Gringley on the Hill Parish Church

Key contacts

Priest-in-charge:
Rev. Jonathan Smithurst
Tel: 01777 817364

Church wardens:
Ann Marie Morley
Tel: 01777 818823

Hugo Dunkley
Tel: 01777 816003
 

A parish church has stood in Gringley on the Hill for a thousand years, and the present building has served our community for more than eight centuries. The church is used for regular Sunday and midweek services, as well as a cultural centre, as a setting for drama, music and exhibitions. The Church is also used by the thriving St. Peter’s Primary School in Gringley, for special occasions such as Harvest Festival and Christingle.

Services
Gringley on the Hill Parish is now grouped with Clayworth, Everton and Mattersey, and schedules of services for all four churches are planned together. Rev. Jonathan Smithurst was recently appointed the new Priest-in-charge of this group, and was installed in a service at Everton Parish Church on 3rd April 2006. Full details of service times are displayed on the Church Notice Board, just to the left of the entrance gate from High Street, in the Beacon, and in the monthly newsletter.

We try to provide a range of services, and everyone is welcome to attend any of the services. Holy Communion services are either according to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, or Common Worship – Traditional language. The style of Holy Communion service is shown on the service listing. Regular Family Services are held about every eight weeks, and we also have services of Morning Prayer. Most services at Gringley are at 9.30 a.m., but once every six weeks (or thereabouts) the service will be at 8.00 a.m. On special festivals and on 5th Sundays in the month, a joint service for the whole benefice is held, which is usually the only service in the benefice on that day.

Sundays

Services for the next few weeks are as follows, all at Gringley unless stated otherwise.

2009

Sunday 19th April 10.00 a.m. Joint service of Holy Communion at Mattersey
Sunday 26th April 9.30 a.m. Morning Prayer

Sunday 3rd May 8.00 a.m. Holy Communion - BCP
Sunday 10th May 10.00 a.m. Joint Service of Holy Communion at Clayworth
Wednesday 13th May 9.30 a.m. Holy Communion at Mattersey
Sunday 17th May 9.30 a.m. Family Service
Monday 18th May 7.00 p.m. Rogation Day Procession followed my supper
Thursday 21st May 7.00 a.m. Ascension Day Holy Communion at Everton, followed by breakfast
Sunday 24th May 9.30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Sunday 31st May 9.30 a.m. Morning Prayer – Pentecost.

Sunday 7th June 10.00 a.m. Joint service of Holy Communion at Everton for Trinity Sunday
Sunday 14th June 9.30 a.m. Holy Communion
Sunday 21st June 9.30 a.m. Family Service
Sunday 28th June 6.30 p.m. Songs of Praise at Clayworth.


Family Services are held every month. There is a well-stocked children’s corner, so children of all ages are very welcome. The next Family Services are on Sunday 17th May and Sunday 21st June 2009.

There are occasional sung evensongs which are detailed in the “Beacon” (see below) and on the church notice board.

Wednesdays
A mid-week service of Holy Communion is held once a month on Wednesdays, rotating round the Parishes.

Thursdays
There is a service of Morning Prayer every Thursday morning at Clayworth at 9.30 a.m.

Full details of all services are shown monthly in the diary section of the Gringley on the Hill village magazine
“The Beacon”, in the Church Newsletter, and on the external church notice board.

Upcoming Events

Monday 18th May – 7.00 p.m. Rogation Procession, starting from church and then proceeding to Beacon Hill. Followed by a supper of shepherd’s pie and peas, and tea and coffee – phone 01777 816003 to book supper, for which a small charge will be made on the night.

Sunday 14th June – Gringley Gardens Festival and Display of vintage cars and bikes– 12 noon to 5.00 p.m. About ten gardens are expected to be open and there will be the usual Gardeners’ Market.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday 26th, 27th & 28th June – The Four Parishes Flower Festival will take place at Clayworth this year, and the theme of the displays is “Food from around the world”. The event is being officially opened by the Bishop of Sherwood at 7.30 p.m. on Friday 26th May at Clayworth Church and this will be followed by a talk by Ruth Andrews on Medaeival Food.. (Tickets for this event are priced £5.00.)

A special cookery book (priced just £5.00) is being published for this event entitled “More than loaves and fishes” which includes favourite recipes from around the four parishes. This book is being launched on Friday 15th May at 7.30 p.m. again at Clayworth Church – entry £1.

The Flower Festival will continue on Saturday and Sunday, open from 11.00 a.m. until 5.00 p.m.. The Festival concludes with a Songs of Praise service in the church at 6.30 p.m.

Saturday July 4th – Barn Dance at Dunstan Farm from 7.30 p.m. 


