HISTORY

In 1135, Willam de Gresley built a small priory, which was dedicated to St George. The priory fell into decay after 1536 and only the nave survived, which became the Parish Church of Gresley.

During the 18th Century, the state of the church deteriorated. In 1788 a faculty was granted to take down the church and rebuild all but the tower but fundraising failed to raise the required funds (a strikingly familiar story!) and consequently a less costly repair commenced.

Our Grade II* Listed building is the only ancient building in the district.

Did you know…?
– The dedication to St Mary as well as St George was due to a mistake by a scribe!
– Two of the six bells in our tower were cast in 1639.
– Our church was used for food storage in World War II.

 

Here is a list of all our known previous vicars at Gresley Church, dating back to 1151. This list is hanging in our church.

c1151 – c1157	Reginald
c1200	Walter
c1240	Richard
c1252	Henry
c1268 –  1281	Richard
1281 – c1291	William de Seyle
c1308	Robert de Gresley
1311 –  1349	Riger de Aston
1349	John Walrant
c1360	John Gresley
1400	John Hethcote
1400 –  1420	John de Tutbury
1420 –  1438	William de Sancto Ivone
1438 – c1448	Richard Coventry
c1450	Thomas
1476 –  1493	John Smyth
1526 –  1536	John Okeley
	Dissolution of Priory
c1553	John Kente
c1558 – c1560	Philip Barber
c1560 – c1579	William Smythe
c1581 – c1586	Edmund Harrope
c1602 – c1609	George Ward
c1609 – c1623	Edward Bagshawe
c1623	John Gifford, B.A.
c1633 – c1637	Kinnersley Ibsonne, M.A.
c1637 – c1646	Roger Farmer, M.A.
c1650	“Mr.” Vicars
1662	Vacant
c1667 – c1675	Thomas Orme
1676	Vacant
1679 – c1692	Thomas Orme, M.A.
c1692 – c1701	Abraham Swayne
c1701 – c1726	John Carey
1726 – c1727	John Gamage, B.A.
c1727 –  1734	George Malbon, M.A.
c1734 – c1735	John Strettell
c1735 – c1738	John Woodcock
c1738 – c1745	William Woodcock
1745 –  1792	Thomas Mould, B.A.
1793 –  1860	George Wood Lloyd, D.D.
1860 –  1876	George Lloyd
1877 –  1881	H. Theodore Cabell
1882 –  1884	Gilbert L. James
1885 –  1891	James Kilbee Stuart, M.A.
1892 –  1919	Frederick Richard Averill Koare, M.A.
1919 –  1948	Edward Francis Faulkner Despard, B.A.
1949 –  1953	Arthur Thomas John Mackrell, B.Sc.
1954 –  1965	Kenneth Roy Upton, M.A.
1965 –  1977	Alexander Douglas Gibson
1978 –  1982	Colin Martin Sham
1982 –  1986	Robert Martin Parsons, M.A. (Priest in Charge)
1986 –  1992	David Anthony Heslop, B.Sc., M.Th.
1993 –  1998	William Brian Herd
1999 –  2004	James Arthur Muston, B.A., M.A.
2005 –  2013	David Thomas Perrett
2014 – …	Michael Firbank