St. Peters mediaeval Church Door ~ Glentham ~ Lincolnshire

The farming community is borne out in the modest Church originally known as St Peter and Our Lady of Pity now shortened to St Peter’s. Glentham Church is a Grade 1 listed building with much of it dating from the 13th century, although there are traces from the 12th century. Our Lady of Pity no doubt referred to the 15th-century ‘pieta’, a stone effigy of Mary holding the body of Christ sited above the porch entrance, believed to be the only one remaining in Lincolnshire and one of the very few left in the country after the Reformation.

Features of the Church are the pulpit and stained glass window dedicated to Sir Montague Cholmeley of Norton Hall who was killed in the First World War. The vestry was the mortuary chapel of the Tourneys of Caenby. Their family coat of arms is set over the porch along with the ‘pieta’. Arguably the most important reminder of the family is the statue of ‘Molly Grimes’ set under the organ loft. This statue was thought to be of Anne Tourney, removed from its original site due to decay. The name was thought to be a corruption of Malgraen, a word for the washing of holy images. On Good Friday, there was an annual custom when seven maids were given a shilling each to fetch water from a spring named Newell’s Well to wash the effigy. In 1832, the land providing the payment was sold and the tradition ceased.

The Church retains its Georgian family box pews, some of which feature brass plaques engraved with the names of the families who used to rent them. The Church still has a carved chest dating from the 14th century (these were present in most churches for keeping records). Unfortunately, the four bells cast in 1687 are no longer rung properly due to the age and decay of the frame and fittings. The mediaeval door on entry retains its original sanctuary ring. The organ was purchased in 1863 at a cost of £80.