St. Mary the Virgin Church    Little Coxwell

Welcome to our Church

St. Mary’s Church is 800 years old; it was built as a Chapel of Ease by the Cistercian monks to whom King John gave the manor of Little Coxwell in 1204, (together with Great Coxwell and other local manors). We can say therefore that this church has met the needs of its rural community for 30 generations, more or less.  Reflecting this, St. Mary’s is a small, compact church, comprising the original 13th century Nave and Chancel with the later additions of porches to the south and north, the later now utilised as a vestry. There is enough evidence from surviving stonework to indicate that this church was a well-styled and an impressive stone structure at its foundation; simple, perhaps in our eyes, but redolent of its era. In architectural terms the Church is in essence Transitional with Early English; the porches are Perpendicular as are some of the windows. Naturally in the 800 years since its foundation alterations and reparations to the structure and content of St. Mary’s Church have occurred, including extensive late 19th century restoration. Looking around this small Church we hope that you will absorb something of the church’s character and long history and of the people past and present who value and love this Church. For us who do so it has an everlasting imprint.

Notable features not to be missed

The South Doorway This is the way through which you enter the Nave from the Porch. It is best viewed from the porch. This doorway in its simplicity and elegance of design is regarded as typical of the year 1200, plus or minus a decade or two, and a classic of the style prevalent in this part of the country.  Note the sculptured flourish at either side where the arch is supported from the wall i.e. where the necking roll and the lip of the upright turn in through 180 degrees, join at a collar and terminate in a pointed foliage bud.

The Font, as expected, is positioned by our south door. Our stone font dates from the 15th century; it has the symbolic octagonal shape for the bowl and pedestal.

Holy Water Stoup and Piscina Located within the south wall of the Nave near the font, is an arched recess probably formerly used as a holy water stoup. There is a tre-foil headed piscina set in the south wall of the Chancel.

The East Window above the altar Most obvious in the Chancel is of course the Altar with its vestments. Above the Altar is the striking East Window with its depiction of Christ’s crucifixion in stained glass by Heaton, Butler and Bayne of London. This dates from 1896 and was a gift to the church by Colonel and Mrs Edwards to commemorate their silver wedding. The inscription at the foot of the window reads: ‘This window is given by Charles G. & Beatrix Edwards to the Glory of God, Oct. 10th 1896’. The window glass depicts St. Mary, at the right hand of Jesus, and St. John on the left. Above them are three angels, the highest angel, intended perhaps to be Michael or Gabriel, carries a scroll bearing the text ‘I if I be lifted up will draw all men unto me’, (extracted from John 12:32). The other two angels swing golden incense burners or thuribles.

The Chancel Arch The arch between the Nave and the Chancel was rebuilt in the 15th century; the original was almost certainly a rounded arch similar to that at the south door. The archway has the original responds now bearing a pointed arch.

Decoration on the West Gallery At the west of the Nave is the gallery, a 19th century addition which now houses the organ. The fine wooden carving of flowers and foliage decorating the wall of the gallery is part of the pre-Reformation rood screen; it was removed from its original location between the nave and chancel in the 1890s.

The hour glass holder on the window sill near the pulpit This is a fine wrought iron hour glass holder providing an aid for the priest (and congregation) as to how the hour for the sermon was progressing. The congregation would have been able to assess the progress of the sermon as the sand ran through the hour glass and the priest would have heard the sand falling.

The Candelabrum suspended in the Nave is of moulded brass; it is sometimes referred to as a ‘spider’ candelabrum: quite easy to see why!  It was a gift from the Vicar Richard Peers in 1729 as the inscription indicates: ‘Deo Trino & Uni Richardus Peers Hujus Ecclesiæ Vicarius Humillime offert Ann: D.ni 1729’. From that time it has provided light when needed, and may continue to do so at our annual carol service. The date of the gift of this candelabrum may be significant by design or simply coincidence; however 1729 commemorates five and a quarter centuries, i.e. 525 years, since the manor of Little Coxwell was gifted to the Cistercians.

The Nave roof is high pitched with timbers of tie beams, chamfered and cinque-foiled arches to the principals and dates from the 14th century, but much timber was replaced in the same style in the 1890s restoration.

Memorials

The War Memorial, to nine men of the village who lost their lives in the First World War, hangs on the north wall of the Nave. There are other memorials and commemorations in the church also worthy of examination.

