St Mary's Priory Church, Deerhurst facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Priory church of St Mary, Deerhurst |
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The church seen from the southwest
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| OS grid reference | SO87032995 |
| Location | Deerhurst, Gloucestershire |
| Country | England, UK |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Welcome to the parishes of Severnside and Twyning |
| History | |
| Status | parish church |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 4 July 1960 |
| Style | Anglo-Saxon, Early English, Decorated Gothic, Perpendicular Gothic |
| Years built | 8th, 9th, 10th, 13th centuries |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | rubble masonry |
| Bells | 6 |
| Tenor bell weight | 10 long tons 3 cwt 22 qr (23,350 lb or 10.59 t) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Deerhurst with Apperley |
| Deanery | Deanery of Tewkesbury and Winchcombe |
| Archdeaconry | Cheltenham |
| Diocese | Diocese of Gloucester |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Mary's Priory Church, Deerhurst is a very old church in Deerhurst, Gloucestershire, England. It is part of the Church of England. A large part of the church was built during the Anglo-Saxon period, starting in the 8th century. At that time, Deerhurst was part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.
The church was repaired and changed in the 10th century after the Viking invasions. It was made bigger in the early 13th century and changed again in the 14th and 15th centuries. Experts say it is a very important Anglo-Saxon building. It is also a Grade I listed building, which means it's a building of special historical interest.
From Anglo-Saxon times until the Dissolution of the Monasteries (when monasteries were closed down), St Mary's was the church of a Benedictine priory (a small monastery). Deerhurst also has another Anglo-Saxon building, Odda's Chapel, which is from the 11th century and is about 200 yards away.
Contents
History of Deerhurst Priory
By the year 804, St Mary's was part of a Benedictine monastery in Deerhurst. Around 1060, King Edward the Confessor gave this monastery to the Abbey of St Denis in France. This made it an "alien priory," meaning it was owned by a foreign monastery.
A writer named Matthew Paris wrote that in 1250, Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, tried to buy Deerhurst Priory from the French abbey. He sent the monks away and planned to build a castle nearby. However, the sale was cancelled, and by 1264, St Denis Abbey owned the priory again.
In the 14th century, England and France were at war. King Edward III took control of alien priories in England in 1337. This meant their money went to the English king instead of to France.
Later, King Henry IV gave the priory back to the Abbey of St Denis. But King Henry VI took it again in 1443. Four years later, he gave it to Eton College, a new school in Buckinghamshire.
In 1461, King Edward IV took the priory from Eton College. He later gave it to Tewkesbury Abbey. This was on the condition that Tewkesbury Abbey would keep a prior and four monks at Deerhurst. In 1467, the priory owned many estates and churches in different areas.
Finally, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Tewkesbury Abbey and its priories were closed down. Deerhurst Priory was given to the Crown on January 9, 1540.
Church Architecture and Design
Anglo-Saxon Features
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The oldest parts of St Mary's church are the nave (the main part where people sit) and the chancel (the area around the altar). These were built in the 8th century. The nave is tall and narrow, a common Anglo-Saxon style. The chancel used to be a round shape called an apse, but it is now in ruins.
The first addition was likely the west porch, which had two floors. Its walls contain a special pattern of bricks called "herringbone masonry." Later, two pairs of side rooms, called porticus, were added next to the nave.
The west porch was then made taller with a third floor, turning it into a tower. On the third floor of the tower, there is a special double opening with triangular tops looking into the nave. This opening has carved pillars and decorations.
All these early building stages happened before the Viking invasions. After the Vikings, the church was repaired around 970 AD. A fourth floor was added to the west porch, making it the tall tower we see today. At the same time, the large arch leading to the chancel was put in.
Gothic Changes
Around 1200 AD, the separate side rooms (porticus) were connected and extended. They became the north and south aisles, running along the nave. Each aisle has a beautiful three-arch Early English arcade with decorative carvings. At some point, the round chancel was removed, and the chancel arch was walled up.
