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Copyright of Alf Beard

St Mary's Church,
Church Road, GL7 5NR,
Bibury, Gloucestershire.

Cemeteries

This Church has (or had) a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in the 11th century, and we understand it is still open.

St Mary's Church is a Grade I Listed Building - see British Listed Buildings website for details. Their estimate of its foundation is mid to late 11th century. The account in Kelly's Directory of 1923 mentions the church containing with some remains of (presumed) Saxon work, and describes it with a long and narrow chancel, embattled nave of seven bays with clerestory, aisles, south porch and an embattled tower, containing a clock and 6 bells. The roof is of oak, and exhibits some fine carving of the time of Henry VII. The north and south doorways are Norman. The stained east window was erected to the memory of Elizabeth (Howard), wife of James Henry (Dutton), third Lord Sherborne, who died in 1845.

In 1923, the parish included the hamlets of Ablington and Arlington, with the chapelry of Winson. Bibury had formerly a peculiar jurisdiction, which included Bibury, Winson, Barnsley and Aldsworth, and the seal of the Peculiar was then (in 1923) said to be still in the possession of the vicar.

As well as the tithings of Ablington and Arlington, Kelly also mentions two Roman settlements - Shagborough [sic], three quarters of a mile south, and Coneygar or Coneygore, one and a half miles south-east. The names appear to survive now only as a Copse, and a Wood. Present day maps show the line of the Roman Road Akeman Street passing north of Coneygar Farm. The present day route between Cirencester and Quenington follows the line of the road for part of the way, but branches off to the south before reaching the farm to pass by Conegar Wood.

There may be more information available by by selecting one or more of the accompanying images on the right.

Denomination

Now or formerly Church of England.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Church is located at OS grid reference SP1181806507. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• St Mary's Church, Bibury shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Bibury shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Bibury, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• Learn more about Buildings of special or historical interest on the British Listed Buildings (null) (verified 2018-09-19)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.