St Mary Swinbrook

 

 This week The Church Explorer visits St Mary Swinbrook the last of my visits to churches near Burford on this occasion I did not go around all the churchyard as there were men erecting a couple of headstones so I missed seeing the Mitford Sisters headstones

"The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary the Virgin dates from about 1200. Its unusual open-sided bell-tower was added in 1822. The church is noted for its 17th-century Fettiplace monuments; that of 1686 was carved by William Bird of Oxford. St Mary's also has a monument to the officers and men of the Royal Navy submarine HMS P514, and especially its commander, Lieutenant W.A. Phillimore, whose parents lived at Swinbrook. In 1942 P514 failed to identify herself to the Royal Canadian Navy minesweeper HMCS Georgian. The Canadian ship therefore assumed the submarine to be an enemy vessel and rammed P514, sinking her with the loss of all hands.

In 1926, David Freeman-Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale had Swinbrook House built 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the village. Four of his six daughters (the "Mitford sisters") are buried in the parish churchyard: Nancy, Unity, and Diana are buried side by side, while Pamela is buried northwest of the tower. There is a tablet in the church commemorating their only brother, Tom, killed in March 1945 in Burma."

 

I took this view as I came into the churchyard the back way
 

Looking over the churchyard from the southeast

South aisle showing blocked door

At the base of the tower you will find a blocked door

The tower with supporting buttresses showing where the west door is

West view showing the church and aisles

South west view

View of the east end and the tombs nearby

 

across the churchyard

 

Looking across the churchyard at the east end of the church

 

 

headstones and tombs most of which will date back to the early 1700's

 

Headstones chest tombs and bale tombs at the east end of the church

There were quite a few bale tombs to be seen

 

 An impressive bale tomb with coat of faded arms on the end, one of the headstones was dated 1696

 

 

Words on the side of a bale tomb

 

Decoration on the bale tomb

 

These were interesting and pointed to there were some wealthy merchants who lived around here and wanted to show off

 

1682 was the date on this headstone making it one of the oldest I have come across, King Charles II was on the throne

 The tomb of John Winchester who died in 1721

 

 

Sundial on the porch

The path leads to the porch into the church

 

On your right as you go in is the roll of honor for WWII, three crosses mark the men who did not come back

 

From the door you look across the church

To your right the south aisle

The nave looking down the aisle to the chancel arch

The chancel smaller than the nave

Which is even smaller when you look inside at the monuments

The Fettiplace monuments take up most the north wall in fact most of the chancel. I have come across this family through out Berkshire and Oxfordshire but this place is where I have come across the most effigies

All the effigies are in repose

When I see them I think they must have really liked to show off how important they were

The coat of arms over on of the monuments

On  the south side is another monument only this time with a bust

The inscription on the monument

The man himself

Cherub carvings on the monument

These are Misericords which I have seen before in a few other churches

Though not with carvings on like these

The seat and sides had carvings on

Seat in the down position

Floor tomb on the left is the daughter of Sir John Fettiplace and is dated 1692
 

Very nice brass of a knight
 

This one got through his wives as he had three and from the look had two sons and two daughters from what looks to be the wife on the left

 Looking back through the chancel arch

The pulpit most likely Jacobean

 

You see Nave and aisles from it

 

Along with this candelabra
 

 

Memorial Plaques at the back of the church

 

 Memorial to Lord Redesdale and his son

 

Wife of Edward Goddard died in 1623

 

Fettiplace Memorial

 

Duncan and Pamela Mackinnon

 

 

Mitford memorial

Thomas David Freeman Midford was killed fighting in Burma

 

 

Walter Augustus Phillimore was the captain of  P514 he died with the rest of his crew

 

 

Rev Launcelot memorial

 

Restoration Plaque

 

Table of benefactors

Carving on one of the arch pillars

This plaque reads though it should be on a tomb he died in 1707

The stained glass window is in the south aisle

The glass is medieval

and must have look stunning when it was in it's original form

 

as you can read it was not to be, sometimes it's not the reformation or Cromwell who break the glass

Memorial to Frances Edward Foster

Hand written roll of honor listing those who died in both wars

It hangs on one of the arch pillars

The north aisle

List of the past rectors of the parish

The font

The village war memorial and church

Till next time may I wish you all a peaceful weekend