- Church of St Mary the Virgin, Meysey Hampton
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St Mary's, Meysey Hampton 
Location in Gloucestershire
Coordinates: 51°41′57″N 1°49′55″W / 51.6992°N 1.8320°W OS grid reference SP 11706 00060 Location Meysey Hampton, Gloucestershire Country England Denomination Anglican History Dedication Virgin Mary Architecture Status Parish church Functional status Active Heritage designation Grade II* Administration Deanery Fairford Archdeaconry Cheltenham Diocese Gloucester Province Canterbury 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.
Contents
History and present day
The church was consecrated in 1269.[1] It is thought to have been financed by the Knights Templar.[2] The church was extended and some alterations were made to the chancel in the 14th century.[3] Restored work took place in 1872–74, by James Brooks.[1]
St Mary the Virgin was designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage on 26 November 1958.[1] The Grade II* designation—the second highest of the three grades—is for "particularly important buildings of more than special interest".[4] 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.
Architecture
Exterior
The church is constructed of rubble stone with slate roofs in the Early English Decorated style.[1][5] According to Daved Verey, it is "not a typical Cotswold church".[6] Its plan is cruciform with a central tower; the nave and chancel are nearly the same length. The transepts lie to the north and south.[6] There is a porch in the middle of the south wall.[1] The central, square tower is of one stage and has two belfry lancet arches on each side.[1] It has a crenellated parapet with gargoyles.[6]
The nave and transepts also have lancet windows.[1] 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.[1] The three-light east window has geometric tracery and a ballflower border.[6]
Interior and furnishings
Internally, the roof has five bays and is has original curved bracing to the tie beams.[1] The crossing has simple, matched arches.[6]
There is a Jacobean lectern in the church, inscribed with "Christian Jacketts, 1622".[6] There is a 17th century monument to Dr James Vaulx, with an "amusing" portrait of him with his wives.[6] Medieval stained glass removed from the church in the 19th century was exhibited at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester in 2006.[3]
External features
In the churchyard there is a group of five monuments that have been given a Grade II designation by English Heritage. They lie approximately 4.5 metres (15 ft) south of the church. The monuments date from the 17th and 18th centuries.[7]
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Church of St Mary the Virgin", Heritage Gateway (English Heritage), http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=1156083&resourceID=5, retrieved 25 April 2011
- ^ Hall, p. 87
- ^ a b Rosewell, Roger (January 2007), "Loss Discovery and Rescue: Medieval Glass from Meysey Hampton Church (Glocs.)", Vidimus (CVMA) (3), ISSN 1752-0741, http://vidimus.org/issues/issue-03/feature/, retrieved 25 April 2011
- ^ "Listed Buildings", english-heritage.org.uk (English Heritage), http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/listed-buildings/, retrieved 24 April 2011
- ^ Verey, p. 26
- ^ a b c d e f g Verey, p. 135
- ^ "Group of Five Monuments About 41/2 Metres South of Church of St Mary the Virgin", Heritage Gateway (English Heritage), http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=1341312&resourceID=5, retrieved 25 April 2011
Bibliography
External links
Media related to Church of St Mary the Virgin, Meysey Hampton at Wikimedia CommonsCategories:- Church of England churches in Gloucestershire
- Diocese of Gloucester
- Grade II* listed buildings in Gloucestershire
- Grade II* listed churches
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