History St Mary's Church, Bentworth

church interior

there evidence suggest saxon church located here , rebuilt. present church has chancel (the space around altar clergy , choir) 27 feet (8.2 m) 17 feet 4 inches (5.28 m), north vestry 48 feet 7 inches (14.81 m) 17 feet (5.2 m). nave roof , chancel arch date late 12th century , chancel built in 1260 lower part of tower. however, in 1608 church suffered fire happening lightning heaven , of earlier structure damaged.

the present church has flint walls stone dressings , stepped buttresses, plinth, , corbelled tracer lights in nave. west tower rebuilt in 1890 , has diagonal buttresses elaborate arrangement of steps (some gabled ornamentation), , @ top timber turret, surmounted broach spire. small mural monument @ south-east of chancel nicholas holdip, pastor of parish 1606. in north aisle wall mural tablet robert hunt of hall place in parish , 1671, arms, azure bend between 2 water bougets or 3 leopards heads gules on bend. crest talbot sitting chained halberd. there 4 bells; treble , second joseph carter, 1601, third henry knight, 1615, , tenor joseph carter, 1607. church became grade: ii* listed building on 31 july 1963.

memorials

ives plaque inside church on north wall

in elizabethan times, poet , writer george wither (1588–1667) born in bentworth , baptised in st. mary s church.

in victorian times, author george cecil ives lived @ post-1832 bentworth hall mother emma gordon-ives. memorial ives family in churchyard close school , has stone slab george ives reads george cecil ives ma, author, 1867–1950, late of bentworth hall. there plaque members of ives family inside church on north wall.

the hankin family tomb church in background

the hankin family tomb in churchyard, grade ii listed in 2005. made in 1816 of portland stone , rectangular chest tomb on moulded base, two-part cover consisting of low hipped top slab , lower moulded cornice. panels @ sides contain various inscriptions including 1 on south panel reads: sacred memory of john hankin departed life january 12th 1816, aged 55 years , , 1 on north side reads: sacred memory of elizabeth, widow of john hankin, departed life september 13th 1831, aged 67 years.

the churchyard contains 2 registered commonwealth war graves, soldier of east surrey regiment of world war i, , royal navy officer of world war ii.