St Mary's Church, Handsworth, Sheffield
| Church of St Mary the Virgin, Handsworth | |
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The church from the south
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 Church of St Mary the Virgin, Handsworth
The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Sheffield
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| Coordinates: 53°22′16″N 1°23′04″W / 53.371131°N 1.38443°W | |
| Location | Handsworth, South Yorkshire, England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic |
| Website | St Mary the Virgin S13 9BZ |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Architecture | |
| Status | church |
| Functional status | active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II listed |
| Designated | 28 June 1973 |
| Style | Gothic, Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 12th to 19th centuries |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Materials | stone |
| Bells | 8 |
| Tenor bell weight | 12 long tons 0 cwt 2 qr (26,940 lb or 12.22 t) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Mary the Virgin, Handsworth |
| Diocese | Sheffield |
| Province | York |
St Mary's Church in Handsworth, South Yorkshire, is a Church of England parish church about 3 1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) east of the centre of Sheffield, England.
St Mary's was originally a Norman church built in about 1170. It was founded by the Norman lord, William de Lovetot, or his father Richard, and the foundations were planned by William Paynel.
In the 1220s St Katherine's Chapel was added, probably for Maud de Lovetot, for prayer and Mass to be offered for the soul of her husband Gerard de Furnival, and perhaps their son, Thomas de Furnival who died on a crusade to Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
By 1472 the Fabric Rolls of York reported that the church was ruinous, but in the process of being rebuilt. It was successive Earls of Shrewsbury who had much of the damage repaired in the Tudor era.
Lightning struck the church spire in 1698. The new steeple subsequently built to replace it was much smaller and became known as "the Handsworth stump". In the 1820s the "stump" was demolished and a new tower erected. Lightning struck the tower again in January 1978, this time causing less damage. The spire, and the clock and bell tower were extensively repaired in 2002.
Simon Foliot, the first Rector, had two assistants and by 1535 there were five. The assistants lost their livings in the English Reformation.
The west tower has a ring of eight bells. John Taylor & Co of Loughborough, Leicestershire re-cast and re-hung all eight bells in 1920. There is also a service bell, which was cast in 1590 by Henry II Oldfield of Nottingham.
The church is a Grade II listed building.
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Wikipedia