Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire

The village is bordered on three sides by the rivers Windrush and Thames making an ideal defensive position. There is a reconstructed Bronze Age stone circle about a mile to the south.
The church of St. Michael stands to the east of the manor buildings; a typical Anglo-Saxon setting of church and manor. The nave of the church dates from 1120 - 1150 with the chancel dated at 1260.
A walk round the outside of the church reveals its Norman origins. Do not miss the plaque on the south side with its inscription recording the deaths of two young people.

St. Michael's, Stanton Harcourt 1

The interior of the church has a number of interesting features. One of the most interesting is the remains of the mediaeval shrine of St. Edburg (Eadburga) which was apparently 'rescued' from Bicester Priory at the dissolution by Sir Simon Harcourt, the base is dated as 1320.
Please read the comment below on the true dedication of the Saint depicted in the painting on the screen! My thanks to Chrisi for the information.
The screen itself has a number of roughly carved peep-holes through which a kneeling person could watch the Mass being celebrated.

St Michael's, Stanton Harcourt 2

In the Harcourt Chapel (among others) is the tomb and effigy of Sir Robert Harcourt Jr. who died c.1509. The Harcourts played a number of parts in the civil war between Lancaster and York. Sir Robert Harcourt Sr. was Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1455 and was killed by the Lancastrians in 1470. His son John Harcourt was outlawed in 1483 for his part in Buckingham's rebellion. John's son, Robert was made a Knight of the Bath in 1494 and succeeded his father before 1495. Sir Robert Jr. served as sheriff of both Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. His tomb has above it a standard reputedly carried by him at the battle of Bosworth.
One of the brasses is to Henry Dodschone, the first Vicar of the parish who died in 1519. Before his incumbency the living was a Rectory in the gift of Reading Abbey.

Garway, Herefordshire

The church of St. Michael, Garway lies in the Welsh Marches not far from the famous church of Kilpeck. It is one of six churches in England attributable to the Knights Templar. There would seem to have been a church on this site before the Templars rebuilt it in about 1200 to their design. The Templar church originally had a circular nave - supposedly copied from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
The Romanesque (Norman) chancel arch is from the Templar church. The nave has been rebuilt in the standard rectangular form with the circular nave foundations being hidden until their excavation in 1927.
The carving of the 'Agnus Dei' is now high on the west end wall. It was probably moved to that position at the time of the rebuilding of the nave. The chancel and side chapel are part of the original Templar building. In the farmyard next to the church is the dovecote which was part of the Templar's Preceptory.





Photos:
The foundations of the circular nave can be seen on the north side.

The chancel arch




On the outside of the chancel there are scratched carvings on many of the stones.

The carving of the 'Agnus Dei'

Garway, Herefordshire 2

More strange are the hand carved symbols over the piscina in the Templars chapel. These are a fish, the 'winged chalice' and a lamphrey
The carved head on the chancel arch is also of interest. In the heresy trials the Templars were accused of worshipping Baphomet - the horned god!
For readers of the Da Vinci Code this church is a 'must see'!

St. Lawrence, Weston-sub-Edge

The church of St. Lawrence, Weston-sub-Edge near Broadway in the Cotswolds has the appearance now of a 'Victorian Barn'! After an enthusiastic rector heightened the roof and rebuilt the chancel etc. it is hardly recognisable as a mediaeval church. However the signs are there if you look.




Inside the church:-
There is the blocked off doorway to the ancient rood-loft still outlined on the south wall. (The pulpit is Jacobean)


The piscina and alcove that used to hold the aumbrey remain in place on the south wall of the sanctuary.

There are the remains of ancient carvings in a corner near the north doorway.

As seen in the first photo there is a large moated site to the west of the church. This covers an area of some 2 hectares (4 1/2 acres). It is marked on O.S. maps as 'Site of Manor House'. There is no obvious 'Moot Hill' as at Guiting Power but the ancient church site and the dwelling of the 'Lord of the Manor' are ajacent. More telling is the fact that the church building is due east of the manor house site which could possibly date back to Anglo-Saxon times?? It would be interesting to know if any excavations have taken place here and what dates are given for the buildings.

Guiting Power in the Cotswolds

The church of St. Michael and All angels at Guiting Power in Gloucestershire is of interest on several counts. It is of course the name of a hymn tune set to the words 'Christ Triumphant'. Historically its roots go back to Anglo-Saxon times if not earlier. There is a tiny Saxon sarcophagus in the church and a 'barrow' in the parkland just to the north-east of the present church building. There are remains of the Norman / Early English church incorporated into the present building. Alongside the 'barrow' are the foundations of a tiny Saxon chapel and an ancient trackway runs over the field to the eastern boundary of the churchyard.
A book called 'Church and Manor' by S. A. Addey (published in 1913) talks of the foundation of Saxon churches alongside the THING-VOLLR or Moot Hill. The Tinwald Hill, the home of the Isle of Man parliament is about 130 yards west of the small chapel of St. John. The ancient records of Iceland show the Great Moot or Al-thing joined by a fenced path to the circular Law Court to the east. A little to the south of the Law Court is an oblong church.
Is it possible that, as Addy suggests, we have here at Guiting Power an ancient Norse settlement, adapted over the years into a Christian Manor and church?

The so-called 'Barrow' is to the north of the tiny Saxon church. The flat top to the 'barrow' does suggest that it could have been used for a village / district 'parliament'.


A beautifully carved Romanesque (Norman) doorway.












The tiny Saxon sarcophagus, one of the smallest found in the U.K.

Remains of Saxon chapel/church