St Marys Church
History of St Marys Church
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a grade II listed building, rebuilt in the fourteenth century and restored in the nineteenth century. In 1883 St Mary’s was completely restored and the small vestry constructed on the south side of the chancel.
Rectors of St Marys
Stansted was a chapel to Wrotham until 1647 when the two parishes separated for 13 years. In 1660 the two parishes were reunited and the Rector/Vicar of Wrotham again served as the curate of Stansted until 1846. Stansted was separated from Wrotham in 1846 and from that date had its own Rector.
The 'Cloisters' Development
An extension to the main church, the Cloisters, was started in 2013 and officially opened in October 2015. A report on the Cloisters development and a photographic record of the work are available below.
Bell Restoration Project
On 9th June 1991 one hundred and fifty intrepid walkers accompanied the oldest bell in St Mary’s tower to Whitechapel Bell Foundry, a distance of 26 miles. Dressed in medieval costume they raised a quarter of the funds needed for a new bell frame, ringing gallery, and the casting of three new bells to create a ring of six.
Graves & Burials
This page contains burial records relating to St Mary’s Church, Stansted, Kent, and is maintained for administrative and historical purposes. The Society hopes these records will also be valuable to genealogical researchers tracing family histories. If you believe any information is incorrect or should be restricted, please contact the Society.
In the Parish Church of St. Mary, there is a framed illuminated scroll, the ‘Parish of Stansted Roll of Honour’, listing the men who served overseas during the Great War, 1914 to 1918.
In the Parish Church of St. Mary, there is a fine alabaster tablet outlined in green marble which lists the names and Regiments of 15 men who served overseas during WW1 and lost their lives. This tablet was unveiled on 10th March 1920 by Colonel William Pitt of Fairseat, who had lost two sons in the conflict.
A study was commissioned by the Stansted, Fairseat with Vigo PCC and a ‘Historic Building Record & Watching Brief’ was subsequently produced by Archaeology South-East (ASE) and published in 2014.