Ulverston Parish Church
It’s believed there has been a church on this site here in Ulverston since 1111 AD.
St Mary’s Church is a great example of workmanship through the ages.
Although rebuilt in Victorian times, the Norman arch over the inner door and the Tudor tower at the west end stand testament to its early origins.
Ulverston was a market town in 1280. The parish church has a twelfth-century doorway. Inside, there is an effigy of Myles Dodding, 1629; the larger effigy of William Sandys, who died in 1558, is a modern antique.
There is also a brass of the Doddings of Conishead (1606) and not less interesting tablet of Sir John Barrow (1764 -1848) who was born in a cottage in Ulverston at Dragley Beck who became an Artic explorer, a traveller in China and South Africa, considerable writer, and most useful Secretary to the Admiralty.
The stained glass windows of St Mary’s Church contain hidden stories of people from the community as well as biblical themes and characters.
The parish church of St Mary is certainly known to have existed as early as the twelfth century, and the tradition has assigned its foundation to 1111 when Henry I was on the throne.
Nearby Furness Abbey was founded in 1127, and a document in the Coucher Book of Furness Abbey, dated about 1200, mentions a parson of Ulverston named Robert.
At about this time, a controversy arose between the Abbot of Furness and the Prior of Conishead, the former of whom claimed Ulverston.
In 1231, the Archbishop of York, under whose jurisdiction the matter fell, confirmed Ulverston’s affiliation with Conishead.
In October 2022, several urgent repairs are needed to the Grade II listed church.
It’s estimated that £1.5m needs to be raised to address the major issues.
Serious erosion of the church walls and tower has been highlighted.
Overall, there are 11 miles of pointing (with traditional lime mortar to enable the walls to breathe) and nearly 500 stone blocks to replace, as well as 12 stained glass windows to remove and re-glaze.
The first step is to begin to replace the corroded cast iron gutters and downpipes to prevent water from running into the walls.
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