St Mary's Church, North Leigh
Encyclopedia
The Parish Church of Saint Mary, North Leigh is the Church of England parish church
of North Leigh
, a village about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Witney
in Oxfordshire
.
is late Anglo-Saxon
, probably built in the first half of the 11th century. There was an Anglo-Saxon nave
west of the tower, and presumably a Anglo-Saxon chancel
east of it. In the latter part of the 12th century the nave was abandoned and its arch in the west wall of the tower was blocked up. A new nave was built east of the tower in place of the Anglo-Saxon chancel, with north and south aisles flanking it and a new chancel extending further east, all in the Early English Gothic style.
Early in the 13th century the arch between the tower and the new nave was enlarged, a third chancel was built east of the 12th century one, and the 12th century chancel was made part of the nave. Early in the 14th century both aisles were extended westwards, flanking the tower on both sides, and arches were cut in the tower to link with the aisle extensions. New Decorated Gothic style windows were inserted in the east end of the chancel, the west end of the nave and along the south aisle.
In the middle of the 14th century the division between the nave and chancel was moved back to where it had been in the 12th century. The 13th century chancel arch was removed, but its imposts remain in the north and south walls of the chancel. An arch was cut in the north wall of the chancel, presumably to connect with a new chapel.
After 1439 this chapel was replaced with a new Perpendicular Gothic style chapel, which has fine fan vault
ing of unusually high quality for a parish church. It was built for Elizabeth Wilcote, widow of the then Lord of the Manor. She had been widowed twice and lost two of her sons, and had ordered the chapel as a chantry
to offer Mass
for them. Parts of the chapel's original 15th century stained glass survive in its windows. Also in the 15th century, new Perpendicular Gothic windows were inserted in the north and south aisles.
Speaker of the House Commons
, William Lenthall
, came from North Leigh and are buried in the church. A memorial tablet in the Wilcote chantry chapel commemorates them.
In 1723, John Perrott, Lord of the Manor, engaged Christopher Kempster
of Burford
to refit the church and build a burial chapel for the Perrott family to the north of the north aisle. Kempster was a mason who had worked for Sir Christopher Wren
on churches in London. Kempster linked the Perrott chapel and the north aisle by an arcade
of Tuscan
columns. The chapel is lit by tall, round-headed Georgian
windows with plain glass. On the walls are several large, ornate 18th century memorials to members of the Perott family.
In 1864 the Gothic Revival architect
G.E. Street
restored
the church. Street unblocked and re-glazed windows that Kempster had blocked up for Perrott, and reinstated the Norman
font
that Perrott had had removed to the churchyard for use as a water butt. Kempster had inserted round-headed Georgian
windows in the north and south walls of the chancel. Street replaced these with ones to match the restored Decorated Gothic east window. During the works a 15th century Doom painting
at the east end of the nave was uncovered and restored. Street also rebuilt the south porch.
, hung for change ringing
, which that year were recast by Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
to make the current ring of six bells.
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of North Leigh
North Leigh
North Leigh is a village and civil parish about northeast of Witney in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of East End, and since 1932 has also included the hamlet of Wilcote.-Early history:...
, a village about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Witney
Witney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
From Anglo-Saxon foundation until the Reformation
The bell towerBell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
is late Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
, probably built in the first half of the 11th century. There was an Anglo-Saxon nave
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...
west of the tower, and presumably a Anglo-Saxon 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...
east of it. In the latter part of the 12th century the nave was abandoned and its arch in the west wall of the tower was blocked up. A new nave was built east of the tower in place of the Anglo-Saxon chancel, with north and south aisles flanking it and a new chancel extending further east, all in the Early English Gothic style.
Early in the 13th century the arch between the tower and the new nave was enlarged, a third chancel was built east of the 12th century one, and the 12th century chancel was made part of the nave. Early in the 14th century both aisles were extended westwards, flanking the tower on both sides, and arches were cut in the tower to link with the aisle extensions. New Decorated Gothic style windows were inserted in the east end of the chancel, the west end of the nave and along the south aisle.
In the middle of the 14th century the division between the nave and chancel was moved back to where it had been in the 12th century. The 13th century chancel arch was removed, but its imposts remain in the north and south walls of the chancel. An arch was cut in the north wall of the chancel, presumably to connect with a new chapel.
After 1439 this chapel was replaced with a new Perpendicular Gothic style chapel, which has fine fan vault
Fan vault
thumb|right|250px|Fan vaulting over the nave at Bath Abbey, Bath, England. Made from local Bath stone, this is a [[Victorian restoration]] of the original roof of 1608....
ing of unusually high quality for a parish church. It was built for Elizabeth Wilcote, widow of the then Lord of the Manor. She had been widowed twice and lost two of her sons, and had ordered the chapel as a chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
to offer Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
for them. Parts of the chapel's original 15th century stained glass survive in its windows. Also in the 15th century, new Perpendicular Gothic windows were inserted in the north and south aisles.
Since the English Reformation
The parents of the Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
Speaker of the House Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
, William Lenthall
William Lenthall
William Lenthall was an English politician of the Civil War period. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons.-Early life:...
, came from North Leigh and are buried in the church. A memorial tablet in the Wilcote chantry chapel commemorates them.
In 1723, John Perrott, Lord of the Manor, engaged Christopher Kempster
Christopher Kempster
Christopher Kempster was an English master stonemason and architect who trained with Sir Christopher Wren, working on St Paul's Cathedral.Kempster was from Burford in Oxfordshire, England....
of Burford
Burford
Burford is a small town on the River Windrush in the Cotswold hills in west Oxfordshire, England, about west of Oxford, southeast of Cheltenham and only from the Gloucestershire boundary...
to refit the church and build a burial chapel for the Perrott family to the north of the north aisle. Kempster was a mason who had worked for Sir Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
on churches in London. Kempster linked the Perrott chapel and the north aisle by an arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
of Tuscan
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
columns. The chapel is lit by tall, round-headed Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
windows with plain glass. On the walls are several large, ornate 18th century memorials to members of the Perott family.
In 1864 the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
G.E. Street
George Edmund Street
George Edmund Street was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex.- Life :Street was the third son of Thomas Street, solicitor, by his second wife, Mary Anne Millington. George went to school at Mitcham in about 1830, and later to the Camberwell collegiate school, which he left in 1839...
restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
the church. Street unblocked and re-glazed windows that Kempster had blocked up for Perrott, and reinstated the Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
that Perrott had had removed to the churchyard for use as a water butt. Kempster had inserted round-headed Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
windows in the north and south walls of the chancel. Street replaced these with ones to match the restored Decorated Gothic east window. During the works a 15th century Doom painting
Doom (painting)
A Doom is a traditional English term for a painting or other image of the Last Judgment, an event in Christian eschatology. Christ judges souls, and then sends them to either Heaven or Hell...
at the east end of the nave was uncovered and restored. Street also rebuilt the south porch.
Bells
There are records of the church tower having bells since the 16th century. By 1875 there was a ring of fiveRing of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
, hung for change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
, which that year were recast by Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
to make the current ring of six bells.