Church History
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Rufford with Holmeswood, Church Road, Rufford, L40 1TA
The Church at St Mary the Virgin Rufford with Holmeswood, through worship and prayer seeks to grow spiritually, witnessing to God's love and serving the community, together with other believers
ALL WELCOME
Plan of St Mary the Virgin, Rufford
Plan of St Mary the Virgin, Rufford
  1. Two corbels, either side of the main door, from the 14th century Church
  2. South side of the Church - base of the old preaching cross dated 1000AD - removed from the village green in 1818
  3. Font of polished red granite, a Masonic gift in memory of Sir Thomas Fermor Hesketh (died 1872)
  4. Original font from the 18th century chapel. The wooden cover bears the Greek palindrome meaning,"Cleanse thy sins and not only thy face"or "Wash not thy sins from thy body only, but also from thy soul"
  5. 1763 painting of Royal Coat of Arms
  6. 18th century Charity Board
  7. Bassoon bought in May 1816
  8. Two bells in steeple, one from 1746 and the other from 1863
  9. Walking Day banner painted in 1962 by Ernest Hayes, a local craftsman. Based on Holman Hunt's 'Light of the World'
  10. North wall: tablet in memory of Sir Thomas Hesketh (died 1778). Verse by Cowper, cousin of Lady Hesketh
  11. Hesketh Chapel: alabaster slab in memory of Sir Thomas Hesketh, Lord of Rufford ( 1463), his wife Margaret and their eleven children
  12. Alabaster dog from monument recorded in 1620
  13. Two wall brasses from tomb of Sir Robert Hesketh (died 1541) and his wife, Dame Grace (died 1543)
  14. Victorian monument to Sir Thomas Fermor Hesketh (died 1872)
  15. The Reredos, made of granite and the altar, were gifts from the Hesketh family when the present church was built in 1869
  16. Credence table with twisted legs is the old Georgian communion table
  17. East end of south aisle: monument to Lady Sophie Hesketh (died 1817) by J Flaxman
  18. Brass chandelier dated 1763 and almost identical to the one in the dining room at Rufford Old Hall
Church of Englaand
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