was erected in 1632 by the poet William Cowper. In Hookers time, the church would probably have been filled with box pews, and there was no organ on the north side. When he died, Hooker left £3 "of lawful English money towards the building and making of a newer and sufficient pulpit in the parish of Bishopsbourne".
Features worthy of note at St Mary's church include the remains of early 14th century wall paintings in the Nave, showing a variety of Saints and also Christ in majesty. The church recently underwent renovation work and lighting improvements have made the paintings much more visible for visitors. St Mary's retains a considerable amount of Medieval stained glass, and interesting mosaic tiles depicting natural shapes, leaves and grapes on the walls around the alter by renowned English textile designer William Morris.
This cache has been placed with the very kind permission of the Rev'd Stephen Hardy - Priest in Charge and Area Dean for East & West Bridge.
If anybody would like to expand this series, please do, but could you let sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication. To view the church micro stats page, please click here.
Covid-19: If you have no intention of signing the physical logbook in this geopot at this time, please visit when you are prepared to sign it. ALL physical logbooks MUST be signed for a claim to a find to be made.