St. Lawrence's Church, Mereworth

St. Lawrence's Church, Mereworth
St. Lawrence's, October 2006
St. Lawrence's Church, Mereworth Location in Kent
51°15′32″N 0°22′40″E / 51.25875°N 0.37790°E / 51.25875; 0.37790Coordinates: 51°15′32″N 0°22′40″E / 51.25875°N 0.37790°E / 51.25875; 0.37790
OS grid reference	TQ 660 537
Location	Mereworth, Kent
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
History
Founder(s)	John Fane, 7th Earl of Westmorland
Consecrated	26 August 1746
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Style	Palladian
Groundbreaking	1744
Completed	1746
Specifications
Number of spires	One
Administration
Parish	Mereworth
Deanery	West Malling
Diocese	Rochester
Province	Canterbury

St. Lawrence's Church is an Anglican parish church at Mereworth, Kent, United Kingdom. It is in the deanery of West Malling, the Diocese of Rochester and Province of Canterbury. The church was built in the mid-1740s by John Fane, the 7th Earl of Westmorland following his removal of the village's 12th century place of worship to allow for the enlargement of Mereworth Castle.

The Palladian-style stone structure has been described as "the outstanding 18th-century church in the county, in scale, ambition and architectural interest". The architect is unknown, but prominent Palladian-era figures such as Henry Flitcroft, James Gibbs and Roger Morris have been suggested.

Many internal fixtures survive from the medieval church, including heraldic stained glass and a series of high-quality brass and stone memorials. Alterations were made several times in the 19th and 20th centuries, including repairs to wartime bomb damage, and restoration work undertaken in 2009. The church has been awarded Grade I listed status in view of its architectural and historical importance.

There was already a church dedicated to St. Lawrence in Mereworth during the reign of Henry II (1154–89), when its advowson belonged to Roger de Mereworth. The original church was said to have been built by the de Clares and was appropriated by the Knights Hospitallers on its foundation. During the reign of Henry II, there was a dispute between de Mereworth and Leeds Priory concerning the patronage of the church. Gilbert, Bishop of Rochester was asked to adjudicate on the dispute. He found in favour of de Mereworth, but the parson of the church was to pay the sum of 40s per annum to the priory as a perpetual benefice. Shortly after the settlement of the dispute the church was granted to Tonbridge Priory, in whose possession it remained until the priory was dissolved in 1525. The church then passed into the possession of Cardinal Wolsey, but was amongst the properties forfeited to the Crown in 1529.