Location
Hawerby church is a sad case. Located just where the Wolds drops down to meet the marsh, St Margaret's Hawerby-cum-Beesby, is in an area where there has been a good deal of depopulation since the Middle Ages. In fact the name says it all, Hawerby with Beesby. Once Beesby, two miles away, was a thriving village with its own church. That was demolished in the fifteenth century. There is now little in Hawerby either, save for St Margaret's, the large rectory next door and Hawerby Hall, the eighteenth century home of the Harneis family. The church was made redundant in 1978 and was bought by a prominent local architect, who was supposed to convert it into a studio. Although some remedial work has been done, the church has been left it to rot for the last thirty years. It is now in a parlous state with gaping holes in the roof and is on the Buildings at Risk register, though I'm pleased to see that some holding repairs are planned.
The church is a simple structure, nave, chancel and bellcote, built of local materials, ironstone, chalk and brick. The north wall is probably twelfth century and in the south wall incorporates the blocked thirteenth century arcade of a south aisle. There is evidence of a demolished west tower too; the seventeenth century bellcote shelters two medieval bells. The church was restored in 1846 and it was then that the aisle was demolished. Inside there is a restored Norman drum font and some monuments. On the chancel north wall is a brass to Elizabeth Humfray (died 1638) the daughter of former rector, Nathaniel Pilkington and below it is a Gothic niche that formerly held the marble bust of Maria Harneis, wife of Theophilus Harneis, former lord of the manor. The chancel floor is made up of ledger slabs to the Harneis family and there are more tablets in their memory lying in a stack at the west end of the church. It's not a church to visit unless you have a strong stomach.
Access: The church is approached up a lane that leads to the hall and rectory. The church is in private hands and internal access is no longer possible.
If you want to see some more photos of Hawerby have a look at my Flickr folder.
Thank you for generously sharing your fascinating and informative researches. My HARNESS ancestors were born and lived in Hawerby in the late 1600s.
ReplyDeletewho owns the church ? my dad loved hawerby hall/church he recently passed away i thought about spreading some of his ashes in the church yard x
ReplyDeleteDid you find out who owns the church?
DeleteWould like to know the church's current status. It would be nice if someone could record the Harneis family grave memorials. I would do it if I was given permission to access the church.
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm a descendant of Theophilus Harneis and his family. I'm trying to find out more about my ancestors, although unfortunately I live in New Zealand and I don't have the funds to visit England (not to mention I'm 15, can't really go by myself). Does anyone have any more information about the Harneis's? Any help at all will be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteKind regards,
Isabella Harneiss
Hi Isabella,
ReplyDeleteJust found your post re Harneis family and Hawerby. The church there has been redundant for many years and was in a very poor state of repair when I last saw it. However, I called in last week while driving through Lincs and see that it has now been restored and is currently for sale!
Hawerby Hall was my childhood home in the 1950s/early 60s. It was a magical place to grow up, so beautifully located on the edge of the Wolds with (on clear days) just a glimpse of the sea sparkling in the distance with Spurn Head lighthouse just discernible on the Yorkshire side of the River Humber. So I have always known the name Harneis as the builders of the present Hall in 1781, then extended in 1831, I think. There were Harneis family memorials in the little St Margaret's Church and a tomb in the churchyard. Sadly the wall memorials seem to have disappeared and the church has been stripped bare ready for conversion to a house/gallery.
Some years ago I met by chance a photographer called John (?) Barton (he has Hawerby pics on Flickr) who told me he had been in touch with present day Harneis descendants, now living in (I think) Somerset. He said they had a lot of old family papers, plans, etc. He told me that the estate at Hawerby was granted to the family in the early 1600s by King Charles 1. I remember being told as a child that the original Hall was down near the road (Barton Street, an old Roman road) but re-built up the hill as a Georgian country house with parkland in front.
I have been back to the Hall a couple of times, once in 1993 when it was a hotel, and again five years ago when I met the present owners. They have lavished a great deal of love and money on the house and it looks amazing. So beautiful. From what I saw the other day it looks as though they have now fenced in parts of the park and re-planted a lot of trees to bring it back to its former appearance.
I have photos of the Hall is it was when I lived there (1949-62) and also a rather lovely watercolour painting done for my parents in 1958. If you let me have an email address I could send you a few, plus one from across the fields of how it looks now.
Good wishes,
Richard Wood