St Mary The Virgin

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Finedon’s St Mary the Virgin Church is part of the Church of England, nowadays falling under the Diocese of Peterborough and within the Deanery of Higham, (a deanery helps in the coordination of pastoral care, common pastoral action, mutual support in the implementation of diocesan policies, the sharing of pastoral concerns, and facilitation of communication).

St Mary the Virgin is a Grade 1 listed building constructed of local ironstone and has a capacity for accommodating up to 350 parishoners. Constructed in what is termed ‘the decorated style’ it dates from circa the year 1350 and was originally owned by Croxton Abbey in Leicestershire. Its size is unusually large, being a parish church of such a small village (of no more than a few hundred inhabitants) as Finedon would have been at the time it was built.

It is thought most likely that the present Church was constructed by the monks of Croxton Abbey and its extravagant size indicates the importance of Finedon at that time. It is interesting to note that in 1291, Finedon, Higham Ferrers and Raunds were the three wealthiest benefices in the county of Northamptonshire.

(There is however a feasible suggestion that an earlier Norman church existed on the site as the discovery of a stone font dating back to circa 1100 was discovered. It may also be of Saxon origin as Finedon was indeed an important Saxon meeting place).

St Mary’s is full of character with an impressive strainer arch, installed in the 14th or 15th century. The strainer arch was built across the nave to resist inward lateral pressure from the arches in the aisle. Other features have similarly impressive dimensions. The chancel measures 51 ft. by 21 ft., the north and south transept chapels are 31 ft. by 16 ft. The four-bay clerestoried nave measures 80 ft. by 20 ft. 6 in. and the north and south aisles are about 14 ft. 6 in. wide. The south porch, and west tower are 14 ft. 10 in. by 13 ft. 6 in, all these measurements being internal. 

The pipe organ which was originally built for St George’s Chapel, Windsor was installed in 1717.

Above the porch is a small room known as the ‘Monks Cell’ containing the parish archives, together with a theological library of approximately 900 books that were donated by Sir John English Dolben in 1788. Whilst he original stairway from the south aisle is blocked, access to the chamber is now by an external stair turret added in 1794.

A further external stair turret can be found on the north side of the church at the junction of the nave and chancel. This originally led to a rood loft and onto the roof. The church tower and spire were built about fifty years after the main church building. It contains a peal of eight bells, a full octave in the key of D. The oldest bell dates from 1639 and has the inscription: ‘AS IN ADAM ALL DIE, SO IN CHRIST SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE’

The original clock (dated 1733) struck only the time but had no dial and was replaced by the present clock mechanism in 1876. Overall, the tower and spire rise to 133 feet above the ground, the steeple being struck by lightning in 1897 requiring a rebuild.

The Dolben vault, constructed to house the remains of the Dolben family c1710 is situated at the east end beneath the high altar. The only entrance is from outside and access is via a ladder. It is protected by iron railings and locked gates. 

Although there are a few surviving medieval pews at the rear of the nave the rest were installed in 1858 during a general restoration. The chancel screen also dates from this time, the original believing to have been destroyed by Cromwell’s men. It was during this restoration that the font (previously mentioned) was rescued from nearby field, where it had been used as a cattle trough. The carvings on the font had been severely damaged and subsequently surrounded by painted woodwork to cover the mutilation. For some reason it was removed in 1837 and a new font installed but 21 years later it was back in its original pride of place.

Throughout its history eight Rectors and fifty-three Vicars have served as incumbents. 2024 saw the town welcome its 54th incumbent Vicar to the parish. The longest serving incumbent was the Revd George Paul, who was installed in 1848 and loyally served the parish for over 60 years.

[ Further information about the church and its services can be found at http://www.stmarysfinedon.co.uk]