Come Ye Blessed...
HARBY
CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN
Church Post Code LE14 4BB
Open to visitors
The Heathcote study lists six Vale of Belvoir Angel gravestones in the church grounds here. One of these is less than 12 inches high and is to my knowledge, unique in that respect.
The first of the six is to Thomas Kent. The stone reads 'Here lies the body of Tho Kent who departed this life Aug the 15th aged 66'
Written across the top of the grave is 'Marke ye upright and behold ye just their end is peace'
This ties in nicely with the inscription at the foot of the grave which reads ' Marke and behold the perfect man how God doth him increase for the just masn shall have at length great joy with rest and peace'
Close by is the final resting place for Katherine Hand. 'Cone Ye Blessed' is carved across the top of the grave; with the angel here frowning!
The stone is inscribed 'Here lies the body of Katherine wife of John Hnad of Thoroton and daughter of Tho and Elizabeth Hand of this town She died January the 23rd 1719 in the 41st year of her age'
Further down, is inscribed the following 'Pale death will hardly find another so good a wife so kind a mother So charitable and discreet is she who lies at your feet'
'Pale Death' could refer to an illness such as cancer but it is likely to be a reference to the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse from Revelation where Death is said to ride a pale horse.
Propped up against another gravestone is one to John Hand. This reads 'Here lies ye body of John ye son of Tho: Hand by Eliz his wife who died Dec ye 1st 1727 in ye 31st year of his age'
'Remember Thy End' is carved across the top; a message that was often put on the gravestone of someone who had lived through childhood but who still died young.
Further down, the sobering message states 'You readers all both young and old your time on earth will not be long for death will come and die you must and like to me return to dust'.
The fourth of the gravestones that I saw was to Elizabeth Whittle. This one reads 'Here lies the body of Elizabeth ye wife of Ralph Whittle Senr she died Feb the 7th 1716 in the 74th year of her age'
Carved across the top is 'Blessed are they that die in the Lord' and a rhyme lower down states...
'Lord number out my dayes which yet I have not past so that I may be ??? how long my life shall last'
Further down, to the foot of the stone it says 'When that she was alive as now we are few of her calling could with her compair'
Quite a way from the other angels here, to the north side of the grounds and I am sure not in situ is a stone to Thomas Laming
Across the top of this stone it is inscribed 'If a man died shall he live again all the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change comes. This is from Job Chapter 14 verse 14.
The hour glass and crossed bones occupy their usual positions on this stone.
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the the inscription on it is as follows... 'Here lies the body of Thomas Laming who departed this life March ye 12th in the 73rd year of his age 1718'
The epitaph on this one is virtually unreadable, a thorough coating of green algae not making it any easier.
A small gravestone, hemmed in by other stones and easy to miss is to Thomas Francis.
'Come Ye Blessed' is carved across the top of the stone. There may be an inscription at the foot of this gravestone, but if there is it is now lost below ground; the stone being partially sunk and at an angle.
What is visible reads 'Here lies the body of Thomas the son of Thomas and Margret Francis he died Nov 20th 1716 aged 22 years'
As was mentioned at the top of this page, to the best of my knowledge this is a unique size for any surviving Belvoir Angel stone.
SOME NOTES FROM MY VISIT
Harby, Leicestershire: the church of St Mary. Not to be confused with Harby, Nottinghamshire: the church of All Saints! It confused me certainly; I was all geared up to say how Queen Eleanor of Castile, wife of King Edward I. died at Harby in Leicestershire in 1290 whilst travelling; with the subsequent 21 day funeral procession to London having an ‘Eleanor Cross’ erected at each overnight stay. Wrong Harby! The Harby in Nottinghamshire has the connection with Queen Eleanor; the Harby in Leicestershire, which we are concerned with here, has the Belvoir Angels!
I made a couple visits to the church of St Mary; the first being on a dreadfully drizzly day in the summer of 2017, whilst on a cycling churchcrawl of the area whilst staying in Grantham. The return visit, just after Easter in 2021, was on a bright and sunny Saturday; a day out in Leicestershire photographing Belvoir Angel gravestones.
The village recorded a population of 965 at the time of the 2021 census; and can be found ten miles to the north of Melton Mowbray with Grantham some 14 miles away to the north east. Belvoir Castle is a very visible landmark across the fields, again to the north east.
The church of St Mary sits to the north of the village; fairly secluded being partially surrounded by trees. The trees were useful on that original visit; sheltering under them to photograph the exterior as the rain fell steadily; trying to keep my camera dry whilst querying my life choices in terms of my hobby.
There was no church or priest mentioned here at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086.The original structure is thought to have been a basic wooden two cell structure of nave and chancel, which would have been built in the first quarter of the 13th century; with the first written reference to the church being in the Bishop of Lincoln’s records which notes that there was a rector called Robert here in 1220.
A stone tower was erected against this wooden structure around 1275 with the wooden nave and chancel replaced with one in stone at the start of the 14th century. Around 1350 the chancel was heightened and extended to the east. By 1400 or so the church had been enlarged to have north and south aisles with clerestories and a south porch. At one point the church had a spire; which is long since gone. There was Victorian restoration here in 1874.
