History

The text which follows is from the booklet "A History of Kendal Parish Church" by Joyce Woodhouse. It is in approximate historical order, so that the links below are to the first significant reference to events in each century.

This impressive building, being one of the widest Parish Churches in the Country and situated in the Valley of the River Kent in the ancient town of Kirkbie Kendale, dates from the early thirteenth century, but there is evidence that it occupies the site of a much earlier Church. At the time of the Doomsday Book, an established Church is recorded in Kendal and the shaft of an Anglican Cross dated at approximately AD 850 and housed in the Parr Chapel suggest a very early beginning of Christian worship in this area.

In 1087, Ivo de Tailebois, the first Baron of Kendal, gave to St Mary's Abbey in York "The Church of Kircabi in Kendale with its land". The early rectors were provided by St Mary's, and Abbot Hall was built to accommodate the Abbot, when he came to Kendal.

The present building originally consisted of a nave, chancel, two aisles and the tower; the six nave pillars, lower part of the tower, pillars and the West Wall surviving to the present day. It is thought that some of the sandstone from the Saxon Church is incorporated in the present building. This stone was probably brought from Watercrook when the Saxons destroyed the Roman Fort there.

At one time, there were several Chantry Chapels in the Church, where Priests held Services for families or communities. The most famous of these was St Mary's Chantry, to the west of the Parr Chapel and founded in 1321. St Anne's was founded in 1511. The Parr Chapel (click for picture) was built by the Parr family in the early fourteenth century, and the family coats of arms are to be seen on the ceiling. The large tomb in this Chapel is believed to be that of William Parr, grandfather of Katherine, the last wife of King Henry VIII. Above each window is carved a maiden's head, (click for picture) being the emblem given to Queen Katherine by Henry VIII. The door from the Parr Chapel led to the Vicarage which used to occupy the position of the Parish Hall.

The rest of the South Aisle was added later in the fourteenth century, to accommodate the Flemish weavers when they came to start the woollen industry in the town, hence its name - the Flemish Aisle.

Because of this extension, the Church was very dark, so the Clerestory was constructed above the Nave in the fifteenth century. There were ten windows on each side originally, but these were reduced to eight in 1852, as the weight of the high roof was causing the Chancel pillars to lean.

The font dates from the fifteenth century, and is of black marble. The first font was placed in the porch which was then on the South wall, and baptisms took place outside the Church, so that the person baptized could enter the Church without sin.

The Strickland Chapel is the family Chapel of the Stricklands of Sizergh Castle, and several of the family are buried therein. The famly coat of arms is on the large altar tomb, and also in the window and above the door - the three cockle-shells predominating. The screen round the Chapel is fifteenth century, and the King's head in the window is perhaps, the oldest piece of glass in the building.

The Beckett, or Chambre Chapel, (click for picture) was the family Chapel of the Chambre or de Camera family, who held the post of Chamberlain to the Castle. The stained-glass window which formerly graced the Chapel was removed to the south-west of the Church when the organ was placed in this Chapel. The two bench ends seen here are believed to be fifteenth century wood, and by way of contrast, the Altar is of yew, with five inlaid crosses and was made in 1969.

The Chapel to the north of the Chambre Chapel was the Bellingham family Chapel, (click for picture) and dates from the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century and is now the Memorial Chapel for the Border Regiment, housing the colours of the 55th Westmoreland Regiment of Foot, as well as a Chinese flag, captured in the China War. (click for picture) Originally, this Chapel was independent of the Church, with its own entrance and there is a theory that a priest may have lived above the Chapel. The Sanctus Bell hung in the north-east corner at one time, calling the Grammar School boys to the nearby School, and in the seventeenth century, a glazier was employed almost full time to replace windows broken by boys on the way to school.

The Bellingham family came originally from the small town of the same name near Hexham, in Northumberland, and married into the Gilbert family from Burneside Hall in the early fourteenth century. The tomb of Sir Roger and Margaret Bellingham, which is to be seen in this Chapel, was restored in 1864 by a member of the family who found it in ruins, the brasses having been stolen, possibly in Cromwell's time. These were replaced with the present replicas. The brass of Alan Bellingham on the wall, however, is the original of 1577. Alan was second cousin to Sir Roger, and bought Levens Hall in 1562, in which the family lived for just over a hundred years, the Burneside family having died out. The Coat of Arms can be seen on the tomb and also in the window, (more old glass). The lovely ceiling was rebuilt in the late nineteenth century and restored to its present state in 1969.

The helmet hanging above the Vestry door could have belonged to a member of the Bellingham family, but tradition has it that it was the helmet of Robert Philipson (Robin, the Devil) knocked off his head after riding into the Church one Sunday on his horse in pursuit of his enemy, Colonel Briggs, and being chased out of a lower door by the congregation. (click for picture) The sword was placed there at a later date.

To the west of the Vestry door is a thirteenth-century coffin lid, but all that can be discovered is that it is a memorial to a knight, as there is no identification mark. Two seventeenth-century Bible Boxes are to be seen on the window sills.

The North Aisle was added to the Bellingham Chapel in the sixteenth-century, thus making the Church the second widest in the country, and most unusual by containing five aisles. The painted angels in the ceiling of this North Aisle are worth a glance.

From time to time, the building fell into disrepair and several parts have been replaced, including the whole of the east wall and part of the south wall. The pinnacles on the Tower were once three times as high as they are now, but several pieces fell off in stormy weather, one falling through the roof and another breaking a women's leg, so it was thought advisable to lower them to their present height.

