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Church

  • Filed under Church

  • June 18, 2014

 

 

Our vision is to be a joyous, welcoming, caring church family in the heart of our village community, open to all and working together to bring the good news of Jesus to everyone. 

Our church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, is a tranquil place where residents and visitors can worship God at regular services or reflect in private.  Its boxed pews remind us that people have worshipped on this site for centuries.

St Mary’s monuments are a rich source for family historians and the church houses the largest collection of virgin crowns in the country.  These crowns, of wood and paper, made in memory of people who were born and died unmarried within the parish, are the last survivors of an ancient custom that is still alive here.

Yet the church looks forward too, serving the school and the wider community.  In return, this rare and unusual Grade 1 listed building, and its shady churchyard are cherished and maintained by many people who value the spiritual and historical focus this beautiful and peaceful spot provides for the village.  Find out more through these links to other pages.

 

Projects, Plans & Missions

    Renewing the fence The churchyard boundary fence along Church Path is in the late stages of collapse. We have obtained a faculty to replace it with estate fencing like the burial ground fence and a quotation that we expect Abbotts Ann Parish Council to accept when TVBC has approved the work. …

Your Life Events

  If you are interested in marking a special occasion such as a baptism or wedding with us please contact our Anna Benefice administrator, Danielle Lloyd, at officeannabenefice@gmail.com.  

What’s Happening at St Mary’s

There is a service every week at St Mary’s, and these take a variety of forms. For details you can visit A Church Near You. or the Anna Benefice website: Welcome to Anna Benefice – Home page  

History of St Mary’s

  The early church in Abbotts Ann The Christian faith came to southern England during the Roman occupation, but did not long survive their departure.  The waves of Saxon invaders who sailed up the local rivers brought their own pagan; gods with them. Cerdic the Saxon, who ruled Hampshire by AD. 500 claimed descent from …

Church Property Documents

Various documents list property belonging to the Church At various times the church authorities made a “Terrier” or inventory of their property. A Terrier of the Glebe Lands of the Parsonage, AD 1638, lists holdings of strips in various fields as does another dated 1766. This second one lists in detail the buildings that went …

The Virgins’ Crowns

Abbotts Ann is one of the very few parishes in which the medieval custom of awarding Virgins’ Crowns has survived. In the early days of Christianity, funeral garlands were emblems of Virgin Martyrs and the practice of making maidens’ garlands presumably derives from that. Shakespeare, in referring to the burial of …

Church Bells

The earliest reference to the bells occurs in 1607 when they were re-cast. The memorandum says that: “The foure Bells in Abbatts An church were altogether new cast, by Mr. John Wallys of Salsbury in November, Anno 1607. We had but three belles, and did cast them into 4 adding to them 127 li. of …

List of Rectors

Rectors of Abbotts Ann 1379-138? Walter Philippe  1541-1544 John Adamson  1570-1587  John Bonamie  1554-1569 Stephen Tennannt  1587-1595  Thus. Pembridge  1595-1599  Martin Heaton  1599-1633  John Johnson  1633-1666  Thos. Hyde  1667-1709  Samuel Stone  1710-1717  James Lambert  1718-1726  Robert Willis  1727  James Wendey  1728-1730  Charles Sutton  1730-1774  John Burrough     Hon & Revd Samuel Best     Revd Philip & Mrs Nancy Tidmarsh Revd Alan & …

Who’s Who at the Church

  Benefice Team Rector Revd Teresa Townsend Rest Day normally Thursday revdteresaannabenefice@gmail.com 01264 571213 and 07464 272894 Assistant Priest Revd. Nicky Judd Rest Day normally Wednesday revdnickyannabenefice@gmail.com 729075   Licensed Lay Minister Tim Tayler llmtimannabenefice@gmail.com 710201   Licensed Lay Minister Peter Eastwood llmpeterannabenefice@gmail.com 353320 Benefice Administrator Danielle Lloyd officeannabenefice@gmail.com 07468 …

Archive Transcriptions

Please click on the following external links to view archive transcriptions at Abbotts Ann Church – Baptism’s in 1700 & 1800’s Marriages in 1700’s Burials in 1700 & 1800’s

Graveyard Index

To view the list of burial plots at St Mary’s Church, please click here. Please view the following documents first to fully understand the burial areas and layout:- You will find the Overall Church Area Map HERE You will find the Map Index HERE You will find the East …

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  1. […] church in question is St Mary the Virgin at Abbotts Ann, a pretty village just outside of Andover. My parents-in-law (I don’t think I’ve ever referred […]

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