Woburn Church

Old St.Mary's with the school| adjacent - March 2007 

Woburn Abbey, a house of the Cistercian Order, was founded in 1145. Woburn's first parish church was actually a chapel in Birchmore, with no church within the village itself. A market was established in Woburn in 1245 and by that time a chapel also existed in the High Street, said to have been rebuilt by the last Abbot of Woburn Abbey, Robert Hobbes in the early 16th century, if so it may well be the present old church in Bedford Street, the date of which is uncertain.

The tower is said to have been built in the early 17th century for Sir Francis Staunton using stone and other materials from the old chapel at Birchmore, pulled down at that date. The parish clerk had his residence in the church or, more accurately, in a chamber supported by an arch which linked the main body of the church with the tower. This was pulled down in the late 18th century. Considerable improvements were made to the chancel in 1750 by Sir William Chambers using money supplied by John, 4th Duke of Bedford, the structure was vaulted with plaster, its floor paved with stone and black marble in a chequer board pattern, the side windows altered and a new east window installed. The main body of the church was paved in 1755-1756 and the floors were levelled in 1800-1801 when new pews were brought in and new galleries erected.

The chancel was again restored in 1811, including a new altar to accommodate a painting by Carlo Maratti (1625-1713). The galleries were enlarged in 1818. The old tower was replaced by a new one, designed by Edward Blore, in 1829-1830 for a new peal of bells and a passage connecting it to the church built. The chancel was embellished and a new stained glass east window installed at the same time. More alterations to the galleries, as well as the seating occurred in 1841-1842. More repairs followed in 1846-1847 costing the Duke of Bedford £650. The old church was demolished in 1864 but it soon became clear that the site was not suitable for the new church designed by Henry Clutton (who also designed the new church at Aspley Heath). Accordingly Clutton was asked to partially rebuild the old church on a smaller scale to serve as a mortuary chapel for the continuing graveyard. This was completed, in the Perpendicular style in 1866 and the bells retained, they were not moved to the new church until 1910. The chapel became redundant in 1981 and is now the Woburn Heritage Centre.

 
New St.Mary's in 1910 [Z50/83/151]

The new church, designed by Clutton, was built between 1865 and 1868 on a new site in Park Street which had formerly incorporated a pond on part of its area. Clutton based the church on French Gothic architecture of the late 12th century. The church has a crypt as it was originally intended as the burial place for the Dukes of Bedford. In the event the Russell family continued to use their mausoleum at Chenies [Buckinghamshire]. Originally the tower was topped by a tall spire but this was removed 1891-1892 due to its dangerous condition. Stained glass by C.E.Kempe was installed in the east windows in 1894 in memory of Francis, 10th Duke of Bedford. Kempe also provided an elaborately carved reredos in 1903. Maratti's altar piece was placed in the new church in 1907. A memorial window to Mary, "the Flying Duchess" was installed in 1938.

Most of the notes on the structural history of the churches can be found in greater detail in Bedfordshire Historical Record Society Volume number 79 of 2000 Bedfordshire Churches in the Nineteenth Century: Part III: parishes S to Y, put together by former County Archivist Chris Pickford from numerous sources some held by Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service and some held elsewhere or published.

New St.Mary's in March 2007

Since 1961 Woburn has shared an incumbent with Battlesden with Pottesgrove| and, since 1979, also with Eversholt and Milton Bryan|; the parishes remain independent, with their own parochial church councils, churchwardens and services.

Interior of new St.Mary's in 1910 [Z50/83/152]

List of Vicars

- Gerold - 1227 [capellanus];
- M.Henry de Swanneburn - 23 Dec 1278 [subdeacon];
- William de Hocton;
- Philip - 7 Oct 1292 [capellanus; on death of William de Hocton];
- John de Herdewyk - 28 Jun 1302 [capellanus; on death of Philip];
- (Radulphus Barnys - 1526 [curate]);
- Thomas Hawes - Nov 1647;
- (William Marshall [curate; buried Jun 1704]);
- (William Morris AM [Rector of Chenies [Buckinghamshire] 1795; of Trinity College, Cambridge; AB 1779; Am 1782; Rector of Foxley [Wiltshire] 1805; perpetual curate of Woburn]);
- Hay Macdowell Erskine [resigned perpetual curacy on 19 Jul 1853];
- Emilius Bayley - 1 Sep 1853 [clerk; ordained 20 Dec 1846];
- Samuel Francis Cumberlege MA - 16 Jun 1856 [on cession of Emilius Bayley; of Christ's College, Cambridge, 1835; ordained 1835; curate of Leighton Buzzard; Vicar of Astwood [Buckinghamshire], 1839-1856; died Friday 10 Feb 1899 aged 87];
- Henry Willes Southey MA - 15 jan 1874 [on cesison of Samuel Francis Cumberlege; died 12 Feb 1914; buried at Woburn];
- Richard Dickinson - Nov 1900;
- Reginald Heber Moss - Feb 1913;
- William Verner Gordon White - 1916;
- Brian Charles Cowper Pratt - Apr 1930;
- Frederick Allen Romaine Hervey - Oct 1932;
- Henry Martindale - Aug 1937;
- Thomas Noel Gunner - 1946;
- Robin Orbell Osborne - 1961;
- John Terence Wenham - 1965;
- Paul Richard Miller - 1979;
- James Alan Heslop - 1999;
- Stephen W.Nuth - 2004