St John the Baptist's Church, Middleton

St John the Baptist Church, Middleton

St John the Baptist is an Anglican parish church in Middleton, Warwickshire. It is a Grade II* listed building.^[1] The 17th-century ornithologist Francis Willughby is buried there.^[2]

The church contains an ornate memorial commemorating Francis, his parents, Francis senior and Cassandra, and his son, also Francis; this was erected by his second son, Thomas Willoughby, 1st Baron Middleton.^[3]

History

The church dates from the 12th century, although there may have been an earlier Anglo-Saxon church on the same site, but it was enlarged by the addition of a north aisle in the 13th century, so only the chancel walls and the lower courses of the nave are original. the tower was added in the 15th century, and the church was extensively rebuilt in the 19th century, including adding the east window and plastering inside the church, hiding 14th-century wall paintings.^[4]

References

1. Historic England. "Church of St John the Baptist (Grade II*) (1034640)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
2. Birkhead, Tim (2018). The Wonderful Mr Willughby: The First True Ornithologist. London: Bloomsbury. pp. 209–212. ISBN 978-1-4088-7848-4.
3. Johnston, Dorothy (2016). "The life and domestic context of Francis Willughby". In Birkhead, Tim (ed.). Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby FRS (1635–1672). Leiden: Brill. pp. 24–25. ISBN 978-90-04-28531-6.
4. "About Us: St John the Baptist, Middleton". Church of England. Retrieved 12 March 2019.

52°34′58″N 1°44′26″W