Ecclesiastical Buildings
of Redgrave-cum- Botesdale
by Jean Sheehan

John Sheriff endowed the chapel with land and tenements in Walsham le Willows to repair the chapel and to create a chantry chapel, where a priest was paid to pray for his soul, and the souls of his wife and Bridget Wykys. The inscription over the doorway was inserted stating this. Although a copy of his will has not been found it was probably in the first decade of the sixteenth century. Unfortunately chantry chapels were confiscated by the King and sold off. The inhabitants submitted a petition in 1548 saying that the villagers had originally paid for the chapel and that it belonged to them, but to no avail. Sir Nicholas Bacon eventually bought it and founded a free grammar school there in 1576. The tower was probably demolished at this time and the house now known as Chapel House was added to use as schoolrooms and a home for the master. By the end of the eighteenth century, the buildings were very dilapidated and the villagers helped to raise money for repairs and began to have a service on Sunday evenings in the chapel again. The school eventually closed and the property put up for sale. The house was bought privately and the chapel was purchased and conveyed to trustees for the use of the inhabitants in the 1880s.

I have also been asked why St. Mary's Church is called St. Botolph's in 19th century directories and also on maps. Peter Northeast explains in East Anglian Studies that in 1733 Browne Willis published a list of all the parish churches in thirteen dioceses and Redgrave is listed as ' Redgrave (St. Mary) cum Budesdale (St. Botolph).' This was copied in a later list as ' Redgrave with Botesdale (St. Botulph)'. This was used by directories and maps incorrectly and was not rectified until the end of the nineteenth century. The original dedication of Redgrave Church was 'All Saints' but had to change to St. Mary after the Reformation.

An excerpt from the Parish Magazine for February 1884 said "Extra services on the three first Sundays of the month will be held in different parts of the village as the Parish Church is so unsuitably situated for evening service. The first service on the 3rd. inst. will be held at the Grove Farm House for those in Fen St. The 2nd service on the 10th at Mr. Sterry's house at the further part of the street and the 3rd service at the school on the 17th all at 6.30 pm". It seems the problem was probably lighting rather than heating, with no electricity and walking to church in the dark, as the morning services were still being held at the church. The Rector had been given permission to install a stove in the church in 1881 at his own expense.

A decision to build the Mission Room was made in 1895 and a sale of work held, and later a 'waxworks' and dancing in the garden at night, presumably the Rectory garden, which was illuminated. This raised the nucleus of the fund and the Rector, the Rev. Thomas Holt Wilson added £150 from his own pocket and Annie Holt Wilson paid for the chairs, which cost about £25. The building was started in May 1897 and the first service held was an evening service in September. Prior to this, the evening service had been replaced by an afternoon service at Redgrave Church. The Mission Room was not consecrated at this time.

The parish magazine for September 1905 said that it had been suggested an apse be added to the Mission Room and for this to be consecrated in order to hold regular services there. Apparently £7.8s.0d. had been collected towards this work, but it was then decided to use this money for the chancel as attendances had picked up at the church and they had reverted to having evensong at the Church at 3 p.m. and mission services at the Mission Room at 6.30. Leonard Holt Wilson added a sanctuary in 1911 at his own expense, and the licence to perform divine service in the mission room was eventually given in 1913.

At the beginning of the war evacuees from London were sent to Redgrave and as there were an extra 51 children, three masters and one mistress at the school, music, English and educational films were held at the Mission Room.

In view of the present plans for St. Mary's Church and the Mission Room one wonders what will happen to these two buildings over the next few centuries and if the parishioners will still be raising money for Redgrave cum Botesdale ecclesiastical buildings in the twenty seventh century.