St Thomas the Martyr's Church, Oxford
Encyclopedia
St Thomas the Martyr's is a Church of England
church of the Anglo-Catholic
tradition, in Oxford
, England
, near Oxford railway station
in Osney
. The church was founded in the 12th century, dedicated to St Thomas Becket
. The building still retains some of its original architecture, although substantial expansions and repairs have been made, particularly in the 17th century (under the curacy
of Robert Burton
) and in the 19th century.
The church played a significant role in the early stages of the Oxford Movement
, being the site of daily services as well as such ritualist practices as altar candles and the wearing of Eucharist
ic vestment
s. The leaders of the Oxford Movement preached at the church and the early Tractarians were closely associated with St Thomas's. Although in the Diocese of Oxford
, the church is under the care of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet
. He is a Provincial episcopal visitor
, a bishop
who ministers to clergy
, laity
and parish
es like St Thomas' who do not accept the ministry of bishops who have ordained women priests
.
, but this is unlikely to be true. Thomas Becket
was not martyred until some fifteen years after Stephen's death. It is known that in the 1180s, the site was granted to the canons of the nearby Osney Abbey
, and a chapel was erected on the site around 1190. From the mid-13th century the Osney area was referred to as the parish of St Thomas', but it remained nominally a chapel of the abbey until the dissolution of the Monasteries
under Henry VIII
, when it was placed under Christ Church, Oxford
. Christ Church treated it as a conventional parish church
with a curate
, and from the mid-19th century the incumbent was styled a vicar
.
After the curacy was placed under the patronage of Christ Church, the incumbents were mostly scholars or members of the college; from 1616 to 1640 the curacy was held by Robert Burton
, author of The Anatomy of Melancholy
, who enlarged the church. During the Civil War
the medieval stained glass in the church was destroyed, partly due to the vandalism of Parliamentary troops captured at Cirencester
in 1642 and imprisoned in the church. Following the Restoration, the holders of the curacy changed rapidly, often remaining in the position for only a few years at a time. From at least 1713, a house in High Street was leased by Christ Church to parish trustees and the profits were used for repairing the church. This would continue until 1923, when the house was sold.
s are recorded, and in 1814 some 90% of the parish was thought to be non-churchgoing. The church would be reduced further by the creation of the parishes of St Paul's in 1837, St Barnabas'
in 1869, and St Frideswide's in 1873.
The curate from 1823 to 1842, one John Jones, brought a significant turnaround in attendance; perhaps the most unusual innovation was a houseboat
– the "Boatman's Floating Chapel" – acquired in 1839, for use as a chapel serving the families working on the river and the canals. This boat was St Thomas' first chapel of ease
; it was donated by H. Ward, a local coal merchant, and used until it sank in 1868. It was replaced by a chapel dedicated to St Nicholas
, which remained in use until 1892. A second chapel was constructed in 1860, dedicated to St Frideswide
, later replaced by the new parish church of St Frideswide's, which took on the parish of New Osney in 1873. Major repairs were carried out beginning in 1825. The floor-level was raised above flood-level, a full three feet. The roof was rebuilt, the south wall was reconstructed using the original materials, and the main features of the 12th-century chancel arch were discarded.
The vicar from 1842 to 1892 was Thomas Chamberlain
(later founder of St Edward's School
), a firm believer in the Tractarian movement, who introduced daily services as well as such ritualist practices as altar candles and the wearing of Eucharist
ic vestment
s – the latter causing him to be rebuked by Bishop Wilberforce
in 1855. Many of the leaders of the Oxford Movement
, including Edward Bouverie Pusey
, Henry Parry Liddon
, John Mason Neale
, Charles Fuge Lowder
and Edward King
preached at the church. In the early days of the movement, Anglo-Catholicism was closely associated with St Thomas'. In 1847, Chamberlain founded the Community of St Thomas Martyr, which was devoted to the assistance of the poor of the parish, by now heavily slumland; this sisterhood would remain active until 1958. The convent buildings constructed for it were built in 1886, but have since been demolished. In 1846, the north aisle and vestry
were knocked down and a new aisle of five bays with a vestry at its west end was constructed in its place. The blocked tower arch and two blocked windows in the chancel were opened, and a new chancel arch was constructed.
The vicar from 1896 to 1908 was T. H. Birley, later Bishop of Zanzibar
. In 1897, the building was again re-roofed and a vestry built against the north wall of the tower. St Thomas' was declared an ancient parish in 1948. In 1994, the Church of England saw the introduction of women priests. Like several other parishes, the people of the parish of St Thomas' decided they could not accept the ministry of these women
. So under the terms of the resolutions passed by General Synod
, the Archbishop of Canterbury
placed the church under the care of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet
. He is a Provincial episcopal visitor
who oversees the parish even though it is in the Diocese of Oxford
. At present, the liturgy is based around the Book of Common Prayer
, the English Missal
, and Common Worship
. Musical settings are traditional.
