St Mary's Church

History of St Mary's Church, Hopesay

The present church dates from the second half of the twelfth century, the period when Norman and Early English features appear side by side. The south doorway is Norman, with a round arch and a bold roll moulding over a plain tyrnpanum; the columns at the side have capitals with rather worn carving - the western capital has a volute and primitive leaves, the eastern is scalloped. The priest's doorway in the south wall of the chancel is also round, but plain. Internally, the chancel is pointed (i.e. Early English), and probably dates from c. 1200. There are narrow lancet windows in the north and south walls of the chancel, and a broader lancet in the north wall of the nave near to the pulpit. On the outside of this window are iron hooks for the shutters which preceded glass, and on the inside some irregularity of the sill indicates the remains of steps which previously led to a rood loft.

Further windows were inserted in the fourteenth century (the 'Decorated' phase). The east window in the chancel has three lights with reticulated tracery, and in the south-western comer of the chancel is an other two-light Decorated window. From the exterior it can be seen that below the western half of this window is a rectangular opening, now blocked, indicating a previous "low-side" window; the purpose of low-side windows is unknown.

Further 'Decorated' windows in the south wall of the nave are probably nineteenth-century, but to the west of the porch is another fourteenth-century window of two lights; in the quatrefoil above the sub-arches is a  fragment of medieval stained glass. (see picture below).

There is some Jacobean carving at the back of the choir seats. The pulpit is of oak, and was carved in 1897 as a memorial to General T. L. Green. There is a western gallery, which is probably nineteenth-century, replacing an earlier one erected in 1631. The Royal Arms of George III (1776) are placed against the west wall.

The font dates from 1856: Glynne states that the original Norman font was circular and barrel-shaped and was now (1871) in a farmyard. Another tradition stated that this font was in a church at Bryn, five miles north of Clun.  However, this original Norman font has now been returned (2009) to the church.  On its return, the parish were not allowed to remove the Victorian font so there are now two fonts at St Mary's Church.

Perhaps the best feature of the church is the nave roof, dating from the fifteenth century. This consists of seven trusses; four of these have collar-braces, with open quatrefoils and trefoils above. The central truss and those against the end walls also have tie-beams. On each side are two purlins between three fine rows of wind-braces in quatrefoil patterns. An unusual feature is the fine ornamental panelling on both the north and south walls, showing blank arcading like the dado of a screen. 

The tower is difficult to date accurately. It must be later than the nave, for there is no tower arch communicating with the nave; but it cannot be very much later - it is squat, with rectangular slits for windows, and is probably early thirteenth century. There are diagonal buttresses at the south-west and north-east corners, probably added in the fourteenth century. A flat two-staged buttress at the north-west corner is really an extension northwards of the west wall; a similar structure may be seen at the south-east comer. Two other fairly hideous buttresses are much later and support the north and south walls.

The upper storey of the tower shows a truncated pyramid, with a low upright storey, and then a smaller pyramid roof. Hopesay shares this 'double-pyramid' form with the churches at nearby Clun and More, and in Wales at Knighton and Kerry:  Glynne called it 'Montgomeryshire dovecote type'.

The Churchyard

Most of the older gravestones have weathered badly, but one is that of members of the Marston family who left money to ensure the annual renewal of flags on the Arbor Tree on May 29th each year to celebrate the marriage of Squire Marston of Oaker to Mary Carter of Sibdon in 1786.