Cockayne Hatley
St. John the Baptist
Places > Cockayne Hatley > Churches
C
ockayne Hatley Church is first mentioned as part of the original endowment
of Newnham Priory in 1166. The church comprises of a thirteenth century north
arcade, a fourteenth century south arcade and a tower of the perpendicular
period.
The church was restored during the early 1800's by the Hon. and Rev. Henry Cockayne Cust. It had fallen into sad disrepair (on Christmas day in 1806 snow fell through the roof onto the altar during the service).
The church is known for its ornately carved woodwork. The stalls are unique of their kind in England and were purchased by Cockayne Cust from a dealer in Charleroi (Belgium) who acquired them from the nearby Abbey d'Aulne ruined after the French invasion of Flanders. They date from 1689. The communion rail is also intricately carved and was purchased from a church at Malines. It depicts harvest scenes.
The chancel windows were inserted in 1829 by Thomas Willement. The east window is designed around medieval glass fragments illustrating the life of Christ. It was restored in 1985. The finest glass is in the thirteenth century east window that was recovered from a demolished church in Yorkshire.
Sources:
- Church guides in the collection of the local studies library, Bedford Central Library
- England's thousand best churches (1999) by S. Jenkins
Church of St. John the Baptist by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2005
Page last updated: 23rd January 2014