| St Mary's Church, Bampton | |
|---|---|
| Church of Saint Mary the Virgin | |
 View from the southeast | |
  St Mary's Church, Bampton | |
| 51°43′40″N1°32′56″W / 51.72778°N 1.54889°W /51.72778; -1.54889 | |
| OS grid reference | SP31260332 |
| Location | Bampton, Oxfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 10th or 11th century |
| Dedication | Saint Mary the Virgin |
| Consecrated | 1062 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 12 September 1955 |
| Architect(s) | Ewan Christian (restoration, 1868–70) |
| Architectural type | cruciform |
| Style | Anglo-Saxon,Norman,Gothic,Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 10th–16th centuries |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Materials | Cotswold stone,Stonesfield slate (nave and chancel roofs),lead (other roofs) |
| Bells | 8 |
| Tenor bell weight | 23 long tons 0 cwt 4 qr (51,630 lb or 23.42 t) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | Oxford |
| Episcopal area | Dorchester |
| Archdeaconry | Dorchester |
| Deanery | Witney |
| Parish | Bampton with Clanfield |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Right RevdGavin Collins |
| Vicar | Revd Janice Collier |
TheChurch of Saint Mary the Virgin is theChurch of England parish church ofBampton,West Oxfordshire. It is in theArchdeaconry of Dorchester in theDiocese of Oxford.
The church was built in the 10th or 11th century as anAnglo-Saxonminster with a tower. In the 12th century it was rebuilt as acruciformNorman building centred on acrossing under the tower.Gothic additions to the church were made several times in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.
The church is aGrade I listed building.[1]
Theancient parish was one of the largest in Oxfordshire, and included the townships of Weald,Lew,Aston,Cote,Shifford,Chimney and Lower Haddon.[2] In 1857 the parish was split into the threeecclesiastical parishes of Bampton Proper, Bampton Lew and Bampton Aston, all now part of the united benefice of Bampton with Clanfield.[2] In 1866 the parish was split into five civil parishes: Bampton, Lew, Aston and Cote, Shifford and Chimney.[2]
SaintBeornwald of Bampton wasvenerated aspatron saint of Bampton from at least the 9th century until theEnglish Reformation.[a] Hisfeast day was 21 December.[3] Very little is known about Beornwald. Although early records[b] call him saint,confessor,priest andmartyr,[4] even his tomb is now lost. His shrine may have been in the northtransept of the parish church, where some evidence of a former shrine remains.[4]
Bampton Classical Opera gives a concert in the church to celebrate St Beornwald's Day on or close to every 21 December.
The Anglo-Saxon church was an important minster serving a large area. The most recognisable traces of that original building are characteristicherringbone masonry in the central crossing tower and stair turret.[1]
After theNorman Conquest of England,William the Conqueror granted the church toLeofric,Bishop of Exeter. TheDean andChapter ofExeter Cathedral have held theadvowson of the parish ever since.[5]
In the 12th century the church was rebuilt on a cruciform plan with north and southtransepts. Surviving features from this period include the chancel arch under the tower, a Norman arched doorway in the south wall of the south transept, and a few Norman windows, including in the west walls of both transepts.[1]
Late in the 13th century thenave was widened by the addition of north and southaisles with four-bayGothicarcades. Other features from this period include triplesedilia in thechancel, a south chapel adjoining the west side of the south transept and a doorway in the north transept.[1]
Early in the 14th century a carved stonereredos was installed in the chancel. It represents Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles, each in acrocketed niche. The west doorway and five-light west window of the nave are also from this period, as is the base of thebaptismal font.[1]
Late in the 14th century a chapel was added on the north side of the chancel, with an arch from the north transept.[1]
In the 15th centuryclerestories were added to the nave and both transepts, the aisles were re-roofed, anEaster Sepulchre was inserted in the chancel, theembattled south porch was built and parapets andgargoyles were added.[1]
In the corner between the chancel and south transept is amemorial chapel for the Horde family. It contains 17th-century monuments and was remodelled in 1702.[1]
In 1868–70 the church wasrestored under the direction of the architectEwan Christian. The nave and chancel were re-roofed,Gothic Revival windows were inserted in the north wall of the north transept and south wall of the chancel, and the chancel east window was restored.[1]
In the south transept is a mediaeval recumbent effigy of a lady. In the north chapel is a stone effigy of a knight, said to be Sir Gilbert Talbot, who died in 1419. On a wall in the south transept is amonument to George Thompson, who died in 1603: a recumbent effigy of him flanked byCorinthian columns.[1]
In the chancel are threemonumental brasses: to Thomas Plymmyswode who died about 1419, Robert Holcot who died in 1500 and Frances Gardner who died in 1633.[1]
The crossing tower has aring of eight bells. Roger I Purdue ofBristol cast the fifth, sixth and tenor bells in 1629. Mears and Stainbank of theWhitechapel Bell Foundry cast or re-cast the treble, second, third, fourth and seventh bells in 1906. St Mary's has also aSanctus bell that James Keene ofWoodstock cast in 1626.[6] The bells were restored and re-hung in 2006.[7]
In 1733 St Mary'sVestry paid £34 to John Reynolds, a blacksmith fromHagbourne, to make a new clock for the tower with achime to ring the eight bells mechanically.[8] The chime rang a tune on the bells at 9am, 1pm, 5pm and 9pm.[7]
The clock has since been replaced with one made byJohn Smith and Sons ofDerby.[8] The chime was long in disrepair and out of use, but after the bells were re-hung a new computer-controlled one was installed that rings a tune on the bells at 1pm and 5pm.[7]
South of St Mary's is Churchgate House, which used to be theRectory. The oldest part of the house is 16th-century, with adatestone inscribed "1546 Vicar Joan Dotin". In 1799 a newGeorgian main block was added to the front of the building by the builder and architectDaniel Harris.[9][10]
St Mary's is used as the set of St Michael and All Angels' Church in the television seriesDownton Abbey. Churchgate House is additionally used as the set of Crawley House, the residence of Isobel and Matthew Crawley.
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