All Saint's Church Mattersey is in urgent need of repair …

Brief History of All Saints' Church Mattersey

The first church to be built in Mattersey was constructed of wattle and daub and built between 1084 and 1185, primarily for the use of the De Maresay (De Mattersey) family. However, in or about 1185 Roger de Maresay endowed land to the Order of Gilbertines to found Mattersey Priory on a gravel island in the River Idle, just a short distance from the village. This had a major impact on the development of the church and the parish of Mattersey through the succeeding centuries.

In 1279 a serious fire destroyed much of Mattersey Priory, including its own on-site church, and the Archbishop of York allowed the Gilbertine canons to take over the land and property owned by the church in Mattersey village. On 13th October 1280 he appointed William De Langetoft as (probably) the first vicar of Mattersey Church; construction of the current church building began at around this time with further work taking place in the 14th and 15th centuries. The church was refurbished and the tower was rebuilt around 1402, after the church had fallen into disrepair and the Pope had issued an indulgence for five years to such penitents who visited, personally or by proxy, bringing gifts for repairs to the church.

Mattersey Priory, together with all of its properties and rights, were seized by the Crown during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 and these were granted to Anthony Nevyll on 4th November 1539. The Neville family took responsibility for repairs to the church chancel and it is probable that material taken from the remains of the Priory was re-used for this purpose. A leaden roof was installed in 1835; by 1855, however, the lead had been bartered for a slate roof by the vicar and the churchwardens.

Mattersey Church Today

The fabric of All Saints' Church has inevitably suffered from the effects of time and the weather since its last major restoration in 1865. Some glorious features remain, however, including several beautiful stained-glass windows, various monuments and the font, with its cover, which dates from 1857. The latest Quinquennial Inspection, which took place in 2024, made it crystal clear that we need to carry out some urgent repairs in the short term and some extensive refurbishment work in the medium term. Please can you help us to prevent All Saints' Church falling back into irreversible decline and so keep this beautiful building and source of spiritual support at the heart of the Mattersey and Mattersey Thorpe communities? The church is open every day and people of all faiths and none are always welcome to use the building for spiritual contemplation and comfort.

Repair Priorities

Our first priority is to fix the roof: replacing broken and missing slates over the Nave; replacing the roofs over the North and South Aisles and over the Chancel; and repairing other rainwater goods. Next, we need to repair and repoint the external stonework. Thirdly, we need to re-decorate the walls and ceilings and repair some of the internal fixtures and fittings. We also need to put in place (and fund) a regular annual maintenance programme.

Funding

Our sole source of income for maintaining the church is, in effect, voluntary donations; although we will seek and may be fortunate enough to get grants from charitable foundations, these will normally only match funds that we have already raised - at the most. Please be aware that churches receive no support from the State, apart from VAT relief on repair work, which is not guaranteed and is paid in arrears.

How to Make a Donation to Help Repair All Saints' Church

If you would care to make a donation towards the cost of carrying out the much-needed repairs to All Saints' Church, thank you very much! The easiest way to do so is to make a BACS payment to the following account:

Sort Code: 40-38-11
Account Name: Parochial Church Council of All Saints' Mattersey
Account Number: 91396684

Please use 'Fabric Donation' as the payment reference.

Alternatively, you can donate online (and Gift Aid your donation) at this website:

https://givealittle.co/c/2FHaasSp0rysDsBmN26t80

or scan this QR Code:

Thank You! 🙏🏼