The church of St Clement in Outwell - 'churching' box
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The church of St Clement in Outwell - 'churching' box by Evelyn Simak as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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Image: © Evelyn Simak Taken: 22 Apr 2010
This old almsbox is perhaps unique in England. It was originally used for receiving the offerings of women at their 'churching'. Depending on the sex of the child they had born, the coins were either dropped through the opening on the side depicting a boy's head, or on the side showing a girl's head, or on the side showing two faces in the case of twins. The three lowest stages of the tower of St Clement's church > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1821105 are the oldest part of the building, dating from 1250. The nave is 14th century and the rest of the church was built from 1350 to 1500. The south aisle chapel > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1821116 was built by the Beaupré family and dates from the 15th century. Most of the stained glass > http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1821119 dates from the 15th century also.
