welcome to

st Nicholas’ church

Thorne

Welcome to the parish church of St Nicholas, Thorne.

The first Saxon settlement of Thorne probably began in the 6th century and was to all intents and purposes an island settlement, the area being surrounded by water and marshland. The Saxons built their homes and grew crops on the sandyridge, possibly a moraine left by ice, on which the church now stands. They would have been highly skilled in the hunting of deer and in the netting of fish and wildfowl which were abundant in the surrounding marshes.

The original settlers were pagans but many of the Saxon tribes were converted to Christianity by the missionary monks of St Augustine. Edwin, King of Northumbria, who had a hall at Hatfield, had a Christian wife. A church was built at Hatfield and Thorne was in that parish. It seems likely that the original church at Thorne was Saxon built, or at least pre-Conquest.

The original church was only a chapel of ease and funerals had to take place at Hatfield. In the 1320’s, as a funeral party was crossing the Mere to Hatfield, a storm blew up. The boats were wrecked and about a dozen of the mourners were drowned. This disaster prompted the local people to petition the Abbot of St Mary’s in York to make Thorne a parish church and for some rebuilding to be carried out. The petition was granted on the 17th January 1326.

The South Porch (1)This dates from the 15th century and was originally two storeys. The upper chamber must have been entered from the south aisle by a wooden stair through a door, the east jamb of which is still visible. Before you enter the church, look up above the porch doorway and notice the now indecipherable Coat of Arms of one of the sons of the Earl of Warenne, who had been granted the Great Fee of Conisbrough (which included Thorne) by William I. The doorway into the church is Norman.

The Nave (2)By the year 1200, the church building had virtually attained its present dimensions. The South Yorkshire Archaeological Survey states “the overall plan and wall thickness (of the nave) would be compatible with a pre-Conquest church”.

The nave is the main body of the church. The word comes from the Latin ‘navis’ meaning ‘ship’, as it was thought that the nave roof resembled an upturned ship.

Font (3)The font has traces of the two iron staples dating from medieval times. These would have been used to lock the font lid to prevent the holy water from being stolen. Behind the font, notice the unusual wooden staircase leading up to the belfry.

Second World War Memorial (4)There are a number of interesting memorials in church. The most impressive is the modern war memorial to those who gave their lives in the Second World War. It is the work of local sculptor, Byron Howard. Look elsewhere in the church for memorials to the Coulman brothers, Corporal Harper and Edmund Muller. The Coulman brothers both died on the same day - one in Australia and one in New Zealand.

Blocked Doorway (5)On the north wall notice the blocked doorway. North doors were sometimes called ‘devil’s door’ and would have been left open during baptism to let out any evil spirits. Many north doors were blocked up after the Reformation. Above this is a Royal Coat of Arms dating from the 17th century. On either side of this are the RNXS (Royal Navy Auxiliary Service) standard and that of the Thorne and Moorends Women’s Section of the British Legion. To the right is the First World War memorial.

The Lady Chapel (6)As you move towards the Lady Chapel you will see an aumbry, a small lockable cupboard which houses the reserve sacrament (consecrated bread).

14

3

2

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Rood Screen (7)Before you walk under the fine rood screen into the chancel, you will see a Madonna and Child, made from cast stone by a local miner. Can you find the mouse trademark on the table made by Robert Thompson of Kilburn?

The Chancel (8)The chancel is the oldest part of the church, possibly of Saxon origin, and indicates the probable size of the original chapel of ease. Much of the building material is of uncoursed river cobbles. Notice traces of earlier Norman windows on the east wall. On the south wall of the chancel is an ancient memorial (1717) with skull and crossbones.

The Altar (9)The altar is the heart of the church, where communicants share the Eucharist, remembering the Last Supper. To the left of the altar is the organ, a fine instrument of wonderful tone and subtlety. To the right you will see the piscina, a niche containing a shallow stone basin with a drain hole which was for the disposing of holy water used to wash the Communion vessels.

The Lectern (10)As you move out of the chancel you will pass the lectern. This is a brass eagle with outstretched wings, standing on a ball, which represents the world. On the eagle’s wings rests the Bible, symbolising the gospel being carried to all corners of the earth.

The South Aisle (11)Attached to the first pillar in the south aisle is a copy of the charter dated 17th June 1320, establishing a perpetual curacy to the chapel at Thorne. The church has several lovely stained glass windows (see separate sheet), particuarly Sir Henry Holiday’s beautiful window in the south aisle.

The TowerIn the late 15th century, the tower was rebuilt and battlements were added. The church has a fine peal of eight bells, though there are nine in the belfry. Three of the bells are dated 1671, one being almost a ton in weight. The unused ninth bell, the ‘Jinny Bell’, is very old and was likely used for the Angelus in pre-Reformation days.

The ChurchyardNear the south porch is a stone coffin. This was dug up by the sexton during the early 18th century and probably dates from pre-Conquest times. If you look at the top of the east side of the porch you will see that two medieval grave covers have been re-used. Recycling is not new!

Notice that, due to the large numbers of burials over the centuries, the ground in the churchyard is much higher than the road outside. This is now a ‘closed’ churchyard, but there are a number of table tombs, one of the most impressive being the Makin tomb.

Thank you for visiting our ancient church. We hope that you have enjoyed your visit and that you will return in the future.

Please do sign the Visitors’ Book before you leave.

You are invited to join us at any of our services:

Sunday 9:00am Holy Communion or Morning Prayer 10:30am Parish Communion (1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month) Morning Praise (2nd Sunday) All Age Worship (4th Sunday) 6:30pm Evening Prayer (1st and 3rd Sundays) Evening Communion (2nd and 4th Sundays) Special Services (5th Sunday)

Wednesday 9:30am Holy Communion

Heavenly father, make the doors of this church large enough to receive all who seek you and your love. Amen.

© HERITAGE INSPIRED: South Yorkshire’s Faith Tourism Initiative

Text: Sue Holbrook (Thorne St Nicholas)

Design: HERITAGE INSPIRED (www.heritageinspired.org.uk)