The church has a nave
with a north aisle and vestry
, a perpendicular west tower, a chancel
and a south porch. The nave was rebuilt in the late 15th or early 16th century to meet a tower of approximately the same age; it is often dated to 1521, but appears to be built on older foundations. The southern side of the nave contains what are probably thirteenth-century buttresses and a pair of perpendicular windows. The north aisle was originally built in the 13th century, and rebuilt by H. J. Underwood in 1890; the vestry as originally buily in the 17th century, and rebuilt in 1846 by Chamberlain, through the generosity of the curate, Alexander Penrose Forbes
. The church has been reroofed at least twice, in 1825 and 1897. The building was listed as Grade II in 1954.
The chancel, which has a ceiling decorated by C. E. Kempe
, contains three windows in the style of the late 12th century, and a priest's door built into the south side circa 1250. A southern porch was built in 1621 by Dr Robert Burton
, whose arms are carved in the gable above the date. A candelabrum given by Ann Kendall in 1705 hangs in the chancel. The chancel ceiling was decorated with a pattern of gold stars on a blue background in 1914. Two years later, an altar was erected at the east end of the north aisle, and an aumbry
placed in the north wall of the chancel. The royal arms of William IV
are on display in the tower.
The churchyard contains Combe House, a 1702 building originally constructed as a school, as well as a vicarage designed in 1893 by C. C. Rolfe. The remains of an earlier Rolfe building, the 1886 Sisterhood of St Thomas, are also present; in 1974, these amounted to a single cottage and a sculptured brick gateway.
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...
church of the Anglo-Catholic
Anglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
tradition, in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, near Oxford railway station
Oxford railway station
Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, northwest of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road, and on the line linking with . It is also on the line for trains between and Hereford via...
in Osney
Osney
Osney, Osney Island, or Osney Town is a riverside community in the west of the city of Oxford, England. It is located off the Botley Road, just west of the city's main railway station, on an island surrounded by the River Thames, known in Oxford as the Isis. Osney is part of the city council ward...
. The church was founded in the 12th century, dedicated to St Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
. The building still retains some of its original architecture, although substantial expansions and repairs have been made, particularly in the 17th century (under the curacy
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
of Robert Burton
Robert Burton (scholar)
Robert Burton was an English scholar at Oxford University, best known for the classic The Anatomy of Melancholy. He was also the incumbent of St Thomas the Martyr, Oxford, and of Segrave in Leicestershire.-Life:...
) and in the 19th century.
The church played a significant role in the early stages of the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
, being the site of daily services as well as such ritualist practices as altar candles and the wearing of Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
ic vestment
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
s. The leaders of the Oxford Movement preached at the church and the early Tractarians were closely associated with St Thomas's. Although in the Diocese of Oxford
Diocese of Oxford
-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...
, the church is under the care of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet
Bishop of Ebbsfleet
The Bishop of Ebbsfleet is a suffragan bishop who fulfils the role of a provincial episcopal visitor for the whole of the Province of Canterbury in the Church of England....
. He is a Provincial episcopal visitor
Provincial episcopal visitor
A provincial episcopal visitor is a Church of England bishop assigned to minister to many of the clergy, laity and parishes who do not in conscience accept the ministry of women priests....
, a bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
who ministers to clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
, laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
and parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es like St Thomas' who do not accept the ministry of bishops who have ordained women priests
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
.
To the Restoration
It has traditionally been held in Osney that the church was founded in the reign of StephenStephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
, but this is unlikely to be true. Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
was not martyred until some fifteen years after Stephen's death. It is known that in the 1180s, the site was granted to the canons of the nearby Osney Abbey
Osney Abbey
Osney Abbey or Oseney Abbey, later Osney Cathedral, was a house of Augustinian canons at Osney in Oxfordshire. The site is south of the modern Botley Road, down Mill Street by Osney Cemetery, next to the railway line just south of Oxford station. It was founded as a priory in 1129, becoming an...
, and a chapel was erected on the site around 1190. From the mid-13th century the Osney area was referred to as the parish of St Thomas', but it remained nominally a chapel of the abbey until the dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
under Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, when it was placed under Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. Christ Church treated it as a conventional parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
with a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
, and from the mid-19th century the incumbent was styled a vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
.
