St Marys Church

Story

St. Mary's Church, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, dates from the early 13th century and is dedicated to Saint Mary. It serves the Ecclesiastical Parish of Horncastle and a grade II* listed building that was heavily restored by Ewan Christian between 1859 and 1861.HistoryIt is thought that a Roman church once stood on the site. This appears to have been succeeded by a Saxon Minster, although construction of the present building started c.1250.The building appears to have experienced two major works of restoration: The first, which took place around 1660, once he had been restored as Vicar of Horncastle, and is commemorated on the south wall near to the altar rails by a large metal painted plaque, is credited to The Rev'd Thomas Gibson. Gibson was ill-treated during the Civil War and deprived of his living for some years. The 1859–61 restoration is commemorated by a stained glass window in memory of The Rev'd Canon W H Milner, who is credited with being the primary driving force behind the restoration. Whilst remaining in regular use as the Parish Church of Horncastle, by 2001 a Roman Catholic congregation was also using the building for its Mass on Saturday evenings at 6:00 pm and continues to have Mass there at that time.