The History of the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Nottingham - a Period of Difficulty

This era saw profound changes in the "national" church of the nation, with the founding by King Henry VIII of the Church of England. The return to Roman Catholicism during the reign of Queen Mary, but too late for the great monastic foundations, including Lenton, and then the shift back to Protestantism under Queen Elizabeth I.

St. Mary's started the sixteenth century bright and colourful, with many altars. a great Rood Screen, much coloured glass and possibly wall paintings. She saw a major development into becoming the seat of a Suffragan Bishop of Nottingham in 1534, with four Bishops, Richard Mathew, Richard Wylde, Oliver Hawood and Richard Barnes, the last departing for a Diocesan Bishopric in 1570.

The new more severe Protestantism of 1566 onwards swept away all traces of "Popery" and the interior stayed plain for over two centuries. A few tiny relics of the Tudor glass can be seen in the west window of the North transept and there is a small altar piece now inset in the south wall of the Lady Chapel.

In 1509 Henry VIII came to the throne. His elder brother had died earlier, before acceding to the throne, and Henry had married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon. Her "failure" to provide Henry with a male heir, led him to seek to remarry and, so, led on to the break with Rome and the establishment of the Church of England.

1534 saw the appointment of Richard Mathew, Dec.B., as Vicar, and as the first Bishop of Nottingham. This came with The Reformation, after which much decoration, side altars, etc. were swept away. Monasteries were dissolved over the next six years, and whole process accelerated under the rule of Edward VI (1547-53). The Crown acquired the great tithes of St. Mary's.

Then, in 1535, Richard Wylde, MA, was installed as Vicar. He died in 1554 and according to Orange was the second Bishop of Nottingham. The 1874 author wrote "Bishop Wyld, after having been a Protestant for nineteen years, becoming a Roman Catholic during the last years of his episcopate, when Mary ascended the throne". Hood remarked on how Wylde was Vicar in three [turbulent] reigns, and how this illustrated "the continuity of the church" (Henry VIII, 1509-47; Edward VI, 1547-53; Queen Mary I, 1553-58).

Four years on, in 1538, came Leland's visit, when the church was "excellente, newe and unyforme in worke, and so manie faire windows yn itt yt no artificer can imagine to set more." Blackner noted that Leland, was the "antiquary to Henry the Eighth" and had the date as about 1540.

1547 saw the death of Henry VIII, and the coming to the throne of Edward VI. Only ten at the time, Edward was never very well and he died of tuberculosis in 1553. He was a strong Protestant and advanced the cause of the Reformation.

In May 1553, came the accession to the throne of Henry VIII's first child, Mary I. She reigned with her husband Philip II of Spain, and was a devout Roman Catholic. During her reign Protestants were persecuted, with about 300 being burned at the stake. She died in 1558. Bishop Wylde prudently became a Catholic. But on 28 September 1554, Oliver Hawood (or Haywood) was instituted as Vicar, by Philip & Mary, who were Catholics.

From 1558, with the start of the reign of Elizabeth I, Protestantism was restored and her shrewd rule led England into prosperity and stability, lasting some 45 years until her death in 1603. Hawood continued into the Protestant revival under the new Queen. Godfrey wrote how Hawood resigned in 1568 and so was Vicar at the time of the commencement of the first Parish Register in 1560, but the Register itself appears not to have named Hawood.

The 1874 author wrote of the "bishops who ministered here who were also vicars of the Church, the second and last of whom appear to have possessed the same sentiments as the celebrated Vicar of Bray". Bishop Wylde is mentioned above but "one of his successors, who was a staunch Catholic during the same reign [Mary], having changed his faith on the accession of Elizabeth. Nevertheless, he lost his bishopric, on the score that there was not sufficient means forthcoming for the maintenance of a bishop; from which time his successors have remained simply vicars". By implication from Godfrey, Hawood was that Bishop. Orange, however, wrote (in 1840) how the Right Reverend Richard Barnes, "catholic priest", succeeded Haywood and was created fourth and last Bishop of St. Mary's. This Orange had as being in 1558, upon the death of Haywood, and described how Barnes "renounced the catholic church and embraced the faith of the protestants on its re-establishment, 1st Queen Elizabeth, 1558". The dates, of course are confused.

