St Mary, Acton Burnell SY5 7PE
Parking, Wheelchair access
Open daylight hours
A fine 13th C Grade I listed building. which stands near the ruins of Acton Burnell castle. Exceptional craftsmanship for a remote parish church. It was built in the 13th Century and holds a magnificent monument to the Lee family, ancestors of General Robert E. Lee who led the Confederate army in the American Civil War.
The church is unusual in having both an Anglican and a Catholic cemetery, marking the time when Acton Burnell Hall housed a Catholic convent and girls' school.
Acton Burnell was the home of Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath and Wells, Chancellor of England in the reign of Edward 1st.
The king stayed at Acton Burnell at the time of his military campaigns in Wales and along the turbulent borders, and in 1283 called a parliament to be held in the tithe barn, parts of which survive near the church in the grounds of Concord College. This was important because it was the first time the commons had been involved in decision making as well as the lords, thus making the Acton Burnell parliament possibly the start of democracy in England.
Bishop Robert’s political importance explains why he built "the finest Early English church in Shropshire….highly sophisticated and expensive," according to John Leonard, in ‘The Churches of Shropshire".
The church would have been built between 1270 and 1290 at the height of the bishop’s power. The shape is cruciform, with a north porch and 
north and south chapels and a tower added in 1887-9.
The nave is massive and simple, with a beamed roof, and suggests that very little has changed here since it was built in the 13th century. The style of the church becomes more ornate as one moves eastwards.
The north chapel has medieval floor tiles and several gravestones from the 17th and 18th centuries.
There are three monuments, the oldest being a chest tomb with a fine memorial brass depicting Sir Nicholas Burnell who died in 1382, in full armour.
Next to it is a large and ornate monument to Sir Richard Lee who died in 1591, his wife and his large family. Sir Richard’s feet rest on a lion, and a tiny dog peeps out of a sleeve.
Opposite Sir Richard is another, later monument to Sir Humphrey Lee, who died in 1632, shown kneeling opposite his wife. Their children are below, also kneeling.
The south chapel has a tomb recess. The walls show traces of stencilled rosettes probably dating from the 13th century.
The beautiful chancel is in a more ornate and slightly later style. There is a double piscina for washing the sacred vessels and a squint for viewing the service from outside.
Around the church, both inside and out, are many carved heads.
A wonderful church with a lot to see.
Photos:-Top: A Church Near You
Other photos:-AP
https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/10388/