St Mary's Church, Pyrton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Pyrton
St Mary's parish church from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SU687957
Location	Pyrton, Oxfordshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	St Mary, Pyrton
History
Status	parish church
Consecrated	1856
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	18 June 1963
Architect(s)	J. C. Buckler
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic Revival
Completed	1856
Specifications
Materials	Flint with limestone dressings tile roof
Administration
Parish	Pyrton and Shirburn
Deanery	Aston and Cuddesdon
Archdeaconry	Oxford
Diocese	Oxford
Province	Canterbury

St Mary's Church is the Church of England parish church in Pyrton, Oxfordshire, England. A parish church is a church that serves a specific local area. St Mary's is part of a group of churches called the benefice of Icknield. It belongs to the diocese of Oxford. This church is very important because it is a Grade II* listed building. This means it has special historical and architectural value.

History of St Mary's Church

Early Beginnings

There has been a church in Pyrton for a very long time. An old record from the year 887 mentions a church already existing here! Around 1115, the church was given to a group of Augustinian canons. Canons were like priests who lived together in a community. This group was based in Runcorn, Cheshire. The gift came from William fitz Nigel, who was a powerful lord in Pyrton at the time.

In 1134, the canons moved their community to a nearby village called Norton. St Mary's Church stayed under the control of Norton Priory, which was their main monastery. This continued until 1536, when King Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries. This was when many monasteries in England were closed down.

After the monasteries closed, the church's ownership and the right to choose its priest (called the advowson) were given to Christ Church, Oxford. In 1943, the parish of Pyrton joined with the parish of Shirburn. Today, this combined parish is part of the Icknield benefice.

Building Changes Over Time

The church building you see today has parts that date back to the 12th century. This means some parts are over 800 years old! A porch was added to the church in the 15th century.

In 1854, a lot of the church was rebuilt by an architect named J. C. Buckler. He made sure to keep the original shape of the church. He also saved some of the very old features. The main part of the church, called the nave, was made longer by about 6 feet (1.8 meters). This was done to make space for 120 more people to sit.

Over the years, more improvements were made. In 1929, new heating was put in. Electric lighting was added in 1939. In 1953, a proper organ was installed, replacing an older instrument called a harmonium.

Architecture of St Mary's

Outside the Church

St Mary's Church is built using flint stones that have been carefully shaped and laid in rows. It also has limestone blocks for details, called dressings. The roof is made of tiles and has a pointed top, known as a gable.

The church has a main body called the nave, which has three sections. It also has a chancel, which is the area around the altar, and a small room called a vestry. On the south side, there is a porch. At the west end of the church, there is a small tower-like structure called a bell-cote where the bells are kept.

Some of the oldest parts of the church are from the Norman period. You can still see Norman features in the south doorway and the arch leading into the chancel. There's also an original Norman window on the north wall of the nave. A similar window on the south wall was copied during the Victorian era. The large east window has three sections. The chancel has narrow, tall windows called lancet windows from the 12th century. The vestry has round-arched windows from the 19th century.

At the west end, there is a window with two sections. It is supported by strong stone supports called buttresses. The bell-cote has small, three-leaf shaped windows above two openings where the bells hang. These bell openings have five-leaf shapes at the top.

Inside the Church

Many of the items inside the church, like the wooden benches (pews), the stand for reading (lectern), and the colourful stained glass windows, are from the 19th century. The stained glass in one of the nave windows was made in 1893 by a famous company called Clayton and Bell.

In the south porch, you can find medieval tiles. These are very old and have six different patterns. The wooden pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, is dated 1636. The church also has a wooden chest, used for storage, which was bought in 1638.

The baptismal font, used for baptisms, is from the 12th century. It has a cover that was added in the mid-19th century. The church has several memorials to remember people who have passed away. The oldest memorial is a stone slab in front of the altar. It's made of Purbeck marble and dates back to around 1340. It used to have an inscription made of brass letters.

Most of the monuments in the nave are for members of the Hamersley family. One of these is a brass tablet from 1929, designed by a well-known artist named Eric Gill.

The church has three bells. Two of them are very old, dated 1605 and 1606. The third bell was given to the church in 1953. It replaced an even older bell from 1593. The church also keeps parish registers, which are records of baptisms, weddings, and burials, dating back to 1568. There are also records of the churchwardens' accounts from 1548 to 1882.

External Features

In the churchyard, there are two old stone tombs called chest tombs. They date from the 18th century and are also listed as Grade II buildings, meaning they are historically important.