Old St Lawrence Church, Ayot St Lawrence

Old St Lawrence Church is a ruined building in Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire, England. It is protected as a Grade II* listed building, and dates back to the 12th century.^[1]

The building was partially demolished in 1775 by Sir Lionel Lyde, 1st Baronet, who had acquired a country home, Ayot House, close by.^[2] It was replaced as the village's parish church by new St Lawrence Church, a neoclassical structure which Lyde had built on a site slightly further from his house.

The last baptism to take place at Old St Lawrence Church was on the 21st February 1773 for Susan George.^[3] New St Lawrence Church was consecrated in 1779.

Graveyard

Although Lionel Lyde and his wife Rachel are commemorated at the new church,^[4] the old churchyard remained in use. Burials include Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan (1865 – 1946), whose maternal grandfather was rector of Ayot St Lawrence. Earl Cavan was a Field marshal and his resting place is registered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Although the Earl was not a casualty in the normal sense of the term, the entry refers to the "memorial to the casualty in the form of a large 7' red granite celtic cross".^[5]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Old St Lawrence Church, Ayot St Lawrence.

51°50′16″N 0°16′02″W / 51.837738°N 0.267306°W / 51.837738; -0.267306

This page was last edited on 16 December 2021, at 15:19