Church of St Mary the Virgin, Masham

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 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.