Robert Burton (scholar)
Robert Burton was an English scholar at Oxford University, best known for the classic The Anatomy of Melancholy. He was also the incumbent of St Thomas the Martyr, Oxford, and of Segrave in Leicestershire.-Life:...
, author of The Anatomy of Melancholy
The Anatomy of Melancholy
The Anatomy of Melancholy The Anatomy of Melancholy The Anatomy of Melancholy (Full title: The Anatomy of Melancholy, What it is: With all the Kinds, Causes, Symptomes, Prognostickes, and Several Cures of it. In Three Maine Partitions with their several Sections, Members, and Subsections...
, who enlarged the church. During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
the medieval stained glass in the church was destroyed, partly due to the vandalism of Parliamentary troops captured at 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 1642 and imprisoned in the church. Following the Restoration, the holders of the curacy changed rapidly, often remaining in the position for only a few years at a time. From at least 1713, a house in High Street was leased by Christ Church to parish trustees and the profits were used for repairing the church. This would continue until 1923, when the house was sold.
From the birth of the United Kingdom
By the early 19th century, the church and its parish were showing signs of neglect. In 1802 only ten communicantEucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
s are recorded, and in 1814 some 90% of the parish was thought to be non-churchgoing. The church would be reduced further by the creation of the parishes of St Paul's in 1837, St Barnabas'
St Barnabas Church, Oxford
St Barnabas Church is a Church of England parish church in Jericho, central Oxford, England, located close to Oxford Canal.The church was founded by Thomas Combe, Superintendent of the Oxford University Press close to the church, and his wife Martha. They were followers of the Oxford Movement...
in 1869, and St Frideswide's in 1873.
The curate from 1823 to 1842, one John Jones, brought a significant turnaround in attendance; perhaps the most unusual innovation was a houseboat
Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...
– the "Boatman's Floating Chapel" – acquired in 1839, for use as a chapel serving the families working on the river and the canals. This boat was St Thomas' first chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
; it was donated by H. Ward, a local coal merchant, and used until it sank in 1868. It was replaced by a chapel dedicated to St Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
, which remained in use until 1892. A second chapel was constructed in 1860, dedicated to St Frideswide
Frideswide
Saint Frithuswith was an English princess and abbess who is credited with establishing Christ Church in Oxford.-Life:...
, later replaced by the new parish church of St Frideswide's, which took on the parish of New Osney in 1873. Major repairs were carried out beginning in 1825. The floor-level was raised above flood-level, a full three feet. The roof was rebuilt, the south wall was reconstructed using the original materials, and the main features of the 12th-century chancel arch were discarded.
The vicar from 1842 to 1892 was Thomas Chamberlain
Thomas Chamberlain
Thomas Davee Chamberlain was an officer in the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War, the brother of Union general Joshua L. Chamberlain, the commanding officer of the 20th Maine Infantry....
(later founder of St Edward's School
St Edward's School (Oxford)
St. Edward's School is a co-educational independent boarding school located in Oxford, England. The school is located on the Woodstock Road in the north of the city close to the suburb of Summertown. In 2007 it was voted by the Country Life Magazine as number one in the top ten schools in the UK...
), a firm believer in the Tractarian movement, who introduced daily services as well as such ritualist practices as altar candles and the wearing of Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
ic vestment
Vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
s – the latter causing him to be rebuked by Bishop Wilberforce
Samuel Wilberforce
Samuel Wilberforce was an English bishop in the Church of England, third son of William Wilberforce. Known as "Soapy Sam", Wilberforce was one of the greatest public speakers of his time and place...
in 1855. Many of the leaders of the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
, including Edward Bouverie Pusey
Edward Bouverie Pusey
Edward Bouverie Pusey was an English churchman and Regius Professor of Hebrew at Christ Church, Oxford. He was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement.-Early years:...
, Henry Parry Liddon
Henry Parry Liddon
Henry Parry Liddon was an English theologian.- Biography :The son of a naval captain, he was born at North Stoneham, near Eastleigh, Hampshire. He was educated at King's College School, and at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated, taking a second class, in 1850...
, John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar and hymn-writer.-Life:Neale was born in London, his parents being the Revd Cornelius Neale and Susanna Neale, daughter of John Mason Good...
