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St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford is in Rufford, Lancashire, Churches in Lancashire.
World War II Memorial at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map], and memorial to more recent services' deaths.
West wall of St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map] with windows commissioned by Thomas Fermor-Hesketh 5th Baronet in memory of his wife Arabella Fermor Lady Hesketh.
St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map]
On 8th October 1463 Thomas Hesketh of Rufford (age 57) died. Alasbaster grave slab at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map] to Thomas and his wife Margaret Massey with their children depicted at his feet.
Thomas Hesketh of Rufford: Around 1406 he was born. In 1428 Thomas Hesketh of Rufford and Margaret Massey were married.
Margaret Massey: she was born to Hamon Massey of Rixton.
On 8th February 1539 Robert Hesketh (age 29) died. He was buried at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map]. Brass to Robert and his wife Grace Towneley (age 34).
Robert Hesketh: After 1510 he was born to Thomas Hesketh of Hesketh and Rufford. In 1521 Robert Hesketh and Grace Towneley were married.
Grace Towneley: Around 1505 she was born to John Towneley. On 28th May 1543 she died. She was buried at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map].
On 28th May 1543 Grace Towneley (age 38) died. She was buried at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map].
St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map]. Grave of Margaret Hesketh, died 1680. Possibly Margaret Hesketh (age 28).
Margaret Hesketh: Before 1652 she was born to Robert Hesketh and Lucy Rigby Lady Molyneux.
In 1769 Robert Hesketh (age 99) died. He was buried at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map].
On 4th March 1778 Thomas Hesketh 1st Baronet (age 51) died. His brother Robert (age 48) succeeded 2nd Baronet Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire. Memorial at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map].
Thomas Hesketh 1st Baronet: In 1727 he was born to Thomas Hesketh. In 1761 Thomas Hesketh 1st Baronet was created 1st Baronet Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire.
Robert Hesketh 2nd Baronet: On 23rd April 1729 he was born to Thomas Hesketh. On 30th December 1796 Robert Hesketh 2nd Baronet died. His grandson Thomas succeeded 3rd Baronet Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire.
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 6th February 1817 Sophia Hinde Lady Hesketh (age 39) died. She was buried at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map]. Monument by John Flaxman (age 61).
Sophia Hinde Lady Hesketh: In 1778 she was born. On 1st February 1798 Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh 3rd Baronet and she were married. She by marriage Lady Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire.
On 27th July 1842 Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh 3rd Baronet (age 65) died. He was buried at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map]. His son Thomas (age 43) succeeded 4th Baronet Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire. Annette Maria Bomford Lady Hesketh (age 43) by marriage Lady Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire.
On 10th February 1843 Thomas Hesketh 4th Baronet (age 43) died the day before his 44th birthday. His son Thomas (age 18) succeeded 5th Baronet Fermor-Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire. Memorial at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map].
Thomas Hesketh 4th Baronet: On 11th February 1799 he was born to Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh 3rd Baronet and Sophia Hinde Lady Hesketh. On 3rd April 1824 Thomas Hesketh 4th Baronet and Annette Maria Bomford Lady Hesketh were married. On 27th July 1842 Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh 3rd Baronet died. He was buried at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map]. His son Thomas succeeded 4th Baronet Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire. Annette Maria Bomford Lady Hesketh by marriage Lady Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire.
On 22nd May 1849 Thomas Richard Hesketh (age 1) died. Memorial at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map].
Thomas Richard Hesketh: Around February 1848 he was born to Thomas Fermor-Hesketh 5th Baronet and Arabella Fermor Lady Hesketh.
On 17th October 1849 Thomas Buckler Lethbridge 2nd Baronet (age 71) died. He was buried at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map]. His son John (age 51) succeeded 3rd Baronet Lethbridge of Westaway House in Devon and Winkley Court in Somerset.
St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map]. Memorial of the three children of Thomas ffoster, sometime Rector of Rufford, and his wife Mary Elizabeth Christian, who died young.
On 14th June 1863 Anna Maria Lake (age 88) died. Memorial window at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map] commissioned by her grand-daughter Arabella Fermor Lady Hesketh (age 35).
Anna Maria Lake: In 1775 she was born to Gerard Lake 1st Viscount Lake and Elizabeth Barker. On 21st August 1799 Richard Borough 1st Baronet and she were married.
St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map]. The font now in use is a handsome modern one of red granite, a Masonic gift in memory of Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh 5th Baronet (age 46), but the 18th-century hexagonal font is still preserved, with a wooden canopy, round the bottom of which is the inscription: 'NI[PS]ON ANOMHMA MH MONAN O[PS]IN.'
The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 20th August 1872 Thomas Fermor-Hesketh 5th Baronet (age 47) died. His son Thomas (age 25) succeeded 6th Baronet Fermor-Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire. Monument at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map] by Matthew Noble (age 55).
Thomas Henry Fermor-Hesketh 6th Baronet: In 1847 he was born to Thomas Fermor-Hesketh 5th Baronet and Arabella Fermor Lady Hesketh. In 1876 Thomas Henry Fermor-Hesketh 6th Baronet died unmarried. His brother Thomas succeeded 7th Baronet Fermor-Hesketh of Rufford in Lancashire.
On 17th December 1879 Annette Maria Bomford Lady Hesketh (age 80) died. She was buried at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map].
St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map] Memorial to Sunday School teacher Annie Maude Hogg-Goggin, died 9th April 1902.
1918. World War I Memorial at St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map].
Curates and Rectors of St Mary The Virgin Church, Rufford [Map].