The congregation of St Leonard’s Church would like to welcome you to our village. We hope that you will be very happy here. We hold regular services plus occasional Family Services, with the usual services at Christmas and Easter. There is also a choir that sings (for fun!) at major festivals and a yearly concert – contact Pat Wade on 01609 882 548.
We organise a number of social events each year, please keep an eye out and in the Gazette. You would be welcome to join us for any of these events and services – children are always welcome in Church.
We are a Church of England Church, but people of other denominations are always welcome. Alternatively, the nearest Methodist Church is in Appleton Wiske and the nearest Roman Catholic Church is in Osmotherley
Usual Service Times (may vary for special occasions)
2nd and 3rd Sundays Holy Communion at 11am
1st and 4th Sundays Evensong at 6pm
On the 5th Sunday we rotate around the five churches in the group.
Children are always welcome but are especially welcome to Family Services which are held most months. More details are in the Welbury & Rountons Gazette produced and delivered to every home in the Parish by the churches of The Rountons & Welbury.
The Parish of Welbury is part of a group of Parishes which includes East and West Rounton and Brompton with Deighton.
Please contact the Churchwardens if you have any questions about weddings, baptisms or funerals.
Churchwardens
Peter Walker, 6, Spring Hill 01609 882947
Joanne Hughes, Tile Shed Farm, DL6 2RZ 01609 882 268 joannehughes311@btinternet.com or 07796 436 020
Church Gazette Archive
The Welbury Church Gazette is an essential monthly publication that keeps the community informed about church activities and local news. Residents can easily access past editions through the monthly archive available in PDF format. To view the Gazette and explore the archive, visit our archive page.
Safeguarding Information
Our Parish is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Our Diocese’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information.
If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer Rob Marshall on 01904 699509 / 07914 668907 . If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority’s children or adult social care services.”
Safeguarding policies for our Parishes can be found at the link below.
History of St Leonards Church
St Leonard, Welbury is a 12th century Church and has a Grade II listing. It had renovations in 1815 and 1877, with original stone possibly being used to rebuild it. Some decorative stone from the original building has been built into the north wall. The church consists of chancel, vestry, nave, and south porch.
It stands on Tofts Lane, towards the south of the village and is surrounded by the churchyard and gardens, with the entrance gate onto the main road.
For a number of years the Church has had excellent Churchwardens and PCC. The Church and churchyard are maintained to a very high standard. The churchyard is open and has a small number of internments each year.
St Leonard’s is a very important building to the people of the village and non-church goers help to maintain the building and the churchyard (with churchyard clearing days in the autumn.)
Visitors to the church are mainly those who have a local or family connection to the Church. The church is open on every Wednesday to allow people to come into the building for private prayer or to look around.
The church is notable for having two modern stained glass windows in memory of two parishioners; these have both been designed by Ann Southeran. In addition to these, all the windows have been restored in the last few years, which has brightened up the church and improved the ventilation, with the addition of gauze vent panels.
Above the main door is a sundial and in the entrance way, above the main door is an old stone, used as a lintel, inscribed with a cross, chalice and bible.
Welbury is named as a ‘Thankful Village’ as all personnel serving in the First World War returned to the village when war ended. A framed list of serving personnel in the nave commemorates this. In 2015 the singer/ songwriter Darren Hayman visited the parish and wrote an instrumental piece entitled “Welbury,” which appeared on his 2016 album “Thankful villages Vol 1.”
The Church, Medieval in origin, mostly rebuilt by Hicks in 1887. Coursed squared stone, ashlar, graduated Welsh slate roofs Nave with south porch, lower chancel, north vestry. Nave: 3 bays. Central gabled south porch, offset angle buttresses, double-chamfered pointed-arched doorway with hoodmould. Windows are 2-light chamfered pointed-arched windows with Decorated tracery and returned hoodmoulds. Stone coping with gableted kneelers, gable cross, double western bellcote with ogee-arched openings, embattled pediment. Chancel: 1 bay, similar window to those in nave; as is east window but Perpendicular in style. Stone coping, gable cross. Interior: the nave south and north walls contain pieces of reset Norman zigzag work. Double-chamfered pointed chancel arch.
