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St. Mary’s has a long history. There has
been a church on this site since at least 1086 when the
previous church was listed in the Doomsday Book. The
building you are in today had its origins in the late 12th
century. Buriton was the mother church for the district
until 1886 when Petersfield with Sheet became a separate
parish.
The nave is traditional Norman style of
four bays with typically rounded pillars and moulded
capitals. The roof is of trussed rafter and crossbeams
supported between each arch by a stone corbel.
The north aisle was rebuilt in 1764 and
the windows were renewed in 1877. The west end window
is a memorial to John Goodyer (1592 – 1664), a famous
botanist, who is buried in the churchyard.
The south aisle was rebuilt in about 1300
and widened to provide room for the Lady Chapel. At the
east end there is a 17th century Communion
table with baluster legs. On the south side is a fine
arched piscine for the washing of Communion vessels.
The south doorway dates from about 1300.
The font is of Purbeck marble and is late
12th century. Originally it at the west end
of the south aisle but moved to its current location in
1957 when the choir vestry was made. The wooden cover
was a gift from Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot, in
1928. On either side of the font are the lead
insertions, which were designed to hold staples. An
order of 1234 directed that fonts be covered and locked
to prevent water being taken away for sacrilegious
purposes.
The chancel is entered through a fine oak
rood screen erected during the extensive restoration of
1878. The screen is an exact copy of the former 16th
century screen. This part of the church was rebuilt and
enlarged at the end of the 13th century at a
time when the continental wool trade brought prosperity
to this sheep farming district. The east window is
dated from 1270 but it is much restored. It contains
good modern glass from the Whitefriars Glass Factory in
memory of John Bonham-Carter, who died in 1884. To the
south of the alter is a beautiful piscine and a rare
threefold sedilia with the arches twice stepped
downwards. Within the canopies are traces of 13th
century paintings.
The tower replaced the steeple, which was
destroyed by fire in 1712. The replacement tower is
48ft high and is built of ironstone with stone
dressings. The present clock in the west face was added
in 1906. There were five bells when the tower was
rebuilt but a sixth, a treble, was added in 1935. The
tenor bell weighs 8cwt, 3qrt, 12lb. There are two
funeral hatchments on the wall on either side of the
apex of the tower arch. These were hung over the front
door of the deceased during the period of mourning and
then laid up in the church. In the entranceway above
the notice board there are two restored metal plaques of
the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed.
High on the north wall of the chancel is
an interesting slate memorial with the following epitaph
…
“Near the outside of this wall lyeth the
body of William Lowth, late Rector of this Church, who
died May ye 17th 1732. And being dead
desires to speak to his beloved parishioners, and
sweetly to exhort them constantly to attend public
worship of God, frequently to receive Holy Communion and
diligently to observe the good instruction given in this
place, to breed up their children in the fear of God and
to follow peace with all men and holiness, without which
no man shall see God. God give us all a happy meeting
at the resurrection of the just.”
We hope that you have found this
description interesting and enjoyable. Please take time
to enjoy the peace of our church building by visiting
it, perhaps to pray for someone, or just to be quiet for
a moment to listen to God for yourself.
Psalm 117.
Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol
Him all you people.
For great is his love towards us, and the
faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever. Praise the
Lord.
post
script:
The Millennium Window by Mick Ayling
In celebration of the millennium, a new
window was installed near the font in September 2001.
The scene shows Mary indicating the way to God, the
Father, with one arm upraised; the other arm points to
Jesus, the Son. The Holy Ghost is symbolised by a breeze
blowing the clothing of Mary and Jesus, thus evoking the
Trinity, and carried on the breeze are the leaves of
healing.
The background shows the wooded hills and
the downs above Buriton and a stream flows from the
hills to the foreground. As with the Buriton stream and
pond, which has for centuries provided water for the
life of the village, so Jesus - The Water of Life - is
shown standing in the stream and holding out a pitcher.
The theme of flowing water is synonymous with baptism
and with the optimism felt within the village for the
future.
p.s. There is a comprehensive description and
history of the church on the
Petersfield Deanery web site. |
