Hadleigh St Mary's Church, Suffolk

Bench End - Hadleigh St Mary's

Hadleigh church

We had been to Hadleigh before, but had forgotten!   We had not visited the church before.  Today, Wednesday  Jan 21st 2015, we had lunch out (sausage sandwich and bacon sandwich) in a small local cafe and afterwards visited the church for the first time. The church is famous for its connection with the protestant martyr, Dr Rowland Taylor, who was  rector of Hadleigh and former Chaplain to Archbishop Cranmer.  Taylor was burnt at the stake in 1555, six days after Mary came to the throne.

Hadleigh Guildhall

Opposite the church, right across the graveyard,  is the medieval Guildhall.

Stained glass window

We found the parking was free for a few hours in a car park off the main street. It was a short walk down a side road to the main road and the church.

Dr Rowland Taylor

This stained glass window in the south chapel of St Mary's tells the story of Taylor's martyrdom. It has three panels, showing Taylor preaching, his trial, and finally (centre panel) at the stake.