Enjoy the latest Stories from St. Mary’s– telling the tale of why our parish church is no ordinary village church…

  The Bloxham Trio: fellowship and respect since 1789!

As a follow up to the last story of dissenters (i.e. members of religious groups outside the established church) in the village, this time we are looking at the story of 3 religious leaders of Bloxham who, in spite of their differences, had great mutual respect for each other.

The vicar of Bloxham from 1789 until his death in 1852 was George Bell, with 63 years by far the longest serving in this village. During his time at the church there were also two outstanding leaders of the dissenting faiths; Joseph Jevans of the Unitarian Presbyterians and David Nunwick of the Baptists. When Jevans died in in 1839 the vicar conducted the burial service himself (normally the Curate), such was the respect he had for the man. Nunwick died in 1859 after being Baptist minister for 40 years.

It is comforting to note that a spirit of cooperation and respect has been the centre of the various religious beliefs within the village for such a long time. This is being continued as St. Mary’s and the Bloxham Baptists explore, together, the opportunities presented by the Building Our Future project.

This series is brought to you by the BOF Heritage Group. Throughout its history, St. Mary’s Church, Bloxham, has adapted to the needs of the time. The Building Our Future (BOF) project is dedicated to enhancing our magnificent church with up-to-date facilities, to make it more welcoming and more practical for all – whilst maintaining the beauty of this historic building. St. Mary’s is now open daily allowing you to explore our parish church for yourself.

Please contact us via bofcomms@gmail.com to join the mailing list for future updates or to share your own Stories from St. Mary’s – or find out more about the project at  www.stmarysbloxham.org.uk/buildingourfuture.