Fewston Church

St Michael and St Lawrence's Church at Fewston, North Yorkshire, particularly interested me because of its connections to the Fairfax family, which played so pivotal a role in our civil wars. It was here that Charles Fairfax was baptised in 1615 in the presence of his father, Lord Ferdinando Fairfax, and possibly the company of his elder brother, Thomas, who would have been a toddler. All three men fought at Marston Moor in 1644 against Prince Rupert; Charles, a Colonel of Horse, was killed in action, while Thomas was was increasingly regarded as one of England’s best soldiers. Indeed, even Cromwell deferred to him, though he was unable to support Oliver’s radical puritanism once the wars were won. A simple Presbyterian, he longed for a quieter, more settled realm which Cromwell’s radical republic was unable, or unwilling, to offer.

Charles and Thomas Fairfax, both sons of a minor Yorkshire baron, held commissions in the army and would have known this church. Sadly, the font and all but the tower were rebuilt in the 1690s, so this they would not have known. Yet I wonder why did one died in the wars and the other lived? Why was the younger man killed while the older was apparently immortal as far as royalist shot and mortars were concerned?

When I called, the church was preparing to mark Remembrance Day and poppy-themed features were present throughout the building. I ask again: why do some die in wars and others not? Why do some get to old age while others expire in their youth?

It is not for us to know, of course, but it is for us to prepare for the summons when it comes.