During the seventeenth century, a painter from Lancashire was employed to disguise the poor state of the building by painting the walls with cherubs, dragons and texts, and the entire woodwork was painted green. At this time, the Altar was brought forward and railed around, and the pulpit was a large 'three-'decker' construction, placed one pillar to the west of the present one. There was also an organ gallery, where payment was made for seats, the income helping to augment the organist's salary.

The organ (click for picture) was built at the west end in 1702, and enlarged twice before being placed under the Belfrey, so blocking the west door. It was removed to the Bellingham Chapel in 1852 and replaced by a Willis Organ in 1877. This eventually occupied both the Bellingham and Chambre Chapels, where it remained until it was rebuilt in its present position in 1969.

Public penance took place in the seventeenth century, the guilty party being obliged to stand under the pulpit, attired in a white sheet, for up to three Sundays, according to the crimes committed. The parson then read out all the sins to the congregation.

Early in the nineteenth century, it became obvious that action should be taken to restore the Church from its state of disrepair, so a great restoration began. First of all, the old plaster and paintings on the walls and pillars were removed, and the outside of the Church, which was roughcast, with bands of black and yellow round the doors and windows, was restored to its normal state. While cleaning the plaster from the Chancel pillars, a piscina filled with rubble was discovered in the pillar at the south east of the Chancel and above this was a stone arch on which was carved the date 12Ol. This is almost certainly the date at which the Church was built or enlarged. When the pulpit was removed, a piece of parchment, bearing the date 1226, was found. The pillars in the chancel were leaning badly and had to be replaced. This restoration of the Chancel was financed by Trinity College, Cambridge, to whom the Church was given by Queen Mary, after the death of Henry VIII, in an attempt to atone for his sins. About this time, the organ gallery was removed, as it spoiled the look of the Church, and the extra seating was unnecessary.

The Church was closed for two years in 1850 while the Nave was re-roofed, new pews put in to replace the old selection of high-backed pews, and the floor flagged. The heating system was also installed. At the same time, the Clerestory windows were reglazed with stained glass. Each of these windows was donated by a local businessman or town dignitary, and those on the north side contain a great deal of old glass from the original stained glass East window. The porch was also heightened and enlarged and in 1855, the Burial Ground was closed.

The old Vestry which, up to then, had been sited outside the east end of the Church, with access from a door in the Sanctuary, was pulled down and the Parr Chapel adapted as Clergy and Choir Vestries. The silver had been stolen from the old Vestry on more than one occasion by thieves entering through the roof, so it was deemed necessary to house the replacements in a safer place.

The next major restoration was the roof of the Parr Chapel and South Aisle, and this was done in 1864. Four years later, the top of the North Wall was strengthened and the Bellingham Chapel wall rebuilt. The tracery in the windows was restored and, at the same time, the North Aisle was re-roofed, the inner North Aisle being done in 1869.

This completed the restoration advised by the architect but many gifts were forthcoming to add to the new beauty. They included a new carved Altar and reredos and the tiling of the Baptistry. The font was raised on a plinth of Caen stone and a cover was given by the ladies of the Parish in thankfulness for the ministry of Archdeacon Cooper. This cover was carved locally by John Mark Kirkbride, who lived in Sedbergh. The present pulpit and lectern were also erected during this period.

In 1903, the cottages standing between the Ring-o-Bells pub and the schools were demolished, thus opening up a view of the Church from the south, and the Church gates, which had been erected in 1822, were moved a few feet nearer the Church. The old boundary of the Churchyard was marked on the pavement by a line of coloured stones.

The old vicarage was demolished in 1910, making way for the Parish Hall, and this was opened in 1912. It was originally intended to build Vestries between the Hall and the Church, but it was thought that the general view of the Church would be impaired, so in 1934, these were built to the north of the Church and the Parr Chapel restored. The beautiful screen was carved by Mr Simpson, a well-known local craftsman, to match the old wooden screen of the Strickland Chapel. The reredos and much of the other work in the Chapel was done by Mr Howard, famous for his reredos carvings, this being his last major work. The cost of this restoration was met by the great generosity of Mrs Noble, of Stricklandgate House; her window in the Chapel is unusual in that it depicts fourteen lady saints in the upper part, while below are the four arch-angels. The new vestries are a great asset to the Church, which itself if beautified by the restoration of this Chapel.

No work of any magnitude was carried out after this, until it was decided to restore the Chambre and Bellingham Chapels. This necessitated the removal of the organ and choir to their present position, and this was done in 1969. Before this could be started, however, a considerable amount of dry rot was discovered in the woodwork of the roof, so the whole of the lead was renewed and some of the wood replaced with sound timber. The plaster was removed from all walls, apart from the Nave and Chancel, and all the walls were painted white. Then the Altar was brought forward and the Chapels restored and beautified. The stainless steel Corona over the Altar was an anonymous gift in memory of Bernard Gilpin, the 'Apostle of the North', who lived in Kentmere, but spent much of his time travelling about the country, preaching the Gospel. (This was removed for our Millennium drama production and it is uncertain if/when it will be restored.) The tapestry in the Bellingham Chapel is the work of Thea Moorman, the sister of a Bishop of Ripon, and was inspired by a visit to Brimham Rocks, near Harrogate, where she saw the blue sky framing a cross between the rocks. It depicts the cross thrusting its way through blood, tears and sweat.(click for picture)

A few years later, after the fifteenth-century black marble font had been taken off its plinth, the pews enclosing the Baptistry were removed, thus opening out the west end of the Church. These latest alterations have certainly emphasized the size of the church, and made the whole building a good deal lighter.

It is now a wonderful heritage for the townspeople of Kendal, and much is owed to the many generous folk in the past who responded so readily to the appeals for money to maintain the old building. Let us pray that future generations take good care of it and preserve it for many years to come.

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