Source: British Listed Buildings
Nick’s Window
This window commemorates a young woman, who departed this life before her time. She made her living as a cabinet maker, and as such was in tune with growing things, especially the seasons, trees, and their very individual qualities. The design reflects the progress of the seasons from spring, through summer, into autumn and winter.
The left-hand light has spring flowers at the base – the Lenten lily – and progresses upwards with rowan blossom, apple blossom, and the oak in full fresh leaf housing a bird’s nest. The right-hand light shows the further progress of the year.
The oak now has acorns, the apple is bearing fruit and so is the rowan. Lower down is an autumn flowering cyclamen and at the base the fallen leaf litter is full of the seeds, the nuts, of next year’s growth and renewal. There are acorns, beech mast, cob nuts, chestnut, sycamore and maple amongst others.
The various plants have been chosen for their own properties. Oak is the most majestic tree in the forest, a symbol of strength and longevity, associated with wisdom and stability. As timber it is almost without compare in terms of its usefulness. Rowan is a tree which grows out of the most inhospitable ground and thrives. It is known as the wayfarer’s tree as it supposedly stopped travellers from becoming lost. The wood is dense and good for carving and turning into small objects such as spindles, tool handles and walking sticks. The tree is traditionally believed to guard against malevolent spirits. The Apple is thought to be the tree in the garden of Eden – the tree of knowledge and immortality – its wood can be used for making small decorative items and has a sweet smell when burned on a fire. Cyclamen is a flower of deep love, coming into bloom when most other things are dying off, small and humble but always there year after year.
The background to each light echoes the colours of the season and will be drawn to represent wood grain.
The text reminds us that everything has its time – life is finite – but the whole design is meant to convey the message that the life of the future is contained in the seeds of the present, and that there is no absolute end.
There are 7 small dragonflies, etched onto the glass in various places if you look closely – which have particular relevance for the family.
Designed by Ann Sotheran and installed 29.05.2020
Information kindly supplied by Mr & Mrs L Race
Victoria’s Window
The imagery is based on the presence of Christ in the world, with the emblem of the Eucharist, and on Easter time and resurrection with the angel and the Agnes Dei, and is suitably gentle in colouring and iconography.
The lilies carried by the angel, and the pink rosebuds, symbolise purity and innocence while the grape hyacinth, being a Spring flower, gives us hope of the new season and life to come. The lines of the design flow up and through to indicate a bird, representative of a soul, in flight upwards to heaven.
The lines of verse on the window are taken from a traditional children’s prayer which is significant to the family.
Designed by Ann Sotheran.
Information kindly supplied by Mr & Mrs D Pattison
St Leonard’s Day – November 6th
St Leonard is the patron saint of Welbury Church. The details of his life are recorded in a book called “The Life of St Leonard” which was written 500 years after his death. As this is so long after his life, some have questioned its accuracy. But there are some good stories in it and it has served as an inspiration to many. The Life tells of how Leonard was born into a noble family and served in the court of Clovis, King of the Franks. Clovis became a Christian in 496 AD, inspired by his wife, Clothilde, who is also remembered as a saint. Leonard refused to become a Bishop but instead chose the life of a hermit in the forest. One day he encountered Clovis and the pregnant Clothilde near his hermitage. He ensured the safe delivery of Clothilde’s baby and for this was promised as much land as he could ride around in a day. He used this land in Noblac to build a monastery. Many crusaders visited his shrine on their release from prison camps and for this reason, he became known as the patron saint of prisoners.
The bars between the choir stalls and the vestry at Welbury are partly made of chains, as a reminder of his importance to prisoners.