Windows were added above the arcades to create a clerestory, which lets in more light. However, the current windows in the aisles and clerestory are from later Gothic styles: Decorated Gothic and Perpendicular Gothic.
The west window in the south aisle has some old Medieval stained glass. One part, from about 1300–1340, shows St Catherine of Alexandria. Another larger part, from about 1450, shows St Alphege. Alphege began his religious life at Deerhurst monastery as a boy.
Victorian Restoration
In the 19th century, the church underwent further changes. William Wailes created the stained glass in the west window of the north aisle in 1853. Another company, Clayton and Bell, made stained glass for a north window in 1861. The pulpit (a raised platform for sermons) was also made in 1861. These changes were part of a big restoration project led by architect William Slater from 1861 to 1863.
The West Tower's Purpose
Possible Chapel on the First Floor
The first floor of the west tower might have been a chapel, similar to those found in Carolingian churches in Europe. These chapels often had an altar on the first floor, reached by staircases. South of the tower, there is a spiral staircase from later times that led to the second floor. The original staircase might have been inside the tower itself.
This kind of twin staircase setup was usually only in very large Anglo-Saxon churches in England, which are now mostly gone. Deerhurst might have had an altar in a similar way to the Carolingian churches. This would explain the unusual position of a door and a triangular window on that floor.
Church Bells
An old document from about 973, called the Regularis Concordia, gives instructions on how bells should be rung for church services and holidays. This was around the time that St Mary's west tower was made taller to create the current belfry (bell tower). However, none of the original Anglo-Saxon bells are still at Deerhurst.
The tower has a ring of six bells. Abel Rudhall of Gloucester made the second and fourth bells in 1736 and the largest bell (tenor) in 1737. Thomas Rudhall made the third bell in 1771. The fifth bell was made by Thomas II Mears in 1826. The smallest bell (treble) was made by John Taylor & Co in 1882.
Sculptures and Carvings
You enter the church through the west porch, which is now the lower part of the west tower. The current main doorway is not the original, but an animal's head carving remains above it. Other animal-head carvings, with spiral designs, were moved from outside to the inner doorway. More of these carvings are found on the chancel arch at the end of the nave. Similar Anglo-Saxon animal heads can be seen in other old churches in England.
Inside the porch, above the inner doorway, there is an 8th-century carving of the Virgin Mary and Child. On the ruined apse, there is a 10th-century carving of an angel, which shows influence from Byzantine art.
In the north aisle, you can find the baptismal font, which is one of the oldest in England. The top part of the font is round. The bottom part is eight-sided and plain, as if it was meant to fit into the floor. The round part is decorated with a wide band of double spiral patterns, with narrower bands of vine scrolls above and below.
This double spiral pattern is unique for a font. However, similar designs are found in 9th-century English manuscripts and on a treasure found in Cornwall. Based on this, experts believe the font was made in the 9th century.
Monuments and Burials
Inside the church, there is a double monumental brass (a metal plate with an engraved image) for Sir John Cassey and his wife, from around 1400. John Cassey was an important financial officer for King Richard II. In the chancel, there are also brasses from the early 16th century showing two ladies.
A special plaque remembers the composer George Butterworth (1885–1916), who was a soldier and died in World War I. His grandfather had been the vicar of St Mary's.
Some people believe that Æthelmund, an important Anglo-Saxon leader, might be buried in the church. In the churchyard, there are also war graves for two soldiers who died in the First World War: Lewis Cox (died 1917) and George Chalk (died 1919).
Images for kids
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The church seen from the southwest
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Document from 1069 where William the Conqueror confirms that the Abbey of St Denis owned Deerhurst Priory.
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Foundations of the former chancel apse, which is now gone.
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Bifora (double window) on the east wall of the third stage of the tower, seen from inside the nave.
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Beautiful Early English stonework in the south arcade.
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Part of the west window of the south aisle, showing St Catherine of Alexandria (left) and St Alphege (right).
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St Mary's from the west, showing the tower.
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One of the animal-head carvings inside the church.
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The 9th-century Anglo-Saxon font.
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Monumental brass to John Cassy and his wife.
See also