, Charles Fuge Lowder
Charles Fuge Lowder
Charles Fuge Lowder was a priest of the Church of England. He was the founder of the Society of the Holy Cross, a society for Anglo-Catholic priests.-Early life:...
and Edward King
Edward King (English bishop)
Edward King was an Anglican bishop.-Life:He was the second son of the Revd Walker King, Archdeacon of Rochester and rector of Stone, Kent, and grandson of the Revd Walker King, Bishop of Rochester; his nephew was the Revd Robert Stuart King, who played football for England in 1882.King graduated...
preached at the church. In the early days of the movement, Anglo-Catholicism was closely associated with St Thomas'. In 1847, Chamberlain founded the Community of St Thomas Martyr, which was devoted to the assistance of the poor of the parish, by now heavily slumland; this sisterhood would remain active until 1958. The convent buildings constructed for it were built in 1886, but have since been demolished. In 1846, the north aisle and vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
were knocked down and a new aisle of five bays with a vestry at its west end was constructed in its place. The blocked tower arch and two blocked windows in the chancel were opened, and a new chancel arch was constructed.
The vicar from 1896 to 1908 was T. H. Birley, later Bishop of Zanzibar
Anglican Church of Tanzania
The Anglican Church of Tanzania is a member of the Anglican Communion based in Dodoma. It consists of 26 dioceses headed by their respective bishops. It seceded from the Province of East Africa in 1970, which it shared with Kenya...
. In 1897, the building was again re-roofed and a vestry built against the north wall of the tower. St Thomas' was declared an ancient parish in 1948. In 1994, the Church of England saw the introduction of women priests. Like several other parishes, the people of the parish of St Thomas' decided they could not accept the ministry of these women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
. So under the terms of the resolutions passed by General Synod
General Synod
-Church of England:In the Church of England, the General Synod, which was established in 1970 , is the legislative body of the Church.-Episcopal Church of the United States:...
, the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
placed the church under the care of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet
Bishop of Ebbsfleet
The Bishop of Ebbsfleet is a suffragan bishop who fulfils the role of a provincial episcopal visitor for the whole of the Province of Canterbury in the Church of England....
. He is a Provincial episcopal visitor
Provincial episcopal visitor
A provincial episcopal visitor is a Church of England bishop assigned to minister to many of the clergy, laity and parishes who do not in conscience accept the ministry of women priests....
who oversees the parish even though it is in the Diocese of Oxford
Diocese of Oxford
-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...
. At present, the liturgy is based around the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
, the English Missal
English Missal
The English Missal is a translation of the Roman Missal used by some liturgically advanced Anglo-Catholic parish churches. After its publication by W. Knott & Son Limited in 1912, the English Missal was rapidly endorsed by the growing Ritualist movement of Anglo-Catholic clergy, who viewed the...
, and Common Worship
Common Worship
Common Worship is the name given to the series of services authorised by the General Synod of the Church of England and launched on the first Sunday of Advent in 2000. It represents the most recent stage of development of the Liturgical Movement within the Church and is the successor to the...
. Musical settings are traditional.
Architecture
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...
with a north aisle and vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
, a perpendicular west tower, a 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...
and a south porch. The nave was rebuilt in the late 15th or early 16th century to meet a tower of approximately the same age; it is often dated to 1521, but appears to be built on older foundations. The southern side of the nave contains what are probably thirteenth-century buttresses and a pair of perpendicular windows. The north aisle was originally built in the 13th century, and rebuilt by H. J. Underwood in 1890; the vestry as originally buily in the 17th century, and rebuilt in 1846 by Chamberlain, through the generosity of the curate, Alexander Penrose Forbes
Alexander Penrose Forbes
Alexander Penrose Forbes , Scottish divine, was born at Edinburgh.He was the second son of John Hay Forbes, Lord Medwyn, a judge of the court of session, and grandson of Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo. He studied first at the Edinburgh Academy, then for two years under the Rev. Thomas Dale...
. The church has been reroofed at least twice, in 1825 and 1897. The building was listed as Grade II in 1954.
The chancel, which has a ceiling decorated by C. E. Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
, contains three windows in the style of the late 12th century, and a priest's door built into the south side circa 1250. A southern porch was built in 1621 by Dr Robert Burton
Robert Burton (scholar)
Robert Burton was an English scholar at Oxford University, best known for the classic The Anatomy of Melancholy. He was also the incumbent of St Thomas the Martyr, Oxford, and of Segrave in Leicestershire.-Life:...
, whose arms are carved in the gable above the date. A candelabrum given by Ann Kendall in 1705 hangs in the chancel. The chancel ceiling was decorated with a pattern of gold stars on a blue background in 1914. Two years later, an altar was erected at the east end of the north aisle, and an aumbry
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
placed in the north wall of the chancel. The royal arms of William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
are on display in the tower.
The churchyard contains Combe House, a 1702 building originally constructed as a school, as well as a vicarage designed in 1893 by C. C. Rolfe. The remains of an earlier Rolfe building, the 1886 Sisterhood of St Thomas, are also present; in 1974, these amounted to a single cottage and a sculptured brick gateway.