Church of St. Mary of the Purification, Blidworth
| St Mary of the Purification, Blidworth | |
|---|---|
With 1963 model of the earlier church
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| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Blidworth |
| Diocese | Southwell and Nottingham |
| Province | York |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Revd. Beryl Allsop |
Coordinates: 53°05′39″N 01°07′36″W / 53.09417°N 1.12667°W
The Church of St Mary of the Purification, Blidworth is a parish church in the Church of England in Blidworth, Nottinghamshire. dating from the 15th century. It is Grade II* listed building.
Only the west tower from the medieval (15th century) church survives. The rest was built in 1739 by Rhodes of Barlborough and 1839 by Colvin. It is of ashlar with a lead roof. The graveyard includes a 1963 model of the earlier church. The clock tower has two clocks, one facing West, the other East which would be visible to people approaching from either direction along Main Street.
The church is reputed to be the burial place of Will Scarlet. The place is not known, but a piece of the earlier church serves as a memorial.
The Church of St Mary of the Purification is the only church that is known to continue to hold an annual Rockings Ceremony during which the baby boy, born to married, Christian parents living in Blidworth, nearest to Christmas Day is “rocked” in an ancient cradle on the Feast of the Purification of Mary, which is on the Sunday nearest to Candlemas.
The origins of the ceremony go back at least 400 years. The custom was revived in 1842 by the vicar, John Lowndes after a lapse of 150 years, and again in 1922.
All of the babies who have taken part in the Rocking Ceremonies have their names recorded upon a plaque at the rear of St Mary's Church with their full name and the year in which they were 'Rocked'. In 1980 the rocking ceremony was performed by John Denis Wakeling the Bishop of Southwell. The child was Edward William Tristram who received a commemorative Bible to mark the occasion inscribed by the bishop.
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