St Mary

He was the first bishop to reside in Riseholme Hall and he had this attractive 14th century style church built at his own expense to a design by SS Teulon. It was consecrated on 7th August 1851. A visit to see the east window and the chancel window presented by Balliol College, Oxford is a must. Bishop John Kaye and the noted Bishop Christopher Wordsworth are both buried in the churchyard. The church consists of a nave with gabled western bell cote, a gabled south porch, a vestry and a chancel. St Mary's is built of local stone and the architecture is early Decorated period. All the woodwork is English oak and the font is of stone from Caen. The chancel arch is in a 13th century style and the chancel floor is Victorian encaustic tiles. The windows are by Gibbs. The organ is a premier pipe organ made by Cousans of Lincoln. St Mary's did not have electricity until 1948 and an electric blower was installed for the organ in 1954. St Marys's replaces an earlier medieval church. Although population declined from the 14th century, due to desease, the church continued to be maintained and as late as 1519 the diocesan visitation of the parish reported that all was well. By the late 16th century, however, the church was seriously at risk of collapse and in the early 17th century was a ruin. In 1602 the church was reported to be 'utterly ruinated' as was the chancel and all the bells, ornaments and books. There was little chance of rebuilding the church because there was only one parishioner! In 1603 the parson reported that there were 12 communicants and that 'the whole towne savinge one house is ruinated and down'. A glebe terrier of 1601 records 'only the churchyard and no church'. Twenty years later nearby Nettleham parish registers record the burial there of Riseholme inhabitants. By the early 18th century the diocesan census return provides the name of the incumbent, Jeremiah Milles, but there was no church and no rectory. Riseholme Hall was built in the middle of the 18th century by the Chaplin family. In 1840 the estate was sold to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and for forty years was the Palace for the Bishop of Lincoln.