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Chapel at Crispe Almshouses (Private),
High Street,
Marshfield, Gloucestershire.

Cemeteries

We believe the Church does NOT have a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in 1612, and we understand it is still open.

Kelly's Directory of 1923 records the Almshouses as "among the principal charities... eight almshouses, each of the residents having a separate garden, and an allowance of £11 yearly" These were left by Ellis and Nicholas Crispe in 1625, and endowed by them with a rent-charge of £38 13s. 4d. which is vested in the trustees of the consolidated charities of the parish, one of whom is elected treasurer. The almshouses were further endowed by the Rev. Charles Parrot with £1,300, invested in Consols. There is an allowance of £10 yearly to each of six other poor widows, not being recipients of the above, derived from an estate in Iron Acton, of the yearly value of £40, together with one moiety of £800, invested in New South Sea Annuities, left by Mrs. Dionysia Long in 1731.

The almshouses are of a traditional Cotswold design, with a Chapel in the centre of the group. It has an embattled porch, and clock tower, topped by a broached spire, and a plain interior "with two inward leaning piers which support the tower". The British Listed Buildings website provides a fuller description - "a very good example of 17th century vernacular almshouses, occupying a very important site as the first building in the village street"

Kelly also mentions a range of other charitable bequests. Sir Robert Gunning, knight, left £5 yearly, which is distributed in bread on New Year's Day; and John Bearpacker, in 1715, gave £210, two-thirds of the dividends arising from which were to be distributed in clothing on St Thomas's day to the poor; the remaining third to the poor at West Littleton. Nicholas Holister in 1821, Colonel Olney in 1832, Isaac Tyler in 1852, and Benjamin Viner gave various sums, the interest from which (amounting to about £20 a year), was to be distributed in clothing, coals, blankets and money to the poor of Marshfield, on St Thomas's day (Dec 21). Miss Wright, in 1903, left £20 to the vicar and churchwardens to provide four flannel petticoats for as many old women on the anniversary of her death, 26th June.

Denomination

Now or formerly Hospital Chapel.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Church is located at OS grid reference ST7739873771. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• Chapel at Crispe Almshouses (Private), Marshfield shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Marshfield shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Marshfield, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• Learn more about Buildings of special or historical interest on the British Listed Buildings (null) (verified 2018-09-19)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.