St James the Apostle Somerton

 

This week the Church Explorer travels further north in Oxfordshire to visit St James the Apostle Somerton one of Oxfordshires Best Churches  I am visit from the book, I managed to visit three other churches after this one as well making the most of my time in the area.

The Church of England parish church of Saint James the Apostle is known to have existed by 1074. A Norman carved doorway in the nave dates from this period. Much of the building, however, including the bell tower, is Decorated Gothic from the first half of the 14th century. St. James' also has features from the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries. St. James' is a Grade I listed building.

The tower has a ring of eight bells. Henry I Bagley of Chacombe, Northamptonshire cast the tenor and seventh bells in 1635. One of these bells was paid for by John and Isabel Aston. Henry I Bagley cast also the fourth bell in 1646 and the fifth bell in 1670. His descendant Henry III Bagley cast the sixth bell in 1707, completing the set of five bells noted in The Gentleman's Magazine in 1827. John Taylor & Co of Loughborough cast the third bell (which then would have been the treble) in 1896, making a ring of six. In 1974 the Whitechapel Bell Foundry added the present treble and second bells, increasing the ring to eight. At the same time all eight bells were also rehung. St. James' parish is now part of the Cherwell Valley Benefice along with five other parishes: Ardley, Fritwell, Lower Heyford, Souldern and Upper Heyford.

 St James looking from the path at the north east

South side view

East end view with south aisle

Tall north window

I think this is the west doorway

View from the north east

Roof line view

Tower top

The gargoyles around the tower

North east view where you can see a rood on the tower I found out about after when reading about the church

Cropped view of the rood

The medieval preaching cross near the church

Headstones near the east boundary

These older ones are near the porch

Various churchyard scenes

The inscription on this tomb can be read, I did not check to see what it said

Graves of varying ages

Tomb among the headstones

More older headstones

This is the cemetery extension on the south of the church looking east

Looking west

Older headstones on the north of the church

Further on a few more long forgotten

The porch decorated for remembrance day

Doorway in the porch

North aisle as you come in

The nave from the back

Wide view of the nave and aisles

Rood screen which is mostly restored with out the rood loft

Inside the chancel

Altar and east window

The altar

Behind which is this superb reredos of the last supper

 

Christ is in the center with an apostles head under his arm

I moved the altar cross out of the way to get a photo of the reredos

The east window

Rear view of the rood screen

Looking out to the back of the church

Pulpit

Looking down from the pulpit

The box pews in the north aisle

The altar with east window

Which again is quite superb

The rolls of honour can be seen in the north aisle

With both wars shown

The memorial on an arch dates to 1665

Collage of memorials, there are more in the church

Not sure of the age of the clock mechanism it did not say

This is the Fermor chapel

With some wonderful tomb effigies

Showing members of the Fermor family

With inscriptions above the figure

The ones opposite each other look new

And just show a male figure in armor 

Latin inscription

This one is older showing Thomas Fermor and his wife

Both seem damaged in some way

The detail on the wife's dress is amazing and still has paint on it

This chest tomb is older with brasses on the top

Ready made collage of memorials and funerary hatchments

and a third funerary hatchment between the arches

Collage of other items of interest in the church, I thought the top left one was a flail when I saw it but it is the old key to the church

Old memorial, I could not give a date to it

Fermor memorial

This picture puzzled me because it shows the execution of King Charles I

 And this picture of William Juxton did not help either but reading about his it seems he was the archbishop of Canterbury who heard King Charles confession before he died. Not sure of the reliance to the church though

Some stained glass in the window above a doorway

And last of all the font which I read may have been the base of a cross  turned upside down and carved 

Till Next time may I wish you all a peaceful week