The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Wheatley
The medieval chapel in Wheatley was dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin and lay on the south side of the High Street, presumably where the War Memorial now stands. In 1629 Archibald Archdale failed to get it consecrated as a church. In 1644 the antiquary Richard Symonds found no monuments or arms, 'onely in the east window the picture of St. Nicholas with his arms under' but a century later the antiquary Browne Willis noted that this had long since disappeared. The building was repaired in 1715, but was pulled down in 1785 to make way for the new church. In 1785 Thomas Sims of Denton, a native of Wheatley, left a bequest to build a new church. The Lord Chancellor and others considered that the upkeep of the building, which was first proposed, would be too expensive and a cheaper building was planned by Stephen Townsend and Henry Tawney (Oxford builders). It was to cost £500– £800 and was to have 'a diminutive chancel, great round-headed windows, and hipped roof of slate; in fact nothing but a tower to distinguish it in outward appearance from a meeting-house'. In 1835 James Rose added a vestry room at the south-east angle, and in 1854 the gallery was removed and other repairs carried out by George Watts of Oxford. Bishop Wilberforce, however, in spite of the wishes of the vestry, which, as he put it, 'was not sufficiently friendly', had the building replaced as 'it was of such a hopeless conventicle pattern'. The vicar, the Revd. Edward Elton, raised £3,500, mostly in small contributions from University men. A new site above the village was chosen where the architect, G. E. Street, raised 'a good specimen of Early English architecture'. The spire was built by Holland of Thame, and has been described as 'unusual but very effective'. The new church, dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, was consecrated in 1857. The glass in the south chancel windows dates from 1850 and 1856, that in the east window from 1875. The organ was built in 1871. A lych-gate was added by P. H. Keys in 1910. The church retained the plate belonging to the first chapel, consisting of a silver chalice (1702) inscribed 'Wm Heart Churchwarden of Whately 1702', a silver tankard flagon given by Thomas Bray, curate in 1766, and a silver plate given by Mrs. Ann Juggins in 1775. It also acquired a silver chalice dating from 1850. By 1953 all had been lost. The registers date from 1835. Historical information about St. Mary's Church is provided by 'Parishes: Cuddesdon', in A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 5, Bullingdon Hundred, ed. Mary D Lobel (London, 1957), pp. 96-116. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol5/pp96-116 [accessed 31 March 2023]. St. Mary's Church is a Grade II* listed building. For more information about the listing see CHURCH OF ST MARY, Wheatley - 1284661 | Historic England. For more information about St. Mary's Church see Parishes: Cuddesdon | British History Online (british-history.ac.uk). |
