ALL SAINTS CHURCH

IN THE RURAL DEANERY OF HEYTESBURY

AND THE DIOCESE OF SALISBURY

The first written reference to the Church does not occur until 1102, when the Rectory and Advowson were bequeathed by the Lord of the Manor , Walter Giffard, 1st Earl of Buckingham, to a Priory, later an Abbey he founded at Notley, near Thame, but it is fairly certain that there was a Saxon Church or Chapel on the site of the Chancel in 1066, when King Harold lost the Manor of Maiden Bradley to Walter Giffard, for when eight centuries later most of the north wall of the fourteenth century Chancel was demolished, in the construction of the present organ chamber, both Saxon and Norman features were found incorporated in that portion of the 14th century edifice.

No trace of these features remain though a Saxon Alter slab is reputed to be buried , face downwards somewhere near the present pulpit, and all the inferences are that there was a Saxon or earlier edifice on the site; what is pure speculation is whether a Celtic or Pagan shrine preceded the Christian Church - a possibility in view of the very ancient Yews in and around the Churchyard.

The oldest comparatively unaltered, portions of the Church date from about 1175, and comprise the three western arches of the North Arcade of the Nave, and the foundations and base of the wall at the North Aisle. It is known that a Chapel dedicated to Blessed Mary the Virgin existed in the North Aisle in 1328, and when the east wall of the North Aisle was pulled down in 1894, under the lime washed plaster was found a typical example of typical 14th century wall painting, which incorporated the arms of the D'Aungers, namely a sun in splendour on a crescent moon. fortunately the wife of the then incumbent made a coloured copy of this painting which is still intact, and hangs near the Lady Chapel.

At this period , (early fourteenth century ) the present Chancel, Nave, South Aisle, Porch, Door and Tower were added while the North Aisle was rebuilt on the old foundations and the East Arch of the North Arcade opened out. 

The Turret of the Tower was added about 1800.  At some time the Chancel was shortened by pulling down its Eastern Bay, and building the East Wall in its present position, approximately twelve feet further west. This may have occurred between 1580 and 1610, when the Church in common with many others was much neglected.  It is recorded that no sermon was preached even quarterly in the Church in 1583.

During the nineteenth century extensive alterations were made from time to time, such as the old windows being changed to there present form, the barrel organ and gallery moved from the tower, encaustic tiles and choir stalls put in the Chancel, and the present Lady Chapel (built for the organ in 1907) erected.  The present organ was installed in the tower in 1967 by the Lady Susan Seymour in memory of her parents the late Duke and Duchess of Somerset.

The North and South Arcades of the Nave are valuable examples of architectural development.  The two central arches of the North Arcade are of the same span and height as the two central arches of the South Arcade but they are of quite different architectural style.  Those on the north have plain pointed arches, springing from rectangular piers with plain Abaci for capital and no bases; they are of special interest as examples of the development of the pointed arch in this country.  In the South Arcade the two central arches, in respect of their height and span built to correspond with those on the north, are double chamferred with the moulding being continuous down the pillars, and moulded stops take the place of bases .

At the east corner of the north aisle there is a stairway leading to the roof loft, which formerly stretched across the nave in front of the Chancel Arch.In order to provide space for the doorway into the stair from the aisle a recess was cut into the east wall at this point; the present wide arch into the organ chamber is modern.

The font which now stands in the south aisle near the porch is of Purbeck Marble; it has a square panelled basin and a large circular stem surrounded by four small pillars, and a square pedestal ; it dates from about 1200 when it almost certainly replaced a Saxon font.

The pulpit, the front of the priests stalls and the pews in the centre of the nave are of carved oak dating from the third quarter of the 17th century commonly known as Jacobean, the carving being done by "Walter" of Maiden Bradley, who also carved the pews in the Church at Mere.

There are none of the original windows left - the large single light window in the Chancel was once filled with painted glass , brought here from Bulstrode Park in Bucks in 1890; it depicted the conversion of St Paul and was removed in1959 owing to its precarious state of repair.

The most prominent monument in the Church is by Michael Rysbrack and is that of Sir Edward Seymour , Bart ( the common ancestor of the present Duke of Somerset and the present Marquis of Hertford) who died in 1708. Sir Edward entered Parliament in 1661 and soon became a prominent member and was a speaker of the house of commons 1672-1678.

During interior repairs to the Church in 1964 a family vault of the Seymours was rediscovered. The vault comprises two interconnecting chambers , containing in all ten lead coffins. In addition to Sir Edward and his family , the vault contains the remains of the 8th 9th and 10th Dukes of somerset.

The porch is entered through a richly moulded arch with a flat gable terminating in square sculptured tops, it retains its original 14th century oak door in two thicknesses, the front layer set vertically and the back layer diagonally , and its original strap hinges and trefoil terminals. At the apex to the gable above the doorway, there is a unique ,two faced eighteenth century sundial.