Stowe (in his Chronicles, p. 500) recorded a remarkable tempest which on 7th July 1558, came within a mile of Nottingham and caused great damage in two towns "(supposed to be Bridgeford and Sneinton)", beating down all the houses and churches. From the River Trent "running between the two towns" the water was sucked up and carried a quarter of a mile, and so-on. The damage to St. Mary's must have been considerable as, in 1559, on 22/3 August a Visitation of the Commission of Queen Elizabeth I, led by Dr. Sandys, opened in St. Mary's. The Commissioners "proceeded to a place in the Chancel duly prepared .... but reported the chancel was in great decay, and the windows unglazed".

A move to strict Protestantism followed and in 1566 the "besom of destruction" finally swept away all "monuments of superstition" and "images of Popery". In 1568, Bishop Barnes, Suffragan Bishop, was inducted on 4 January. He remained Bishop of Nottingham until June 1570, when he was elected Bishop of Carlisle, before moving to Durham in 1577. He resided in Yorkshire throughout his bishopric in Nottingham. A report, partly true it seems, is that Nottingham was a See for a Bishop Suffragan from 1534-97?]

On 2 March 1568, came the institution of John Lowthe, LlB, Vicar, appointee of Queen Elizabeth I. Archdeacon of Nottingham from 1565-90. He resigned as Vicar of St. Mary's in 1572 (?) and became Rector of Hawton, near Newark, 1574-89, when he resigned. He was born in Suffolk in 1519, and lived at Gotham, of where he also was Rector from 7.10.1567, apparently until his death there, on 5.8.1590. He was buried in St. Mary's, on 8.8.1590, in accordance with his will "to be buryed in the north side of the quyer in St. Marie's in Nottingham without anie pompe or solemnitie saving only a sermon to be made to teche the people to dye well, and a small monument of brasse to be made with my name, to be nayled upon a stonne in the wall".

Lowthe was succeeded in 1572, when on 4 October, William Underne, became Vicar, appointee of Queen Elizabeth I. Godfrey noted that he appeared to have resigned and to have died in 1588.

So in 1578, on 1 May, Robert Aldridge, appointee of Queen Elizabeth I, was instituted Vicar, remaining until he died, on 27.7.1616. He was buried in St. Mary's (in Register as "Mr. Robte Alederig". In 1589 and again in 1605, he fell foul of the law for not adhering to the requirement "to provyd and to kepe boores so many as shalbe sufficient for this towne", his failing was also true of the parsons of St. Peter's and St. Nicholas'. Apparently vicars were expected to keep a free boar (presumably to serve the sows of other residents).

By 1588-9, there was an Organ - the Churchwardens Accounts include "the orgayne pypes is in number xij score & xv". It is speculated that this was positioned on a screen between the westernmost piers of the tower. In 1595, a sum of four marks was left by William Scott, Alderman for repairs to the church and the "belframe".

1598 saw the Crown sell the tithes and patronage of St. Mary's to Sir Henry Pierrepont. The Patronage remained in the hands of the family until 1885, when it was acquired by the Bishop of the diocese in exchange for the advowson of Edwinstowe. His son (?) Robert Pierrepont was created Earl of Kingston on 25.7.1628. The family also held much land in Sneinton. Charles Pierrepont became the 1st Earl Manvers in 18??. The family had a town house on Stoney Street, a short distance along on the east side, across from the north east corner of the churchyard. That was erected by Francis Pierrepont, a "victorious Parliamentarian colonel" in about 1650.

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A Period of Difficulty - Compiled by Brian Taylor, published September 2000

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