Hiplewell of the Domesday Book, now known as Hipswell was the birthplace of John Wyclif, or Wycliffe, in about 1325.  His religious teachings are regarded as having paved the way to the Reformation.  Wyclif made the first English translation of the complete Bible so that the ordinary people could understand it. The present church building dates from 1811, but before that date there was a chapel just a few hundred yards away near Hipswell Hall.  It is mentioned in documents as far back as the 1200 or 1300s, so we might presume that John Wycliffe worshipped there. The ministerial duties were originally performed by the monks of St Martin's Priory and later by domestic chaplains. The chapel became a parish church in 1664 during the reign of James II (son of Charles I), when it gathered a congregation from the local area.

However, the building became a source of great anxiety, constantly needing repair.  Records show that in 1799 the walls began to bulge and had to be propped up (see Extracts of Accounts below). In 1804 the roof was seriously damaged and thatching was used to replace the missing slates (see Extracts of Accounts below).   By 1810 it was decided to pull down the dilapidated chapel and build a new one on a more convenient site. Stone from the old chapel and the west wing of Hipswell Hall was used for the new building and on March 26 1811 the first stone was laid  (see Extracts of Accounts below). Today, the only remaining recognizable fragment of the old chapel is a 16^thcentury sculptured trefoiled head of window lights, which is preserved in the vestry.

The new church began as a plain, rectangular, whitewashed sandstone structure with a bell tower and two bells. Inside was a long nave with a gallery and font at its west end, a chancel at the east end and a porch on the south side.  It was built, with the aid of public funds, in the English style of Gothic architecture, having pointed arches and large windows with ornamental stone openwork, and was dedicated to St John the Evangelist, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. The mural tablets at the west end are in memory of the Revd. Richard Wilson, Mr John Hodgson and the Revd. James Robinson (of the Friary in Richmond), who were instrumental in the building of the church.

On 15 July 1811, during the reign of George III, the church was consecrated by the Right Revd. B E Sparke, Lord Bishop of Chester, The date, 1811, can be seen on the gable of the south porch. The congregation sat in high box pews set out down the full length of the nave, which was separated from the chancel by a rood screen. The singing in those days was led by a little band, with its violin, flute, clarinet and cornet, from a large square pew known as the “singing seat”. The East window was the gift of the Misses Stevenson of Scotton Hall in memory of their grandfather, Mr John Hodgson. The first light represents St Martin, the second Our Lord and the third St John the Evangelist. The two west end windows were the gifts of the officers, non-commissioned officers and men from Catterick Camp in memory of comrades buried in the churchyard and those who died during World War I. The windows represent St George, patron Saint of England and St Oswald, patron Saint of Northumbria.

A thorough restoration took place in 1892, extending the Sanctuary and building a new vestry on the north side with accommodation for an organ. The high box pews were replaced by open benches. The unsightly gallery at the west end was taken down (the remains of the window can still be seen) and new oak beams were put in to support the roof of the church.

In 1979 further restoration work took place. The wood-wormed oak panelling and the damp, crumbling Victorian plaster were removed, exposing the beautiful mellow sandstone walls. The steeply sloping window sills were built up making it possible to use them for flower displays. The rood screen was re-sited near the west end, and a modern electronic organ replaced the old one.

Incumbents of St John the Evangelist

* Note: The Reverend John Foster Beamish was a direct descendant of King Edward I of England, King David I of Scotland, and Dermot McMurrough, King of Ireland.

This ancient family of Beamish is of Norman extraction, and was formerly written de Beamys, de Beaumes, de Beamis, de Beaumeis.

Today in the County of Durham there is a town with the name of Beamish, so called after this family, some members of which possessed large estates both in England and Ireland, while others held some of the highest offices in the Church. 

INTERESTING EXTRACTS FROM HIPSWELL CHURCHWARDENS’ ACCOUNTS  (with original spelling)

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