St Mary's Church | Foy | Herefordshire

FOY
Dedication: St Mary
OS Grid Reference: SO 598 283

Facilities:

Disabled Access by prior arrangement

Information:

St. Mary’s Church commands perhaps one of the finest views in the shire across the River Wye from its position on top of a small cliff of exposed old red sandstone.

The parish of Foy occupies almost 1000 hectares and is dissected by the River Wye forming east (English) Hole-in-the-Wall Foy and west (Welsh) Brickend Foy.

The Church, approached by a ‘no through’ country lane, stands in West Foy on a peninsula of land formed by the River as it meanders between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye. The car park is always open and provides ample parking. A level gravelled pathway leads in and circuits the church. In the eastern corner is an ancient yew tree, beneath which is a bench seat. This is an ideal spot to rest and enjoy the traditionally English views over the river and suspension bridge to the farmland of Hill of Eaton opposite and upstream the wooded slopes of the Perrystone estate. Steps lead down in front of the bench to a gate giving access to the public footpath that diagonally traverses the meadow to the gate and beyond along the riverbank to the suspension foot-bridge. This was originally constructed in Victorian times at a cost of £800 but demolished in the flood of 1918. It was rebuilt in iron on stone piers in 1920 at a cost of £2,000.

The first church on this site was consecrated in the 11th c. during the reign of William the Conqueror, and dedicated to Saint Tvyoi or Ffwy.
As the Normans refused to recognise Celtic saints, they turned this into Saint Faith (Ancient French – Foy), and later, into St Mary.
All that remains of Foy’s first church are a few stones in the North doorway and the broken front stoup in the churchyard.

The present church’s origins stand in the 13th c., during the reign of Henry III, when the nave and chancel were built. In the 14th c. the west bell tower and the south porch were added as was the octagonal font on moulded base all in matching local old red sandstone. The font is the largest in the shire.

The church is unusually aligned from north-east to south-west probably due to the topography and the course of the River to which it stands parallel.

The roof covering is of Welsh slates whilst the internal timbers are of dark oak resting upon a bold timber battlemented cornice.

Outside, on the arch of the northwest window, is the head of a Bishop. He could be Saint Thomas Cantilupe and the lady to the right, his sister Juliana, wife of Sir Robert de Tregoz, of the vanished castle in East Foy. Sir Robert was killed at Evesham, fighting for constitutional reform with Simon de Montfort – his lands and revenues therefore forfeit to the Crown.

Behind the pulpit is an altar-tomb almost certainly that of Sir Hugh Waterson, once Chamberlain to the last Duke of Lancaster, Earl of Derby and Hereford, who in 1399 usurped the throne as Henry IV.

The altar has a cusp canopy and a little piscina, or drain, for the mass-priest’s use, on the sill.

In the 15th c. the Abrahall family appear as lords of the manor. Nine members of that family notably held the benefice successively (with only two interruptions) from 1642 until 1937, under the names of Abrahall, Jones, Aubrey and Wilton. John Abrahall was the greatest lay benefactor of the village. He endowed three almshouses across the river, the finely proportioned Jacobean pulpit dates from his time, and he left money to rebuild the East wall, and put in it a window copied from Sellack’s East window - a bequest delayed for 35 years by defaulting executors. His initials are on the East gable. The Abrahall heraldic “urchin”(or hedgehog) is carved under the ceiling of the screen, appears on many of their memorials as does the family motto ‘j’ay guardé la foy’ in ancient French or ‘I have kept the faith’.

The walls and floors of the chancel are filled with their memorial tablets the most notable of which is by the renowned Esau Osborn of Bristol commemorating John Abrahall. Restoration works were carried out in 1863 at a cost of £320 at the same time pews and the organ were installed in the nave.

There are many fine examples of stained glass in particular that in the south chancel window.

There is a decorated timber rood screen dividing the chancel from the nave. These are now rarely met with, and here is one almost perfect, and of a beautiful design. It carries an enriched cornice, and over the doorway on the altar side is a well executed carving of the Lamb, with cross.

The tower houses 6 bells and a sanctus. The sanctus was cast in the mid 17th c. by John Finch of Hereford. William Evans of Chepstow cast all the other bells in 1738 with the exception of the tenor that was cast in 1765. The treble was recast in London in 1882. A spiral stone staircase of some 77 steps climbs the tower passing the tower room and belfry to the roof.
The parish registers commence with the year 1570 but most are now held centrally at the diocesan records office.

The parish although historically linked with Sellack is now in the benefice of How Caple with Sollershope and Foy which formed part of the now disbanded Northern Group of the Ross Team along with Brampton Abbots, Bridstow and Peterstow.

It is likely now that these 6 parishes will become an independent benefice. St.Mary’s Church.