West Torrington

West Torrington is a small hamlet in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the edge of Bleasby Moor and 3 miles (4.8 km) north from Wragby. The 2001 Census recorded a West Torrington population of 69,[1] increasing to 128 at the 2011 census.[2]

West Torrington

The Church of St Mary, West Torrington
West Torrington
Location within Lincolnshire
Population128 (2011)
OS grid referenceTF135821
• London130 mi (210 km) S
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMarket Rasen
Postcode districtLN8
PoliceLincolnshire
FireLincolnshire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament

The village is a setting in Sebastian Faulks' 2005 novel Human Traces.[3]

The Church of St Mary

The village church, the Church of St Mary, is a Grade II listed building.[4] Its churchyard cross is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[5] St Mary's is known as Gilbert of Sempringham's other Church. He was the vicar here from 1123 to 1189[4] after his father, Jocelin, gave him both the vacant churches of Sempringham and West Torrington:[6][7]

"Gilbert was a lover of truth and justice, chastity and sobriety, and a diligent cultivator of the other virtues: wherefore he was revered and praised by all and obtained their favour and regard. Even Jocelin now rejoiced in the goodness of his son, he began to cherish him with fatherly affection, and ministered to his needs out of his own riches" He presented him to the vacant churches of Sempringham and West Torrington which he had built on his own demesne 'in the custom of his country"[6][7]

Thomas Wimberley Mossman (1826-1885)[8][9] was the vicar of West Torrington from 1859 to 1885. He was responsible for the restoration of the church, using parts of the earlier medieval church on the same site[4] and was an important and controversial figure in the Oxford Movement, a correspondent of Cardinal Newman, founder of Brotherhood training poor men for the priesthood, noted historian, active Liberal politician and crucial figure in the early Order of Corporate Reunion and Oecumenical movement.[10] His gravestone, placed on the south side of the churchyard next to the churchyard cross is grade II listed.[10]

In 2020, a campaign was launched by villagers to save the village church, The Church of St Mary, for use as a multi-purpose community & heritage hub.[11][12] It had been closed for worship in 2011, placed on the market in 2012 but had failed to sell.[13] It was placed on the market again in September 2020. The village formed a community group in 2020,[12] which is now a registered charity[14] to support the village needs and undertake the work needed to bid for the church on the village's behalf. At the time of writing (February 2021) the church is under offer to the village.

References
  1. "Parish Headcounts"; Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 6 July 2012
  2. "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  3. Faulks, Sebastian (31 January 2011). Human Traces. ISBN 9781446412947.
  4. Historic England. "Church of St Mary, West Torrington (Grade II) (1147481)". National Heritage List for England.
  5. Historic England (6 February 1986). "Cross, West Torrington (1063069)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  6. GRAHAM, ROSE (2015). S. GILBERT OF SEMPRINGHAM AND THE GILBERTINES : a history of the only english monastic order ... (classic reprint). [Place of publication not identified]: FORGOTTEN Books. ISBN 978-1-331-51757-3. OCLC 982935329.
  7. Iredale, Eric W. (1992). Sempringham and St. Gilbert and the Gilbertines. Pointon, Lincolnshire: E.W. Iredale. ISBN 0-9519662-0-0. OCLC 39982100.
  8. "Thomas Wimberley Mossman". Wikisource. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  9. "Mossman, Thomas Wimberley". The National Archives. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  10. Historic England (5 February 1986). "GRAVESTONE OF T.W.MOSSMAN (1147491)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  12. "West Torrington Community & Heritage Action - About Us". West Torrington Community & Heritage Action. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  14. "West Torrington Community & Heritage Action". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 2 August 2021.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.