Martindale (x2) Church

The new church of St Peter.

The new church was built by the generosity of Anthony Parkin Esq. of Sharrow Bay and W H Parkin Esq. of Ravencragg on an acre of land (part of the common) at the top of "The Hause". Started in 1880 it is of the Early English style of architecture and has nave and chancel, with vestry, bell turret and south western porch. The builder was Mr Edward Peel of Patterdale, who used the durable stone of the adjoining fells.

Map and Gallery:

 Apart from the East Windows, all the stained glass in St. Peter's dates from 1975, and was made by the same artist -craftsman, Jane Gray, A.R.C.A., F.M.G.P., F.S.D.C. Much of the content of the windows was suggested by the then Vicar, the Reverend Charles Barrand MA who is buried outside the church door. His memorial window is the St Cecilia window in the sanctuary.

 All the windows are "modern", in the sense that they are designed to appeal to those who no longer look at bearded saints, or traditional angels. Descriptions of each window appear beside them.

 Of particular note and quite famous is the furthest window on the right of the naive dedicated to St Nicholas, Patron saint of sailors. This is in memory of the men of HMS Glorious which sank under enemy action off the Norwegian coast in 1940, and shows an airman's view of the aircraft carrier ploughing into the waves.
On the left of the chancel are three small windows given by the parish and friends as a tribute to the Queen for her silver jubilee in 1977 and depict the Royal Arms.

 Originally the lower part of the Churchyard was a pond but this has dried up due to the diversion of its feeder by the local council. the present church yard is a wildlife haven.
The Parish of Martindale is now part of the united benifice of Barton, Pooley Bridge and Martindale which runs along the south side of Ullswater and on towards Penrith

 Services of Holy Communion are held every first and third Sunday of the month at 11.00am at St Peter's.
Usually evensong is held at St Martin's on the last Sunday of the month from May to August at 5.00pm. For confirmation see Church notice board.

 The Old church of St. Martin
The Parish was created out of the ancient Parish of Barton, whose monks served it until the dissolution of the Monasteries. It was constituted as a separate parish on the appointment of Richard Birket as the resident priest in 1633.
The date of the foundation of the first church of St Martin is not known, but it is referred to in a De Lancaster Charter of 1220, and subsequent references have been discovered showing that the Church was already in existence on that date.

 It is probable that the present building was erected at the end of the 16th Century, replacing the old Chapel, a reference to which appears in a document on 13th April 1541.
In 1714 the floor of the Church was flagged, a new luxury as worshippers were not willing to tolerate any longer the damp earth floor.

 There have been successive restorations to the present building, the last major restoration being in 1882 when the roof was replaced, for on the day that the New Church was consecrated, 6th January 1882, the roof of the Old Church fell in during a violent storm. At the same time the old box pews were removed, and the singers' and musicians' gallery was taken down, and new window frames installed.

 The Reading Desk:-
Put in by Richard Birkett in 1634, and was a gift of John Dawes. It was, originally, a two decker.

 The Font:-
Almost certainly part of a Roman alter, and probably stood during the Roman Occupation at the wayside shrine on "High Street" which runs along the top of the fells at the end of the Howegrain Valley in which the Church is situated.
 
The Old Yew Tree:-
Age about 1300 years (see certificate on the wall of St. Peter's Church by the Belfry door)

 The Church Bell:-
The tiny bell which hangs in the west end of the Church in an open Cote bears an inscription in Lombardic Characters. The bell founders who incorporated the lettering in the rim of the bell were probably illiterate, and the letters supplied to them were placed as they received them, in alphabetical order, from A to N. This is certainly the old medieval bell which called the people of Martindale to worship for 500 years or more.

 The Birket Tomb:-
Outside the south east corner of the Church. Richard Birkett was the first "Vicar" of Martindale after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. He was inducted into the living of St Martin, Martindale on 16th June 1633, and died on Christmas Day 1699, after a faithful ministry of nearly 67 years. He left the sum of £100 "towards the better maintenance of a godly, sober and religious Minister at Martindale Chapell". His stipend on his appointment to the living was £6:13:4d per annum.