St John the Baptist, Stokesay

Last crawled date: 1 year, 8 months ago

The church was built about 1150 as a chapel to the castle by the Say family who had come over with William the Conqueror. The Says came here about 1105 via Clun. The 'Stoke' part of the place-name means a 'dependent settlement' or a 'dairy farm' and implies a fenced off area. In 1646 a Royalist party with their horses took refuge in the church, but they were driven out by Parliamentarians who had captured the castle. Much of the church was destroyed in the battle: the south side of the nave, facing the castle, was destroyed entirely, probably by canon shot. The north side was not damaged so severely: here the jambs run half-way up the single-light windows, showing that up to this height the wall probably survived the Civil War bombardment. The oak door, with its massive lock and key, date from 1654. #Baptist #Church #Craven_Arms #Ludlow #Shropshire #St_John #Stokesay #UK