St Mary's Church, Handsworth, Sheffield

St Mary’s Church stands in Handsworth, a village about five and a half kilometres east of Sheffield’s centre. Built by the Normans around 1170, it was founded by William de Lovetot or his father Richard, with William Paynel designing the foundations. The church once had a tall spire until lightning struck in 1698, leaving only a short stump that was later replaced by a new tower in the 1820s. Another lightning strike in 1978 caused minor damage, and repairs in 2002 restored the spire, clock and bell tower. The west tower holds eight bells recast in 1920 by John Taylor & Co, while a service bell from 1590 by Henry II Oldfield still rings inside. The church’s history includes St Katherine’s Chapel, added in the 1220s for Maud de Lovetot to pray for her husband Gerard de Furnival and their son Thomas, who died on a crusade. By the 15th century the church was in ruins but was rebuilt by the Earls of Shrewsbury during the Tudor period. The first rector, Simon Foliot, had two assistants, but after the Reformation the assistants lost their positions. The church is now a Grade II listed building, recognised for its historical significance. Nearby stands the Chantry Inn, built in the mid-13th century as a house for chaplains and lay clerks. After the Reformation it became a school, and by 1804 it was licensed as a public house. The Tudor rectory, once where the Parish Centre now stands, was a timber-framed building later expanded in the 17th or 18th century. Parts of the original structure survive in the museum and reception hall, including a straw and daub wall and an oak tree post.