The Society of Our Lady of Egmanton welcomes you

Shrine History
From early times this place has been the centre of a special devotion to Our Lady (S. Mary the Virgin) venerated under the local title of Our Lady of Egmanton. This ancient parish church is dedicated to her, and it is of interest to note that it is the only ancient foundation under the protection of Our Lady for a wide area around, and here - until the destruction of 1547, her Shrine was a prominent feature and an object of devout pilgrimage.
As with so many Shrines of Our Lady, the consciousness that here is a special sanctuary to the Mother of God Incarnate, has prevailed down the centuries. Something that not even the destruction of the Shrine and later antics of the godless puritans could obliterate. Tradition is supported by reference to the devotion in the will of Richard Cuxton of Egmanton, 1531, which reads: "... he gives his soul to God Almighty, Saint Mary and All Saints, and his body to be buried in the Church of Our Lady of Egmanton." We also have the pilgrim crosses cut or scratched by mediaeval pilgrims by the south door and in the north aisle. These crosses are generally believed to have been made by pilgrims in witness to vows made on the occasion of their pilgrimage to the Shrine. Churches where such crosses are to be found are either themselves the centre of some pilgrimage devotion, as here, or are situated on a pilgrimage route to some famous Shrine. It is believed that the Shrine Image stood on the north wall of the sanctuary, but there are those who affirm that it was situated in the north aisle. After the despoliation of the Shrine and with the passing of time, nothing remained of the devotion but a dim local memory, until the new image was set up on the occasion of the 1897 restoration. The present beautiful figure of Our Lady, crowned, with the Holy Child, gilded and coloured after the Gothic tradition, is the work of Comper. Whilst the exact appearance of the original Shrine is unknown, the present Image can be said to represent the type of figure that stood here. So after an absence of some 350 years, Our Lady returned to Egmanton and the candled Shrine is once more a popular place of pilgrimage where people come, as in times of old, to pray and to seek the all prevailing intercession of the Mother of God, and to offer their candles and flowers at her Shrine. With the restoration of the Shrine, devotion to Our Lady at parish level soon became a daily feature. By 1912. possibly before, the `Guild of Our Lady of Egmanton' a parish society, had been formed. Amongst other obligations, members promised to say daily for the parish the first Good Friday Collect, followed by one Our Father and one Hail Mary. Many individual pilgrims found their way here, but it was not until Easter Monday 1929 that the first organized pilgrimage in modern times took place. Most of the pilgrims came from Leicester, but there were also groups from Leeds, Sheffield, Lincoln, and from parishes in the immediate neighbourhood. The parish priest at that time was Fr Silas Harris, and an account of the proceedings mentions the gift of "a fine pair of silver candlesticks in memory of the late Fr A.H. Manning, formerly parish priest of Egmanton" for the Shrine. Since that time organized pilgrimages and individual pilgrims have found their way here in ever increasing numbers. In 1930, Fr Alfred Hope Patten, Restorer of Walsingham, home of the most important English Marian devotion, came with a group of his people and left a banner which is still to be seen in the south doorway of the chancel. The service registers for this period contain the names of many famous bishops and priests of the Anglo-Catholic movement who came to preach or to take party in the pilgrimage devotions On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee Pilgrimage in 1979, the Lord Bishop of Southwell (the Rt Revd John Denis Wakeling) preached at the High Mass and took part in the afternoon outdoor procession of Our Lady. The Annual Summer Pilgrimage (first Saturday in July) is one of the great events in the life of the parish, as is the Assumption Pilgrimage, at which time the parish celebrates its Patronal Festival. A rosary Devotion is held on the first Saturday in October.