Collegiate Church
Collegiate Church
The new Collegiate Church built in 1343 was dedicated by Sir Thomas Astley to the Blessed Virgin, and so the present church is known as the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. When the building was completed, the status of those clergy attached to chantry in the former building was changed, as follows:-
The warden became dean, two of the seven priests were termed canons, or prebendaries, taking the title of their respective prebends of Milverton and Wolvey, and of the remainder, one was termed priest-vicar, two were styled vicars, and there were two priests. In fact, an elaborate foundation was established similar to that generally associated with a cathedral church.
This establishment, having been founded, continued to flourish for just over two hundred years, and throughout this time a long succession of deans ruled over the whole collegiate establishment. The first dean was William Ernald, who was warden in 1343, when the change above was made. Full provision was made by Sir Thomas Astley for the dean and his staff of canons and priests. Lands were set apart from which money should be collected with which to maintain them in their office. There was at that time a rectory house at Astley, which had no doubt been the residence of former incumbents before the new church was built
The duties of the priests were laid out in some detail by Sir Thomas Astley when he founded the Collegiate Church. It was a cross church with a nave and aisles extending about 90 feet to the west of the tower, the present body of the church being the original choir. North and south of this part of the building were two handsome monumental chapels. whereas to the north and south of the tower would be the transepts, running out some 30 to 40 feet. The tower was surmounted by a fine steeple which at night exhibited a light for the guidance, of travellers in the forest, and in consequence acquired the title of the Lantern of Arden.
The total length of the building as it then was would have been about 185 feet, the width of the choir the same as that of the present nave, and the width of the nave about 50 to 60 feet. The church terminated at its eastern extremity where the present chancel arch now is, and here was the old east window of the original choir, the upper portion of the lights now blocked up being visible above the arch.
This splendid building continued thus for well nigh two hundred and fifty years, and it was not till about 1580 that the catastrophe occurred which reduced it to the smaller, but still very fine building we have today as the present Parish Church. To see a plan of the church interior please click here.
16th - 17th Century
Adrian Stokes, second husband of the Duchess of Suffolk, widow of the Duke, soon laid his hands on the revenues that had belonged to the church. Not content with this, he then turned his attention to the church itself, stripping the lead from the tall spire in about 1555. This, no doubt, caused the weather to play havoc with the underwork, so that some 35 years later (about 1600) the spire fell, greatly damaging the western portion of the Church. Many fine tombs were destroyed in this way. The result was that the greater part of the structure became almost a ruin.
So it continued for several years, until Sir Richard Chamberlayne, who had come into possession of the Castle, came to the rescue, and set about the work of restoration. He pulled down the whole of the west part, including the nave, aisles, and transepts, also the side chapels of the choir. He practically rebuilt the tower, at the end of the choir, which then became the nave, and added a small chancel at the east end, thus forming the Church as it is to-day. All this work was carried out by him during 1607—8. It was at this time that the painted texts on the walls were done.
18th - 20th Century
After the major remodelling in the early 17th Century there were no more important alterations to the Church till somewhat after the middle of the nineteenth century, about which time the late Right Honourable C. N. Newdegate caused the present ceiling of panelled oak to be put up, also the oak stalls in the chancel and made the chancel ceiling what it now is.
The next chief work done was the erection of all the woodwork inside the great arch at the west end of the Church, thus filling up the interior of the tower, which was carried out between 1875 and 1878, by Mr. F. C. Penrose, at that time the consulting architect of St. Paul's Cathedral, on behalf of Charles N. Newdegate.. Again, about 1910, Sir Francis Newdegate had the windows made double thus adding to the warmth of the building without interfering with the light through them to any appreciable extent.
Early in the 19th century, Robert Evans, a widower, married Christina Pearson in Astley Church. One of their children, Mary Ann Evans, was to become famous as George Eliot, the novelist. The essay “Mr Gilfil’s Love Story” in her first book “Scenes of Clerical Life” is based on people and places around Astley.