St Michael and All Angels' Church, Welshampton
| Church of St Michael and All Angels, Welshampton | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| 52°54′36″N 2°50′32″W / 52.9099°N 2.8423°W | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 434 350 |
| Location | Welshampton |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Michael and All Angels |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 27 May 1953[2] |
| Architect(s) | George Gilbert Scott |
| Style | Early English style |
| Completed | 1863 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Lichfield |
| Deanery | Ellesmere Deanery[1] |
The Church of St Michael and All Angels is a Grade II listed Anglican church in the village of Welshampton in Shropshire.
It was built in the 1860s for Frances Mainwaring and Salusbury Kynaston Mainwaring, in memory of Charles Kynaston Mainwaring of Oteley. The architect was George Gilbert Scott. There was originally a medieval church, which was replaced in 1788 by a church for Mary Kynaston of Oteley; this was replaced by Scott's church.[2]
Building[edit]
The walls are of yellow sandstone ashlar; it has a slate roof which has a lozenge pattern over the nave and a zig-zag pattern over the chancel. The chancel has a semicircular apsidal shape. There are buttresses at the corners of the church and against the chancel. On the roof at the junction of the nave and chancel is a bellcote.[2]
The church has lancet windows. The stained glass includes, in a west window a commemoration of Charles Kynaston Mainwaring, and in the north-west window of the nave a commemoration of Jeremiah Libopuoa Moshueshue (see below).[2]
The link with Lesotho[edit]
In the churchyard is buried an African prince, Jeremiah Libopuoa Moshueshue (1839-1863). He was a son of Moshueshue I of Lesotho.[3][4]
The history of this link with Lesotho (at that time known as Basutoland) began when the vicar of Welshampton, Thomas Buckley-Owen, was offered a post in Lesotho. He turned it down because the new church in Welshampton would soon be complete; however, he maintained contact with the country. Moshueshue I sent two of his junior sons to study at an Anglican school in Zonnebloem. One of them, Jeremiah Libopuoa, came to England to train as a priest. He visited Welshampton when the new church was consecrated in 1863; during the visit he caught a fever and died.[3][5]
In 2010 Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho visited the church, where she attended a service and paid respects to the grave of prince Jeremiah Libopuoa.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Welshampton St Michael and All Angels Diocese of Lichfield, accessed 21 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "Church of St Michael (1177141)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ a b c Queen of Lesotho visits Welshampton in Shropshire Shropshire Star 6 Oct 2010, accessed 17 March 2014.
- ^ LIBOPUOA Jeremiah Lesotho royalty, from freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com, accessed 17 March 2014.
- ^ Historical Dictionary of Lesotho by Scott Rosenberg, Richard F. Weisfelder, Scarecrow Press, page 39. Via Google Books, accessed 17 March 2014.