Small for a Marshland church, possibly because the village was very poor. This could have been because the village was almost surrounded by water, most of the money was spent on keeping the water at bay.

The original site of the church is unknown. The present church, built in 1268 , was dedicated to St. Margaret. The first Rector, Robert Russell,  was appointed by King Henry 111. Key dates in the development of the church are as follows:

1863     East window was filled with stained glass depicting the crucifixion.

    Presentation of Christ in the Temple and the Ascension. It was paid for by the

    rector of that time, in memory of his mother, Mrs Grogan.

1868    Stained glass window on the South wall of the Chancel was dedicated to

   members of the Harris family by Mrs Ann Harris.

1906    Another window on the same wall was inserted by Charles Tipple and

   dedicated to George and Mary Ann Tipple, and their sons Henry and William

   Tipple.

1928    A window in the Nave depicting Faith, Hope and Charity was inserted by

  Elizabeth Price, in memory of her sister Ellen Mary Stevenson, for her devoted

  work in The Girls Friendly Society.

The oldest monument is on the South wall of the chancel in memory of Francis Forster, his wife Jane and Frances, their daughter. They all died between 1739 and 1742. Francis was the son of Mark Forster, rector of Clenchwarton from 1679-1719.

A memorial tablet in the chancel is in memory of Rev. Frederick Goldtrap, who died In 1838 and was rector of our parish for two years.

Near to this is a bronze plate to the memory of Rev. J.P.S. Harris, our rector for 37 years. In the nave is another tablet naming past rectors. This was erected by the Rev. George Frederick Hill in 1845.

There is also a plaque, bearing the names of men who lost their lives in the First World War. Later, five more names were added of men who died in The Second World War.

Near to this is a small tablet in memory of one parishioner killed in Cyprus.

 In the South wall of the nave is a ‘piscina’. These are only found in old churches and were used to wash the Communion vessel in. The font was erected in 1853.

The first bells were probably installed during the reign of Henry Vl, when there were three bells. These have been increased over the years to a peal of five.

During the 1960s a new roof and floor were fitted by Warren Bros, and part of the outside walls repaired. All the old seats were replaced by ones from a disused church at Islington,new oil-heating was installed and a carpet (now removed) was laid down the aisle.

The organ was built by Foster and Andrews of Hull about 125 years ago and was replaced in 1980 by a modern electronic one. The old one was at that time housed in a museum in Whaplode St. Catherine.

In 1981, Father Ian Smith, although agreeing the village had a lovely small church, felt that the chancel end in particular made it difficult from the worship point of view, as there was a very ‘cluttered’ feeling. In 1982 he approached the PCC. with suggestions as to how ‘ to provide a good setting for worship but still preserve the feeling of the old church’.  His ideas met with approval and work commenced. To open-up the chancel, the choir stalls were removed and the altar moved forward to a more central position, but on a moveable base to make it more versatile.

 The area is now more flexible, making the church not only more suitable for worship, but also as a venue for concerts. Wrought iron lights were hand-made to match the candlesticks on the altar. Clear glass replaced the old glass in the windows.

The curtain covering the opening to the belfry has been replaced and all the kneelers were made by the parishioners.

The information about the church was written by Rhonda Morris and taken from the book ‘Memories of Clenchwarton’, if anyone would like to borrow our copy of the book for a small refundable charge please contact Debra McGowan (Church Warden).