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The Smallest Cathedral in England

© Lynda Langford

Tong Church - the smallest Cathedral in England.

In my last article I wrote about Boscobel House, well, about 5 miles from there, lies the very small village of Tong, inside Shropshire but very close to the Staffordshire border.

The name Tong is thought to have originated from the word meaning a fork in the river. In the Domesday Book it is referred to as "Tuange".

There is a church at Tong, St Bartholomew's Church, often described as the smallest Cathedral in England, which draws many visitors from near and far. The main attractions inside the church are the tombs, and these tombs help to build a picture about the history of the church and also the village. All of the male figures on the tombs are dressed in armour. There are seven tombs in all, the oldest one being the tomb of Sir Fulke de Pembrugge (1409) and his second wife Lady Isabel (or Elizabeth). Isabel de Pembrugge was the founder of the present church at Tong; in 1409 she had to obtain a Royal Licence from Henry IV to build the church and to found Tong College, so that masses could be said for the soul of her husband Sir Fulke de Pembrugge and his first wife, Margaret Trussel. It is interesting to note that even in those days, women did have some degree of power, but of course one's standing in life counted for a lot! The effigies of Sir Fulke and Lady Isabel lie side by side at the top of the tomb, and she wears a plain widows dress, with a fawn at her feet and the head is broken off, but there is the remains of the crown collar which signifies that she was part of the court of King Richard II.

Another point to note is the fact that Isabel was Sir Fulke's second wife, and after Sir Fulkes death Isabel married again, twice in fact. I imagine that in those days the choice of partner was not so much about the love of your life but more about family names, religion and land.

There is also an interesting tradition which began around the year 1200, long before the present church was built, where Roger de la Zouche granted grazing and fishing rights in parts of the parish to Henry Hugefort and his heirs. There was a stiplulation that a chaplet of roses was to be delivered each year to Roger de la Zouche, on the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist (Midsummer's Day), if the said Roger was not in the parish at that time then the roses should be placed upon the statue of the Blessed Virgin inside the church.

The copyright of the article The Smallest Cathedral in England in U.K. History is owned by Wendy J. Dunn. Permission to republish The Smallest Cathedral in England in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.