EDMONDTHORPE LEICESTERSHIRE : CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL

Church Post Code LE14 2JZ

Open to Visitors

THE CHURCH HERE IS LOOKED AFTER BY THE CHURCHES CONSERVATION TRUST

It was late May 2026, and we were part way through a seven church crawl which had started in North Rutland and had moved across the border in to Leicestershire. In fact, to be fair, the day had started off to the west of Peterborough, with a fellowship breakfast at my own church; moving on to Thistleton in Rutland, where a large slab of chocolate cake was waiting at their regular Saturday coffee morning; food and churches not for the first time going hand in hand.

Further churches were visited at Langham, Ashwell and Teigh in Rutland with the church of St Michael & All Angels at Edmondthorpe being our fifth of the day and our first in Leicestershire.

Edmondthorpe is a small village that can be found some eight miles to the east of Melton Mowbray and seven miles to the north of Oakham. The village here was a separate parish until 1936, when it was merged with neighbouring Wymondham a short distance off to the north west; the combined population being around 650 at the time of the 2021 census with by far the bulk of these living in Wymondham.

Edmondthorpe was mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086, in lands owned by Henry of Ferrers, with figures recorded including that of Wymondham; a priest but no church being recorded at that time.

The village was dominated by Edmondthorpe Hall which was built in 1621 by Sir Roger Smith, the Lord of the Manor at that time, who had purchased the estate the previous year. This was used as a military fuel store during World War II before being destroyed by fire in 1942.

It was a quiet and peaceful Saturday lunchtime; warm and sunny with the humidity cleared a little by a band of thunderstorms which had gone through a couple of days previously. We approached the village from the south; from neighbouring Teigh; the only person encountered being a tractor driver who waved, looking a little embarrassed as he lifted some hay bales off the road which had fallen off en route.

The church of St Michael & All Angels stands alongside the main road which runs through the village. This church is cared for these days by the Churches Conservation Trust and it was good to see the ‘Church Open’ sign out alongside the north porch.

The church that we see today is built partly from ironstone and partly from limestone; and consists of west tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, north and south porches and chancel. The church dates back to the 13th century with the lower stages of the tower dating from that time.

A major period of rebuilding during the 14th century saw the nave and chancel rebuilt along with the north and south aisles being added. The nave walls were heightened during the 15th century with the clerestory added at that time to allow more light in. There was much restoration here in the early 1860’s. The size of the congregation declined and the church was placed in the hands of the Churches Conservation Trust back in 1999; with a large scale restoration undertaken to protect it for the future.

Taking a look around the exterior the church is best viewed from the south, with a beautiful stair turret to be seen at the south east corner of the tower. The tower itself is of three stages, battlemented and with crocketed pinnacles at the four corners; gargoyles of high quality to be found below each of these. A frieze of a repeated quatrefoil design runs across the top of the tower; the church clock faces out from the north wall.

The clerestories to north and south are of limestone and are substantial, consisting of three large three light windows. Moving around to the east we see a bricked in window at the east end of the south aisle; which was blocked to allow a monument to the Lord of the Manor to be placed in front of it. The east window is of three lights with intricate tracery.

Odd bits of graffiti can be spotted on the exterior walls against both porches, with most dating from the 18th century. ‘TG’ left his or her mark in 1777; ‘RG’ and ‘IG’ were each here in 1778 and one of the inscriptions shows the letter ‘N’ being carved the wrong way around .As always the though was, who were these people? Is this a date that they visited? Is this the initials to someone who died along with their year of death? Are they buried in the church grounds here?

When Thomas North saw his study of the church bells in Leicestershire published in 1876 there were three bells in the ring and the situation is exactly the same today as it was then. North noted that the first of the ring was an alphabet bell; with an inscription consisting of sequential letters of the alphabet. This was cast by Newcombe of Leicester during the 16th century.

The second of the ring was cast by Thomas Hedderly of Nottingham in 1770 and is inscribed ‘Praise be to God of high’. The third is dated 1665 and was cast by Thomas Norris of the Stamford bellfoundry.

The visitor enters in through the north porch. Some churches cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust have been stripped of fittings such as pews; with St Cyriac & St Julitta at Swaffham Prior in Cambridgeshire and All Saints at Aldwinckle in Northamptonshire each being like this. Here though, things are left intact; we could have entered in to a church that had been open for worship an hour previously rather than one that had been closed for worship for getting on for 30 years.

An initial look around shows that there are four bay arcades to north and south, with these dating from the 14th century with octagonal piers with moulded bases and capitals. Nave is separated from chancel by an impressively intact medieval rood screen. There is an impressive monument at the east end of the south aisle; more on that later. Grotesquely carved heads look out across the nave; which includes a grimacing figure on a corbel to the south side of the chancel. Standing at the chancel and looking to the west, the outline of the pre clerestory roofline can be seen against the west wall; the Royal Coat of Arms of George III dated 1777 hanging below. . Two funeral hatchments to the Lords of the manor are mounted at the western end of the south aisle; a memory of times past can be seen in the shape of two stoves, one in the nave and the other in the chancel, these being the only source of heating during the winter months.

