The Changing Face of Holy Trinity Church, Much Wenlock interactive image

This article is based on an account of the church in the Victoria County History vol X

A Brief history

St. Milburga’s monastery, built in the Saxon period probably had two churches, one for men and one for women. The saint’s bones were uncovered in 1101 (some reports suggest they were known of by 1031) in Holy Trinity Church, suggesting that Holy Trinity was originally the women’s church of the “double monastery”.

By c1080 St. Milburga’s nunnery was said to be deserted, probably because the building of the new minster, later the priory, made it redundant. The discovery of the saint’s bones led to the rebuilding of Holy Trinity as the parish church for the small town growing around the monastery.

In 1110 Richard of Beamaris, Bishop of London declared that the priory’s estates made up one parish (although in fact the priory’s estates extended beyond the parish)

By 1716 most of the extensive parish had been broken up leaving just Bourton as a dependant.
The advowson (right to choose clergy) passed to the Crown at the closure of the priory in 1540. The Crown sold it to Henry Bromley then a series of lords of the manor. In 1705 a dispute arose with the townspeople when Hugh Pugh was chosen by the Catholic lord of the manor. In the end the Bishop chose the townspeople’s’ candidate instead.

There wasn’t much of a glebe in Much Wenlock itself; mainly houses on the corner of Spittle and Wilmore Streets. These housed the vicar and curate with the rest being lent out. (It was these properties that were sold for £710 to allow the erection of the market hall (now museum) and neighbouring bank in the late 19th century.)

Interactive image

You can access an interactive image of Holy Trinity by clicking on the "Holy Trinity interactive image" button on the side menu bar or on the link below. There you can find out more about the way in which the church has physically changed over the last 1000 years. So if you want to find the fabulous, but hidden, west front, or mermen in the nave ....

Click below to link to interactive image

Related Links on this Website

• Holy Trinity Church, Much Wenlock interactive image (map:20091207103716)