There is a small brass plaque on the south wall of the Nave near the doorway; it reads: ‘The electric heaters were installed in memory of Ralph Buckley Stevenson-Jones, Croix de Guerre, and Marjorie Stevenson-Jones’. Ralph Buckley Stevenson-Jones was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his gallant service as a motor ambulance driver with the French Red Cross in WW1.

On the north wall of the Nave there is a brass memorial to Colonel Robert Fulke Noel-Clarke; he is buried in the churchyard.

On the bookcase near the vestry there is a small brass plaque: ‘In Fond Memory of Norman and Audrey Worth 2010’.

The board displayed in the Nave above the chancel arch bears the Coat of Arms of George III. At the date of the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 churches were required to show their loyalty by displaying the royal coat of arms; when our monarchs changed, the coat of arms was updated; this practice was discontinued after the reign of George III (reign:1760-1820).

The North Porch-cum-Vestry The archway between the Nave and the Vestry displays 13th century design. It is square headed; from the vestry side note the roll moulding along the head and down the jambs.

Information on burials in the Churchyard  In the Vestry there are details including a plan of the burials in the Churchyard.

Take a stroll to view the exterior of St. Mary’s Church and the churchyard

 The South Porch: this was added in the 15th century and would have been used for many of the church’s ceremonies and activities, including in all probability the operation of the Sunday school which was established in 1795. There is interesting graffiti to be found here: there are typical medieval votive crosses on the stonework beside of the door into the nave. Furthermore, disregarding the probable 20th or 19th century initials carved on the jambs at the porch entrance, there are other designs here known since medieval times. Terminating the dripstone over the outer door to the south porch are two small and very weathered carved stone label heads. The heavy wooden plank and batten exterior door to the porch with its studs and other iron work was made in the 19th century.

From the South Side

The notable feature, dating from the 13th century, is the Bellcote with its two bells. The Bellcote has a quatrefoil decoration below the gable and above the two pointed openings housing the bells; note the sundial on its south face. Here too is the Priest’s doorway, with its eye-catching round-headed arch, leading into the Chancel; this too is dated to the 13th century. The Nave has a three-cusped-light window (with a date of about 1300) under a flat head with carved label heads, one with a ‘sugar bag’ hat. The Chancel window is later, Perpendicular style, of two tiers of four cusped lights, also with a flat head but having shield labels.

From the East Side

Walking around the Church immediately below our east window is the double grave of Charles and Beatrix Edwards, the donors of this commemoration window; they are linked too with our Lych Gate. Just to your right is a gravestone for a long-serving parish clerk engraved: ‘In affectionate remembrance of Vincent Hawkins for over 40 years clerk of this parish who died 21st December 1906 aged 88 years’.  A few yards further away the Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone to A. E. King of the Royal Berkshire Regiment is easily spotted.

From the North Side

Continue around the Church, passing the north porch with its entrance now blocked. The Nave window is 19th century.

From the West Side

Looking high up on the western wall is a small quatrefoil window bearing the initials ‘V L’, standing for Vicesimus Lush (1817-1882), a valued curate who served here, at St. Mary’s and All Saints in Faringdon, in the 1840s, during which time the vicar was generally absent. The quatrefoil shape mirrors that piercing the bellcote. Vicesimus Lush continued his career in New Zealand becoming Archdeacon of Waikato.

The vibrant colours of this rather stunning small window set high up in the west wall.

(Photographed as the viewing point within the church is generally inaccessible.)

Alongside the window within the church there is a stone slab recording: ‘This window was placed here in grateful remembrance of the pious and Christian labours of the Revd Vicesimus Lush for the temporal and spiritual welfare of the people of this parish during his curacy from 1844 to 1849.’

The Churchyard

Looking to the west from the church the ‘new’ extension to the original graveyard is clearly apparent. This was consecrated in June 1916. We are proud of the conservation aspects of churchyard; over 200 species of plants have been identified here; the monitoring is on-going.

Finally our Lych Gate providing the entrance and exit was presented by Beatrix Edwards in memory of her husband Colonel Charles Grove Edwards and dedicated in November 1911. It bears the inscriptions: ‘Jesus saith I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life’ and ‘In Perfect Peace’. The structure is of wood roofed with stone slates in keeping with those of the roof of St. Mary’s.