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The Holy Trinity Church

The Holy Trinity Church at Wentworth was designed by J. L. Pearson who was also responsible for the design of the Cathedral at Truro in Cornwall. The building of the Holy Trinity Church took place between 1873 and 1877 through the efforts of William, the 6th Earl Fitzwilliam and his wife Harriet, the Countess Fitzwilliam. The estimated cost of the building was some �25,000.

The church was built in memory of the Earl and Countess's parents. Another reason for the building of the church was that the Earl and Countess had 15 children and found it necessary to build a larger place of worship that would accommodate all the Fitzwilliam family more comfortably. Almost all the work both inside and outside was completed by local craftsmen, except the floors which were made to an Italian Mosaic design and for the completion of this aspect of the building work Italian craftsmen were employed.

The Holy Trinity Church

Nicholas Pevsner said in one of his Architectural volumes that the Holy Trinity Church at Wentworth is:

"A very fine sensitive scholarly piece of Gothic revival. The Fitzwilliam's of the day could not have spent their money more judiciously."

The Holy Trinity Church is very much associated with the Fitzwilliam family and contains many items to commemorate the Fitzwilliam family. In the transept of the church, there are engraved brasses that show the Fitzwilliam family by each generation with the individual Earl Fitzwilliam heading each one of the brasses.

 

 

The engraved brasses showing the Fitzwilliam Family by each generation

There is also a reredos carved in stone depicting Christ and The Last Supper, (featured below) this was donated to the church by the children of the 6th Earl and Countess Fitzwilliam to commemorate the Golden Wedding anniversary of their parents.

 

Reredos depicting last supper donated by the 6th Earl�s children

There are also items featured inside the church that have been donated by members of the public, these items take the form of a stained glass windows and various commemorative plaques.

The picture above shows the stained glass window donated by tenants and friends of the 6th Earl Fitzwilliam and his wife Harriet.

There is also an inscription carved in stone underneath the window stating that the Holy Trinity Church was erected by the Fitzwilliam family and what it commemorates.

The inscription reads as follows:

"A.D. 1877 This Church is erected for the Worship of God in memory of their father and mother by the children of Charles William Earl Fitzwilliam K.G. Born May 4th 1786. Died October 4th 1857 and Mary his wife. With the prayer that those who worship here like them live and die in the faith of Christ."

At the rear of the Holy Trinity Church, there is the private cemetery (open the public) where several Earl and Countess Fitzwilliam's have been buried along with some of their sons and daughters. Not all the recent members of the Fitzwilliam family have been laid to rest at Wentworth, some family members have been buried at Marholm Church where the Fitzwilliam family worshipped near Milton Hall, their family home near Peterborough.

The grave of the 6th Earl & Countess Fitzwilliam at the rear of

The Holy Trinity Church

The 6th Earl & Countess Fitzwilliam

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