IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Main Street, GRANTHAM, NG32 1RU

To William Draper, d.1712.

Another ironstone village in the NE corner of Leicestershire. The church is dedicated to St Guthlac.

An unusual mark because the diagonal strokes of the arrow are missing. On the south west corner of the tower.

Belvoir Angel headstone in St.Guthlac's churchyard Here lies ye body of William Draper who departed this life February the 14th 1722 in the 65th year of his age

The spire is a late 14th century addition to the 13th century tower.

Looking west from the chancel. The organ is over-large for the church but has its own history. http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3107813

Grade II* listed, largely 13th century church with a 14th century spire, restored 1895-6

Rector of Branston-by-Belvoir (1439-1460) The slab of Ancaster stone at the east end of the north aisle has an effigy of a priest dressed for Mass and has an inscription around its edges which, when translated into English reads as follows: “Here lieth Master John Spethyn once Rector of this church, Who died on the sixth day of the month of July in the year of our Lord 1460, for whose soul may God be propitiated.” There is no sign of adornment on amice, chasuble, stole or maniple; and apparels on all sleeves are nearly effaced. The hands are small and badly drawn. Over his head is a canopy consisting of a cusped and crocketed arch terminating in a large finial and placed between two turrets connected by a crenelated parapet. John Spethyn was instituted on June 3rd 1439, and his patron was the Lord of the Manor, Sir Walter Devereaux. Walter inherited the Manor and advowson of Branston, held under the Bishop of Lincoln, from his Grandmother, Agnes, in 1435. She was the daughter and heir of Thomas de Vrophull, and cousin and heir to Sir John de Crophull, and in 1384 she married a Walter Devereaux. Their grandson Walter married Anne, he only daughter and heir of William, Lord Ferrars of Chartley and obtained the latter title in 1461. Edward IV made many grants to him and he became a Knight of the Garter in 1470. He fought on the side of Richard III and was killed on August 22nd 1485 at Bosworth Field. As a result his estates were confiscated by the Crown.

The organ was built by Hugh Russell of London in 1794 for St Clements Church, Lever St, Manchester. That church was abandoned in 1876. James Murray lived near Manchester and got Wadsworth, a Manchester organ builder, to bring it to Branston in 1879. Unfortunately its original case was not brought with it. It has now been re-sited on a western gallery, composed of part of a screen from St Mary’s Church, Lambeth, in London. A new case has been designed as near as possible to the probably original case, the work being carried out by local craftsmen. The 2 manual organ is one of the most important surviving organs in England from the 18th century. During the years of its restoration, two working organ conferences were held around it, and interest shown from all over the country. The finance was obtained from private sources outside the parish. These sources are only available for work for organs, and did not detract from the £80,000, which had to be raised to restore the church. Peter Horne of Nottingham is the organist and the official Curator and Custodian of the organ. The clock is from the Isle of Wight and was wrong at the time!