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Church History – St. Mary’s Church Eynesbury

Eynesbury is the ancient parish church of the town being recorded in the Domesday Book, though the present church was built in c1250.

A claim to fame of the church is as the burial place of the Eynesbury Giant, James Toller. He was buried within the church for fear of body snatchers removing his mortal remains! The church would have been one of the few buildings that James could have entered without bowing his head. His height at the time of his death in 1818 was reported to be eight foot, one and a half inches.

Some of the ancient pews in the church are approximately 500 years old. They are known as the Eynesbury Zoo because of the carved animals on top of the pew ends; a physical representation of the Benedicite! As a local curiosity it has led to much questioning as to what kind of creatures they are.

As for more recent history, parisioner Debora Depledge has created a website about the men and women who died in the First and Second World Wars listed on our War Memorial. http://eynesburywarmemorialproject.weebly.com. If you know any of the names listed, she would like to hear from you. She has also created a memorial book in honour of the men and women named on the two memorials, which is on display in the church. You can email her at: [email protected] or visit the web site at http://eynesburywarmemorialproject.weebly.com.