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Cricketers' gravestone in Sawston churchyard. Charles J Sheldrick and Charles Sheldrick.

St Mary’s Sawston

History of St Mary's Sawston

Listed Building

Parish Church. c.1180 three west bays of nave arcade, early C13 east bays possibly replace original tower and south transept and chancel rebuilt. South aisle rebuilt, west tower early C14. North aisle rebuilt and north porch late C14. C15, chancel-arch rebuilt, north vestry added and clerestory. (Vestry demolished c.1750, Cole).

Tombstones, group of five a-f C17 and C18. Situated c.3m from east wall of south aisle identified from south-north.

Chest tomb. Late C17 with enriched pilasters, emblems of mortality and cartouche of arms of three leopards. (Historic England)

Bell, St Mary’s Sawston (courtesy Christopher Tongue)

Enid Porter records in Cambridgeshire Customs and Folklore p174:

In Sawston churchyard is the 100-year-old gravestone of one Sarah Fitch with its now almost-illegible epitaph: 

All you have seen amiss in me
Take care to shun and look at home
Enough there is to be done

These lines suggest to Mr T F Teversham, the Sawston historian, that Sarah may have been accused during her life of witchcraft.

Notes of a talk given by David Ellis about cricket in Sawston state: Notable cricketers included James Hedding from the Paper Mill and Charles Sheldrick, commemorated by a tombstone showing bat and pads in the churchyard. A key figure was John Falkner, headmaster of the Boys’ School who was a fine player and introduced regular practice. As a result, in 1901 Sawston CC won the Cambridgeshire Junior Cup, against a team in which a very young Jack Hobbs played. In 1921 the Church Institute team won the Junior Cup again under John Falkner, with possibly the best side produced by Sawston in that century. Its achievements were chronicled by Traviss Teversham, himself no mean player.

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