Beetham Church

St Michael and All Angels in Beetham, Westmorland, is a grand old church. There were parish officials milling about when we arrived who were only too pleased to have us enter and sniff about. Curiously, the website declares:

The church continues to cost over £1,000 per week to keep open and we would be grateful if you would take the time to look at the details of our donations and giving...

They must have some big repairs or several staff to warrant such an expenditure. Sure enough, the building appears to be well maintained, which is no small feat in this day and age.

The church houses some ancient tombs belonging to the Myddleton and Beetham families of nearby Leighton Hall. A sign explains that these tombs once stood ‘in tact’ but were attacked by ‘a local mob’ under the Commonwealth in 1647. The Puritan Commonwealth never began until 1649 with the King’s execution, and the motives of this mob are not indicated. I find a number of churches are too speedy in their blaming puritans and commonwealth men for damage to their furnishings. Much of it was done by an earlier generation of Reformer, and some more by the cynical, sardonic Georgians with penknives handy and time enough to spare. The damaged tombs of Beetham are a minor tragedy, but I suspect the perpetrators were the occupants’ descendants’ tenants who espied an opportunity for some pretty acts of revenge.

Churches ought to be places of peace and godliness, but they are often platforms upon which individuals express their worst qualities. Rest assured, the great God shall hold each one to account when we appear before him, be that Christ's bema for believers, or the Great White Throne for the rest.