The church that we see today consists of west tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, south porch, north boiler room and chancel.
With a beautiful, friendly black and white cat as company, who had wandered over vocally as I entered the grounds, I took a look around the exterior. This lovely structure is made from ironstone with limestone dressing. Approaching the church from the west we see the buttressed, battlemented tower, with crocketed pinnacles to the four corners. A frieze runs across the top of the tower with an eclectic mix of carvings, with ordinary animals, including a hare being chased by a dog, grotesque beasts and human heads. The church clock faces out from the west wall; an empty image niche under the clock would have held a statue in pre reformation days.
The ironstone looked glorious on this bright sunny afternoon; and is quite plain with the only real ornamentation being the carvings on the frieze. The clerestory is of four two light windows with the east window of three lights. A careful look at the east wall of the chancel will show the faint traces of the original roof line before the walls were raised. Roofs of nave and clerestory are flat with the chancel steeply pitched.
When Thomas North saw his study of the church bells in Leicestershire published in 1876 there were four bells in the ring here. He noted details as follows. The first and second on the ring were each cat by Henry Oldfield of Nottingham in 1610. The first is inscribed ‘JESUS BE OVR SPEED’. This was an often used description with speed, or spede, meaning blessing and good fortune. This was therefore a prayer or plea for prosperity and success for the parish and the church. The second of the ring, cast by the same founder in the same year is inscribed ‘God Save His Church’.
The third of the ring was vast in 1701 by Willian Noone, another Nottingham based founder. This bell has the inscription ‘God Save His Church’. The fourth is another from Oldfield; this one cast in 1614 and inscribed ‘Glory be to God on High’.
The situation today is a little different. There are now five in the ring with a new first cast by Taylor of Loughborough in 1887; to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne. This was cast at a cost of £186 and is inscribed ‘God save the Queen Christ reighneth ever’.
The cat had lost interest and was now having a snooze; a final stroke of his/her head; which was barely acknowledged and I headed towards the porch. The church was open to visitors but there were restrictions inside, with a few areas taped off and out of bounds as the country continued to fight against Covid 19. Interior shots are a little limited as a result.
There are three bay arcades to north and south, with quatrefoil piers and moulded capitals. The Royal Coat of Arms of George II, who ruled from 1727 until 1760, is set over the chancel arch with a wooden board above instructing the onlooker to ‘Fear God Honour the King’ above that. These are flanked by commandment board and a close look at the stonework over the chancel arch shows a faint outline of the previous roofline.
A grotesque human head close by; that has just a single tooth, glances in anguish towards the boards.
It was a little after Easter and there was a reminder of Holy Week to be found against the pulpit to the north of the chancel arch in the form of a crocheted depiction of the Last Supper. Fixtures and fitting all appear to date from the 19th century. During the restoration of 1874 some traces of wall paintings were discovered on the west wall of the nave after the plaster and whitewashed were removed.
Moving in to the chancel the east window is of three very wide lights and of clear glass. The altar is plain and simple with just two candlesticks; the altar cloth is green, which is the liturgical colour for ‘Ordinary Time’. This is the period of time between the major Christian festivals; which in this case in the period between Easter and Pentecost.
There is a medieval piscina set against the south wall of the chancel; which would have been used in the washing of the holy vessels during the Mass in ore reformation days. On the north wall of the chancel is an aumbry, a cupboard in which the holy vessels would be stored.
There is also a piscina at the east end of the south aisle, meaning that the there had been an altar here is pre reformation days from which the Mass was given. The font is placed interestingly, to be found at the east end of the north aisle. Normally the font will be at the west end of the church, close to the main entry door. This pre reformation font is decorated with blank tracery and a date of 1606 is carved on to it.
As would be expected in this part of the country, there is plenty of slate in the church grounds. I was here primarily for the Belvoir Angels but there is much of interest. As always the gravestones here press home to the onlooker that Man is mortal and will die. It also brings home how short and hard people’s lives were back in the 18th and 19th centuries. Life expectancy was low; with high infant mortality and a high number of people passing away at a young age.
A stone in memory of Thomas Francis, who died in 1716 aged 22 years has the inscription ‘Reader stand still and lend a tear/Upon the dust that Sleepeth here/All whilst thou read the state of me/Think on the glass that runs for thee’ Life as a glass that could be emptied was an analogy that was often used on gravestones.
A stone to George Hall, son of George Hall who died aged 36 years in 1739 has the hourglass on it symbolising the passing of time and the inevitability of death; with the epitaph reading ‘All you who come my grave to see/As I am now so all must be/Hope in time make no delay/I in my prime was called away/Short was my race long is my rest/He takes then soon who he loves best’.
A large number of gravestones show strength of faith in very challenging circumstances. A stone to Sarah Godson who died in 1848 aged 18 years simply resigns herself to death and to her God; quoting Psalm 31 verse 5 in the King James language of the day ‘I commit my spirit. Thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth’.
This is a lovely parish church and I enjoyed my visits here; open and welcoming and worth taking a look at. A quick check back on the cat; that was curled up in a ball asleep; a final goodbye and it was time to hit the road again.