St Mary’s Church
St Mary’s of the Purification dates back to the 15th century and is a Grade II listed building. Only the west tower from the mediaeval Norman church survives. The rest was built in 1739 by Rhodes of Barlborough and 1839 by Colvin. In the churchyard, there is a model of the earlier Norman design.
The church tower has two clocks, one facing West, the other East, visible to people approaching from either direction along Main Street. The clock pendulum is formed from a sword used by Captain Need at the battle of Waterloo. The Captain lived at nearby Fountaindale.
A model of the original Norman Church is located in St Mary’s Churchyard. The model was created in 1960.
Rocking Ceremony
St Mary’s is most famous for its Rocking ceremony, a custom over 400 years old which involves rocking the baby baptised closest to Candlemas (February 2nd).
The Christian ceremony marks the moment when baby Jesus was presented to the temple in Jerusalem. When the ceremony was originally performed, churchgoers could not read, so Bible stories were acted out in church.
It tells the story from the gospel of Luke, where Joseph and Mary go to the temple for Mary’s ritual purification and perform the redemption of their first born, by sacrificing two doves. Doves are not sacrificed today, but a child is rocked in a cradle donated to the church 100 years ago.
The Rocking ceremony at St Mary’s Church in 1924.
The practice was banned in 1600 following a death that occurred due to a fight in subsequent celebrations, but revived in 1922 by Reverend John Lowndes – and has used the same cradle ever since. A stone in the church remembers the man who was killed. All of the rocked babies have their name added to a plaque located inside the church.
In 2010 a sculpture was erected in the colliery village to commemorate this enduring custom.
Memorial seat for Sergeant Michael Willetts GC
Sergeant Willetts GC Memorial
At the eastern boundary of the churchyard is a memorial seat, dedicated to Sergeant Michael Willetts GC, who served with the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment. He originally worked at Summit Colliery, Kirkby, before volunteering for the armed forces in 1962.
In 1971 after serving in Cyprus, Libya and Greece, Sergeant Willetts was dispatched to Belfast to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary’s (RUC) counter terrorism operations against the Irish Republican Army (IRA)
On the evening of the 25th May 1971, a man entered Springfield Road Police Station with a suitcase which had a smoking fuse, he dumped it on the floor, and fled. Inside the reception area were two adults, two children and several police officers
Sergeant Willetts was on duty in the inner hall. On hearing the alarm, he sent an officer to the first floor to warn those above and rushed to the door where a police officer was evacuating people from the building.
Sergeant Willetts held the door open while everyone passed through, using his body as a shield. Within seconds, the bomb exploded, leaving him mortally wounded. Seven RUC Officers, two British Soldiers and eighteen civilians were also injured in the attack. Sergeant Willetts was rushed to hospital but died two hours later.
Sergeant Willetts body was returned to England and buried in St Mary’s Churchyard. He was the first member of the Parachute Regiment to be killed in the ‘Troubles’ and was posthumously awarded the George Cross medal by Queen Elizabeth II for his bravery in saving the lives of innocent people
In 1972, inspired by the incident, folk musician Harvey Andrews released a song entitled ‘Soldier’ which was subsequently banned by the BBC after it was appropriated by pro-Loyalists.
A memorial stone fashioned from the old church spire, commemorates the burial place of the outlaw, Will Scarlet.
Will Scarlet Memorial
According to local legend, Robin Hood lived around Blidworth and administered his form of justice here during the 12th century.
In modern times, the Robin Hood legend has been retold in literature, film and television. Each generation casting the character in their own image, ethos and values. The enduring appeal of our heroic outlaw is known across the world.
The earliest ballads of Robin Hood date from the 15th Century, ‘A Gest of Robyn Hode’ was published around 1492, and contains many of the familiar themes associated with modern Robin Hood stories, such as an archery contest, Sherwood Forest, robbing the rich to help the poor, and fighting with the Sheriff.
By the 16th Century, Maid Marian had become more prominent in the Robin Hood stories and the two characters were woven into the village’s traditional May Day celebrations, being crowned May King and May Queen. More romantic notions of Robin Hood as a dispossessed Saxon nobleman fighting Norman overlords took hold in the 19th Century.
‘A Gest of Robyn Hode’ was the first story to mention Will Scarlet joining the band of Merry Men. Will Scarlet was always depicted as being younger than the other outlaws, a tempestuous swordsman dressed in red silk.
Will Scarlet is said to have died in a battle with the Sheriff of Nottingham’s men and was buried in St Mary’s Churchyard. A memorial stone fashioned from the old church spire commemorates his burial here.
In ‘The Robin Hood and The Curtal Friar’ Will Scarlet tells Robin about a fearless Friar who lives near the lakes at Fountaindale. After challenging the Friar to carry him across the Lake, Robin is unceremoniously thrown into the water, whereupon he invites the Friar to join his band of outlaws, and they become lifelong friends.
Reverend R.H. Whitworth standing beside the St Lawrence Chantry in St Mary’s Churchyard 1904 (Then and Now).
St Lawrence’s Chantry
Friar Tuck is said to have held services at the St Lawrence Chantry which was partially restored in the St Mary’s churchyard from fragments of the old church in 1904.
The next part of the trail reveals some fascinating facts about Other Nearby Locations – including the monastic cell of legendary Friar Tuck’s which was surrounded by a moat at Fountaindale, a few miles from here.