03/01/2026
This Sunday 4th January, Bishop Guli will be celebrating at St Thomas Church 10am communion with our Bradwell communion cup which is 400 years old this year. The Cup is Dated 1626
The Communion Cup of Bradwell-juxta-Mare 1626 and would have been used in the Church and in St Peters Chapel for 400 years.
At the start of 2026 we can celebrate that, for 400 years this Communion Cup has been in Bradwell-Juxta-Mare.
At the time the chalice came to Bradwell-juxta-Mare the Parson was Aegidius Burie (Giles Bury), who was rector from 1615 TO 1640.
If you wish to see the cup do come to the church for the service in the morning.
The shape and design indicate a huge change in style of worship in England. In the 1620s, communion chalices were transitioning from ornate Catholic vessels to simpler Protestant "cups" or "goblets." These were often made from melted-down medieval chalices to serve the whole congregation rather than just the priest, reflecting post-Reformation changes towards plainer worship
In 1626
The Act of Uniformity mandated that all services in the Church of England be conducted according to the Book of Common Prayer, making it the only legal liturgy.
The Coronation Service was changed to an English-language rite and was devised by a commission of Anglican bishops for Charles I's coronation in 1626. This was the notable liturgical event of that year.
Previous Protestant monarchs had used a Latin rite.
Charles I's coronation in 1626, held on February 2nd at Westminster Abbey in London, marked his formal accession after inheriting the throne in 1625. The event was notable for the absence of his Catholic wife, Henrietta Maria, who refused to attend a Protestant ceremony. It highlighted early tensions over religion and royal authority that would later lead to Civil War. It was the last time the ancient Edward the Confessor's Crown Jewels were used, before their destruction
