Bedford
St. Paul's Church
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St. Paul's Church
St. Paul's is the largest of the five medieval churches in Bedford. The exterior of the church largely dates to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The spire and tower are modern. The earliest part of the church is the south doorway of which parts date to the fourteenth century. The church itself was probably pre Norman Conquest in origin but the original buildings are believed to have been destroyed during the siege of Bedford castle in 1224.
The church has a number of interesting features including:
- brasses to Sir William Harpur (Alderman and Lord Mayor of London who died in 1573) and his second wife, Margaret
- misericords in the choir, including one depicting an archer driving Falkes de Breaute from Bedford castle
- a gravestone in the south porch recording the death in 1717 of the wife of Shadrach Johnson. She gave birth to 24 children, a quite remarkable feat as she was only 38 when she died
John Wesley is said to have preached his famous 'Great Assize' sermon from the pulpit in 1758 before Sir Edward Clive from the text "We shall all stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ."
Sources:
- Bedfordshire by James Dyer (Shire Publications, 1995)
- Bedfordshire churches in the nineteenth century, part 1, parishes A-G edited by Chris Pickford (BHRS, Vo. 73, 1994)
- Odd and unusual Bedfordshire by Alan Cox, Bedfordshire County Council, 1982
- Victoria County History of Bedfordshire
St. Paul's Church, by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2007
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