Church of St Mary the Virgin, Meysey Hampton
Encyclopedia
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is an Anglican
church in Meysey Hampton
, a Cotswolds
village in the English county of Gloucestershire
. It is an active parish church
in the Diocese of Gloucester
and the archdeaconry of Cheltenham. It has been designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage.
The church dates from the 13th century and may have been financed by the Knights Templar
.
in 1269. It is thought to have been financed by the Knights Templar
. The church was extended and some alterations were made to the chancel
in the 14th century. Restored
work took place in 1872–74, by James Brooks.
St Mary the Virgin was designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage
on 26 November 1958. The Grade II* designation—the second highest of the three grades—is for "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". An active church in the Church of England
, St Mary's is part of the Diocese of Gloucester
, which is in the Province of Canterbury
. It is in the archdeaconry of Cheltenham and the Deanery
of Fairford.
roofs in the Early English Decorated style. According to Daved Verey, it is "not a typical Cotswold church". Its plan is cruciform
with a central tower; the nave
and chancel
are nearly the same length. The transept
s lie to the north and south. There is a porch in the middle of the south wall. The central, square tower is of one stage and has two belfry
lancet arches on each side. It has a crenellated
parapet
with gargoyle
s.
The nave and transepts also have lancet window
s. The chancel has three two-light windows to the south, trefoil
-headed windows in an arched surrounds and ogee
-headed windows in a square surrounds. The three-light east window has geometric tracery
and a ballflower border.
s and is has original curved bracing to the tie beams. The crossing
has simple, matched arches.
There is a Jacobean lectern
in the church, inscribed with "Christian Jacketts, 1622". There is a 17th century monument to Dr James Vaulx, with an "amusing" portrait of him with his wives. Medieval stained glass removed from the church in the 19th century was exhibited at the Corinium Museum
in Cirencester
in 2006.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in Meysey Hampton
Meysey Hampton
Meysey Hampton is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately 30 miles to the south-east of Gloucester...
, a Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
village in the English county of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. It is an active parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
in the Diocese of Gloucester
Diocese of Gloucester
The Diocese of Gloucester is a Church of England diocese based in Gloucester, covering the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire. The cathedral is Gloucester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Gloucester...
and the archdeaconry of Cheltenham. It has been designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage.
The church dates from the 13th century and may have been financed by the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
.
History and present day
The church was consecratedConsecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
in 1269. It is thought to have been financed by the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
. The church was extended and some alterations were made to the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
in the 14th century. Restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
work took place in 1872–74, by James Brooks.
St Mary the Virgin was designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 26 November 1958. The Grade II* designation—the second highest of the three grades—is for "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". An active church in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, St Mary's is part of the Diocese of Gloucester
Diocese of Gloucester
The Diocese of Gloucester is a Church of England diocese based in Gloucester, covering the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire. The cathedral is Gloucester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Gloucester...
, which is in the Province of Canterbury
Province of Canterbury
The Province of Canterbury, also called the Southern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England...
. It is in the archdeaconry of Cheltenham and the Deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of Fairford.
Exterior
The church is constructed of rubble stone with slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roofs in the Early English Decorated style. According to Daved Verey, it is "not a typical Cotswold church". Its plan is cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
with a central tower; the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
are nearly the same length. The transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s lie to the north and south. There is a porch in the middle of the south wall. The central, square tower is of one stage and has two belfry
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
lancet arches on each side. It has a crenellated
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
with gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
s.
The nave and transepts also have lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s. The chancel has three two-light windows to the south, trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
-headed windows in an arched surrounds and ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
-headed windows in a square surrounds. The three-light east window has geometric tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
and a ballflower border.
Interior and furnishings
Internally, the roof has five bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
s and is has original curved bracing to the tie beams. The crossing
Crossing (architecture)
A crossing, in ecclesiastical architecture, is the junction of the four arms of a cruciform church.In a typically oriented church , the crossing gives access to the nave on the west, the transept arms on the north and south, and the choir on the east.The crossing is sometimes surmounted by a tower...
has simple, matched arches.
There is a Jacobean lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
in the church, inscribed with "Christian Jacketts, 1622". There is a 17th century monument to Dr James Vaulx, with an "amusing" portrait of him with his wives. Medieval stained glass removed from the church in the 19th century was exhibited at the Corinium Museum
Corinium Museum
The Corinium Museum in the Cotswold town of Cirencester in England has a large collection of objects found in and around the locality. The bulk of the exhibits are from the Roman town of Corinium Dobunnorum, but the museum includes material from as early as the Neolithic and right up to Victorian...
in Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
in 2006.