New Facilities

Work has now been completed on the installation of a toilet, a very small “kitchen” area and various other facilities under the tower at the west end of church. The font has been re-located approximately to where it was prior to the 1912 extension to the church. This has improved pedestrian access into church from the west door, and made the provision of refreshments at major events much easier. These new facilities have now been utilised for a couple of events, including the Christmas concert on 13th December, and have proved to be a massive benefit. Access to and use of the ringing gallery, both for bell ringing and other uses, has also been much improved.

This is phase one of the project – phase two is the provision of access for the disabled from High Street, and phase three will cover the glazing in of the ringing gallery arch. Our thanks go to everyone who has supported events over the last few years which have raised the necessary funds to permit these works to go ahead. However, phase 1 has only been made possible with additional funding from external sources. The Church Premises Development Fund of the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham have agreed to provide a grant of £10,000, and a sum £7,500 has been provided by Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd (WREN) who distribute the Landfill Tax Credits of Waste Recycling Group Plc (WRG). The allocation and distribution of this grant has been made by Nottinghamshire Historic Churches Trust, a registered charity whose aims are to assist with the restoration of historic churches and chapels of all Christian denominations throughout Nottinghamshire.

 

Access to church
Unfortunately, it is not possible to keep the Church open when services are not taking place. However, if you would like access to the church at other times, arrangements can be made. Please call one of the church wardens who will be able to make appropriate arrangements.


Bell Ringing
Gringley Church has an enthusiastic and active Bell Ringing Group, which practises at 10.00 a.m. on Saturday mornings, and rings at Sunday services, and for special occasions. The bells were augmented to six in January 2002, with the additional of two new bells. For further information, please contact the Tower Captain, Ann Marie Morley on 01777 818823. Visiting ringing groups are always welcome.


Choir
Gringley Church has an active choir, which sings at Sunday services and on special occasions. Practices take place as required, and usually on Wednesdays. We are always keen to have new members, either for the regular Sunday choir or for special occasions – please contact the Choirmaster – Hugo Dunkley on 01777 816003, for further information.
 

St. Peter’s Primary School
St. Peter’s School is a Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary school and is well supported by the community. A recent project to provide additional teaching and staff accommodation has just been completed, and provides much enhanced facilities. For further information, please contact the school on 01777 817330


A Brief History
A Church is recorded at Gringleia super Montem in the Domesday Survey of 1066, though nothing visible now remains of that Saxon building. After the Norman Conquest much of the land in north Nottinghamshire, including the Rectory of Gringley, was given to Roger de Busli, a favourite of King William I. Roger's estate passed to Sir William de Lovetot, a great benefactor of the Church, who in 1103 founded an Augustinian Convent in Worksop, endowing it "with all lands, tithes and things belonging" to a number of churches, including Gringley. Before the appointment of our first Vicar, Augustinian "Black Canons" from Worksop Priory, risking the dangers of Sherwood Forest, travelled fifteen miles along its tracks to celebrate Mass in this remote place hemmed in by forest on three sides and treacherous swamps to the north. Then Canons' Houses were built just to the South of the Churchyard. and a small community of priests moved in to serve Gringley and neighbouring parishes. The present Church, dedicated to the Apostles Peter and Paul, was begun around 1180, and originally consisted of Chancel and Nave, with a squat Tower at the West end. There was probably (see below) already a chapel on the site of the present Lady Chapel, possibly for the exclusive use of the Augustinian Canons, and the building imitates some features of their Priory at Worksop.

The Augustinian Canons served this parish until 22 November 1272, when Will de Burghes was instituted as the first Vicar. From that day unti1995 the parish had its own incumbent. Will and his successors were for centuries dependent for their living on tithes - a proportion of the produce from farms in the Parish - and would have sat to receive them at the Butter Cross, the shaft of which survives at the top of Cross Hill near the Churchyard gate. The Prior and Canons of Worksop remained Patrons of the Living, with the right to appoint the Vicar, until the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteen-century.

Patronage is now in the hands of the Lord Bishop of Southwell, whose Diocese includes the whole of Nottinghamshire.

Further information can be found in the “Short Guide for Visitors” which is available inside the church.

Access to Information
We welcome to the church those seeking information about ancestors with connections with Gringley on the Hill. It should be noted that the churchyard was closed in 1910, and after that date burials have taken place in the Parish Cemetery which is located on the approach to the Village from Bawtry. All old parish records – weddings, funerals, baptisms etc – are held by Nottinghamshire Archives and the Southwell Diocese Record Office in Nottingham. Contact telephone No. 0115 958 1634 or visit the website www.nottscc.gov.uk and follow links to the archives.
 

This page will be regularly updated. Last update – 15 April 2009.

Copyright: Gringley on the Hill Parochial Church Council

The section entitled “Brief History” is an extract from “A short Visitors Guide” written by Ivon Baker in collaboration with Ian Robinson, which made extensive use of researches of the late Leslie Ellis and Henry Minta.