St Mary the Virgin
Calton, Staffordshire
This church was built by the villagers on land donated by villagers and the vicars were employed by the villagers until 1900 when it was transferred to the Diocese of Lichfield.
Betram was King of Mercia in the 8th century. He travelled to Ireland, land of St Patrick, in search of some of religious convictions for himself. Instead he fell in love, and eloped with his bride, an Irish princess.
They returned to Mercia. While travelling through the Moors, the princess went into labour and gave birth in the forest near Stafford. One day, when Betram away hunting, the princess and their child were killed by wolves. Heartbroken, Betram renounced the world and became a hermit. His renown as a holy man was such that a shrine was established on his grave. A medieval altar now stands on the site.
These aren’t the only poignant memorials in Ilam church. There’s also the delightful 17th century carved tomb to Robert Meverell and his wife.
The church holds a final surprise in its octagonal north chapel, built in 1831 by Jesse Watts-Russell in memory of his father-in-law David Pike-Watts, a prominent London wine maker and brewer. He died in 1816, his memorial is a fine example of funeral sculpture, depicting him on his death bed with his daughter and her three children. It was carved by the prominent Regency sculptor Sir Francis Chantrey.
The font may well be Anglo Saxon and the figures holding hands are Christ and Adam being led out of Hell. It represents the anastasis or harrowing of hell and may well be based on a Mercian mystery play. It is not the only font to represent this but is very unusual.
Holy Cross is church is a delicious combination of Saxon crosses, Norman font and superb memorials, all set in the rich and dramatic landscape of Ilam Park with its Italienate gardens.