St Mary's Church, Bampton
| St Mary's Church, Bampton | |
|---|---|
| Church of Saint Mary the Virgin | |
 | |
  St Mary's Church, Bampton | |
| 51°43′40″N 1°32′56″W / 51.72778°N 1.54889°WCoordinates: 51°43′40″N 1°32′56″W / 51.72778°N 1.54889°W | |
| Location | Bampton, Oxfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website |
www |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Mary the Virgin |
| Consecrated | 1062 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 12 September 1955 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Bampton with Clanfield |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Dorchester |
| Episcopal area | Dorchester Episcopal Area |
| Diocese | Diocese of Oxford |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | The Rt Revd Colin Fletcher |
| Vicar(s) | The Revd David Lloyd |
| Laity | |
| Reader(s) | Celia Humphreys, Dennis Piper, Arthur Pont |
The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Bampton, Oxfordshire, is a Church of England parish church in the Diocese of Oxford that dates from the 12th century. It is on the site of a late Saxon Minster, the tower of which survives in the present church. It has a 13th-century spire, and a carved stone reredos of Christ and his Apostles from about 1400. It is a Grade I listed building.
History
Saint Beornwald of Bampton was venerated as patron saint of Bampton from at least the 9th century until the Reformation.[lower-alpha 1] His feast day was 21 December.[1] Given the degree of local patronage he may have been the founder of the church. Very little is known about Beornwald. Although early records[lower-alpha 2] call him saint, confessor, priest and martyr,[2] even his tomb is now lost for certain. His shrine was probably in the north transept of the parish church, where some evidence of a former shrine remains.[3][4]
William the Conqueror granted the original church to Leofric, Bishop of Exeter. The Diocese of Exeter was involved with St Mary's for many years afterwards. The church has been rebuilt and extended a number times, most recently in 1870 when the roof was given its present form.[5][6][7]
The ancient parish was one of the largest in Oxfordshire, and included the townships of Weald, Lew, Aston, Cote, Shifford, Chimney and Lower Haddon.[8] In 1857 the parish was split into the three ecclesiastical parishes of Bampton Proper, Bampton Lew and Bampton Aston, all now part of the united benefice of Bampton with Clanfield.[8] In 1866 the parish was split into five civil parishes: Bampton, Lew, Aston and Cote, Shifford and Chimney.[8]
St Mary's Rectory has a date-stone stating that it was built in 1546. It was altered in 1799 by the builder and architect Daniel Harris.[9]
On 12 September 1955, St Mary's Church was designated as a Grade I listed building.[10]
Notes
- ↑ Evidence of Beornwald's veneration includes a 1516 will of one William Wode, a priest of Bampton, bequeathed his soul "to God, to our Lady, Sent Barnwald and all the seintes of hevyn".
- ↑ Beornwald is known only from Winchester litanies of the 11th century and Martyrologies of the 12th century (Exeter) and 15th (Syon Abbey).
References
- ↑ Blair, John (1984). "Saint Beornwald of Bampton" (PDF). Oxoniensia. Oxford: Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society. XLIX: 47–54.
- ↑ Farmer, David (2011). Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Fifth ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 46.
- ↑ "Beornwald (Berenwald, Byrnwold) of Bampton". Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford University Press.
- ↑ Ross, David. "Bampton, St Mary's Church". Britain Express.
- ↑ Crossley, Alan; Currie, C.R.J. (eds.); Baggs, A.P.; Chance, Eleanor; Colvin, Christina; Day, C.J.; Selwyn, Nesta; Townley, Simon C. (1996). A History of the County of Oxford. Victoria County History. 13: Bampton Hundred (Part One). London: Oxford University Press for the Institute of Historical Research. pp. 48–57. ISBN 978-0-19722-790-9.
- ↑ "The History of St Marys (sic)". St Mary's Bampton. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ↑ "Bampton Church, Bampton". Sacred Destinations. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- 1 2 3 Crossley & Currie 1996, pages 6–62
- ↑ Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). Oxfordshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 432. ISBN 0-14-071045-0.
- ↑ "Listed Building (I) 1053559: CHURCH OF ST MARY". heritagegateway.org.uk. Historic England. Retrieved 7 November 2016.