Coach & Horses
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ST JAMES THE GREAT, PARISH CHURCH OF HARVINGTON
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The great east window
The present church is the oldest building in Harvington. There is more to be written about the origins of our church but at present the oldest part of the structure, being the tower, probably dates to the early Norman period somewhere between 1086 and 1100. Marjorie Bailey's history covers much of the story of the church, however it is not agreed that a previous structure definately stood on this site. but more will be said about this in due course. Much copying of the Parish chest was carried out by the Reverend Davenport in the 1920's. Revd Davenport also transcribed some of the earlier parish register entries. Transcription of tho registers has now been extended into the middle of the 20th century. The contents of the Parish Chest, which had housed the parish records, were deposited at the Worcestershire Record Office in 1980.
Probably the oldest piece of church furniture is our font but it does not appear here as it has no inscription. A full description of the font is to be found under Rawes history.
A major addition is a complete transcription of the memorials from both inside and outside the church, which also include past references to lost memorials. The survey of the church's interior in 'Church Memorials' now helps to illuminate the many changes that have taken place over the centuries.
Information from a folder
in the Vicar's Vestry.
after 1958 Cook family collection
1894 Theophilus Sharp, Rector
1958 from Cook family collection
Amongst church documents
Amongst church documents
Amongst church documents
An envolpe amongst church documents contains a number of records relating to charitable bequests. The above was considered worthwhile producing as it deals with the early creation of the Clarke Charity. This is an interesting document as it both early, 1605, and records a number of villagers.
Notes:- William Clarke may have lived in the village and may have been of the same yeoman Clarke family who in the mid to late seventeenth century lived at Crooked Walls; Revd Thomas Ferriman presumably lived in the Rectory as again did Revd Thomas Eades; the Haywards lived at either Harvington Hill or Manor Farm; for John Edwin see The Retreat and the Old Bakery; for the Marshalls see Manor Farm and Bank House.
Made in Longlartin Prison in Worcestershire in 1988 by a prisoner serving life. It was given to Pat Freeth, the wife of the then rector Barry Freeth, Pat was a Prison visitor. The model was given by Pat in 2014 to Joy Rawes at Crooked Walls and is now (2016) on a window sill in the church.
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The memorials and the contents of the interior of the church was surveyed in 2022. The glass topped wooden casing is on the old parish chest near the alter. The note upon the casing reads:- "The contents of this book are a record of the kneeler project begun in 1993 to give the names of those who donated, those who sewed and those in whose memory the work was carried out".
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Old issues of the parish magazine are useful in shewing church officials of the past as well as interesting items of the time. The following are only the front, back and inside covers, as the material inside is not pertinant to Harvington.
May 1932
Feb 1933
Aug 1951
July/August 1984
An annual event
2019