Moving in to the chancel the east window is of three lights and with clear glass. There is no stained glass to be seen in the church here. The chancel as a whole is quite ‘busy’ with choirstalls to north and south encroaching, leaving limited access for those making their way to the high altar. The church organ is placed within the chancel to the south. The altar is plain and simple, just a table with cross and two candlesticks.

Against the south wall of the chancel is a medieval sedilia; the seating for the priests during the Mass in pre reformation times. Interestingly, this has been reused as a monument to Peter Boundy who was rector here between 1709 and 1730. This notes that he married Milli Smith in 1686 and that they had eight sons and six daughters. It appears as if this monument was made before the couple’s death and the dates of their passing have been left blank, saying ‘He dye She dye… aged Yeares’. Across the top of this monument is the script ‘And to be with Christ which is far better’; which comes from Philippians Chapter 1 verse 23. Below is further script which reads ‘Surely I Come Quickly’ which is Christ’s closing promise from Chapter 22 of Revelation in the King James Version.

In its traditional position to the east of the sedilia is the piscina, in which the holy vessels used during the Mass would have been washed with an aumbry set in to the north wall, in which the holy vessels would have been stored.

A ledger slab in the chancel is of great interest; laid in memorial to Robert Wilshire, a former rector here. He was born in 1632, appointed as rector here in 1677 and passed away in 1688. He lived through some of the most turbulent times in British history. He would have been a chid when the English Civil War started, with the execution of King Charles I and the establishment of a republic governed by Cromwell. He would have been a teenager when the monarchy was re-established under Charles II. He would have lived through the Bubonic Plague which ravaged the country in 1665 to 1666 and no doubt heard of the Great Fire 0f London that latter year.

As already mentioned there was once a three light window at the east end of the south aisle; which has been bricked up. This was to accommodate a memorial to Sir Roger Smith, his two wives, son and grandson, all of whom pre deceased him. He died in 1655 aged 84 years with the memorial erected three years later.

Smith’s first wife was Joane Heron who died young in 1599; he married for the second time, to Anne Goodman, and it is here that there is a fascinating tale. It was said that Anne was a witch who could turn herself in to a cat. On one occasion it was said that whilst transformed the butler hit her with a cleaver, injuring her paw. When she transformed back the injury was still with her. A close look at her effigy on the memorial shows a red mark on her right wrist. Folklore suggests that this reflects the injury that she suffered; science states that it is the iron oxide in the alabaster, which just happens to have formed on her wrist.

The memorial itself is a triple tier with Sir Roger at the top, lying on his back; in military uniform with hand clutching prayer book. Both of his wives are below; each resting on a pillow, looking out at those in the south aisle. An animal and a crown sit at Joane’s feet.

Two niches to north and south each hold busts in memory of Sir Roger’s son and grandson each of whom died before Sir Roger.

Note in the photograph above right, the oxide blemish on the wrist of Anne Smith; local legend stating that this was the same place that she was wounded after she had turned herself in to a cat.

Just a few other bits and pieces of interest here; the font is ancient and dates back to the 13th century making it more than possible that it dates to the time that the church here was founded. It is circular and plain with the bowl supported by four pillars.

At the east end of the north aisle we have a lectern which is surrounded by wooden balusters of great quality. To the south east corner of the north aisle is a piscina, with aumbry on the north wall; indicating that the Mass was given out from a side altar here in pre reformation days.

And for those of you who have followed me for a good many years, and thank you for those who have; and who thought that I couldn’t possibly get any more boring, strap yourselves in guys as I am going to raise the bar a tad! Going back to the hatchments mentioned earlier these are fascinating as the colour scheme on them denotes which of the couple died first.

The left hand side of the hatchment, the Dexter side (Dexter Latin for left) belongs to the male. The right hand side, the sinister side (sinister being Latin for right) belongs to the wife. The black half refers to the person who has died first. Here we have two hatchments where the left hand sides are black; therefore we have two couples where the husband died first. If the deceased was a bachelor or a spinster, or if they were a widow or a widower, the whole area will be coloured black.

One of the hatchments has the word 'RESURGAM' on it; this is Latin for 'I shall rise again', a testament as to the faith of the deceased.

Finally, close to the font at the west end we have a grave slab which is dated 1521; this in remembrance of William Sharpe with the slab decorated with a crossed on a stepped base.

It was time to move on, heading the very short distance north west to neighbouring Wymnodham before completing this seven church crawl with a revisit to Stonesby, a little further away in the same direction; this being a revisit due to covid restrictions when I was last there in the summer of 2020. It was a good crawl with seven churches visited and all seven being open.

The church of St Michael & All Angels at Edmondthorpe is well worth taking a look at if you are in the area; open and welcoming with much to see. As always, gratitude to the Churches Conservation Trust for what they do in helping to save these churches and keeping them open so that those now and in future generations can enjoy them.