St Dubricius Church - Whitchurch
Church of England
Siting peacefully on the edge of the River Wye near Symonds Yat East in the village of Whitchurch is St Dubricius, a 13th century church.
The church is built of sandstone rubble quarried locally, under a slate roof. Parts of an older 9th-century church appear to have been incorporated into the current building, which was heavily restored in the Victorian period.
Interior highlights include a font bowl of Norman date, cut down to fit a late 14th-century stem.
To the west of the churchyard is the Gwillam tomb enclosure, built by Thomas Gwillam in 1744. The Gwillim family owned Old Court at Whitchurch from 1600 until 1898, and the enclosure contains numerous family graves. Among those buried here is the family of Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim. At the age of 19, she married General John Graves Simcoe, who was the first Governor of Upper Canada and founded the city of Toronto in 1793.
Dubricius was a 6th-century holy man who lived in Herefordshire. Legend says that his mother was a princess of Erging (near Ross-on-Wye). When her father discovered that the unmarried princess was pregnant he had her thrown into the River Wye.
She survived the attempt to drown her and was promptly thrown into a fire to be burnt alive. She survived this too and that night she gave birth to a baby boy named Dyfrig, later known as Dubricius.
Dubricius established several early Christian monasteries which gained a reputation as centres of scholarship. His feast day is celebrated on 14th November.
In Autumn 2021 Saint Dubricius was awarded the Eco Church Bronze award.
Service Times
Sunday 1st December 2024 (Advent 1)
09.30 Ganarew – Holy Communion – Book of Common Prayer
11.00 Whitchurch – Advent Carol Service.
11.00 Wyesham – Advent Carol Service.
Wednesday 4th December
6 pm Whitchurch – Simple, said Night Prayer (Compline).
Thursday 5th December
10.30 Whitchurch – Simple, said Holy Communion service.
Sunday 8th December (Advent 2)
11.00 Whitchurch – Holy Communion.
11.00 Wyesham – Sunday Praise.
3 pm Bishopswood – Christmas Carol Service with Brass Band.
4 pm Dixton – Candlelit Christmas Carol Service.
Thursday 12th December
10.30 Whitchurch – Simple, said Holy Communion service.
Sunday 15th December (Advent 3)
09.30 Ganarew – Sunday Praise.
3 pm Whitchurch – Christmas Carol Service.
3pm Wyesham – Christmas Carol Service – part of Wyesham Together.
Thursday 19th December
10.30 Whitchurch – Simple, said Holy Communion service.
3.30 pm Wyesham – Carols on the Green – near Morrisons – part of Wyesham Together.
7 pm Ganarew – Christmas Carol Service.
Sunday 22nd December (Advent 4)
11.00 Whitchurch – Sunday Praise.
11.00 Wyesham – Holy Communion.
3 pm Whitchurch – Carols on the Green – near Grange Park.
Location
Whitchurch
Ross-on-Wye
Herefordshire
United Kingdom
HR9 6DD
Staff
Revd Tim Starling
Vicar
Sue Morris
Local Worship Leader
Contacts
Tel: 07980204572
Web: http://wyereaches.org/the-churches/st-dubricius-church/
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