The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Masham (also known as the Church of St Mary or St Mary's Church), is the parish church in the town of Masham, North Yorkshire, England. The church stands on the site of an Anglo-Saxon place of worship with some the original Saxon stones incorporated into the current church. Archaeology has determined that the site has been used as a place of Christian worship for over 1,400 years. The Ecclesiastical Court in the town was previously known as a Peculiar after it was given to the Diocese of York, but was deemed too dangerous and far away for the bishop or his tax collectors to travel to. All court affairs were presided over by the Peculier of Masham consisting of 24 men, known historically as the Four and Twenty. As it did not forward taxes to York, the court became quite rich, this led to some labelling it as the richest plum in Christendom. The church sits at the south east corner of the market square in the town. History The church stands on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon place of worship. A church is mentioned in the entry for the settlement in the Domesday Book when the lord of the manor was Gospatric, but it is not known exactly where it was sited and many have doubted that any part of the original church survives as part of the current architecture save for the odd stone in the church's walls. However, archaeological discoveries, most notably 57 Saxon bodies, have led to estimations that the site has been the place of Christian worship for over 1,400 years. The church itself was started in the 12th century with additions in the 14th, 16th and 19th centuries. The restoration of the church between 1855 and 1863 was down to Octavius Vernon Harcourt who had married the widow of William Danby in 1823. The church was restored after lightning struck the tower in July 1855. During the 19th century renovations, several carved stones of Anglo-Saxon origin were found to be embedded within the church walls with more being unearthed when the foundations were maintained. It was grade II* listed in 1966. The presence of the church is reflected in the name of the town; according to some sources Masham derives from Mass-Town as the presence of a church meant that that is where people travelled to