Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Black Bourton

This is a Grade I listed church of medieval origin with significant later additions and alterations. The chancel dates from the early 12th century and was remodelled in the 13th century. The nave and north aisle are late 12th century in date, with an early 16th-century clerestory added to the nave. A 13th-century north chapel was constructed, followed by a 14th-century south porch, and an early 16th-century west tower. The church was re-roofed in 1847 and underwent substantial restoration in 1866 by E.G. Bruton. A fine series of 13th-century wall paintings was discovered in the 1930s.

The building is constructed of coursed rubble limestone with stone slate roofs to the chancel, porch and aisle, and lead roofs to the nave and tower.

The west tower was built over the end bay of the nave, retaining its original lancet windows, with the western light partly blocked and cusped heads altered. The two upper stages are early 16th-century, featuring a moulded ashlar parapet, 2-light bell-chamber openings with Tudor hoodmoulds, and chamfered rectangular lights below.

The nave has two 13th-century lancets in the south wall and a 19th-century 3-light window with simple cusped tracery. The early 16th-century clerestory has a moulded ashlar parapet with carved stone heads to the string, and 3-light rectangular windows with hollow-chamfered mullions. Three windows face south, with one to the north.

The 14th-century south doorway features a double hollow chamfer, set within a large gabled porch with double chamfered arch and narrow light above. The north aisle retains a similar 14th-century doorway, though it was otherwise largely rebuilt in 1866 with lancet windows. The north chapel has single lights, arched to the east and rectangular to the north.

The chancel contains two 13th-century cusped lancets in the north wall, another to the south, and a 15th-16th century lowside window of two cusped lights with a Tudor hoodmould. The east wall has a pair of small 13th-century lancets linked by a single dripmould, and a single rectangular light above. The chancel's south doorway is early 12th-century, much restored, with shafted jambs and a semi-circular tympanum. The tympanum is carved with a Maltese cross and diaper ornament with heavy billet moulding to the border.

Interior features include a 15th-16th century door to the tower (formerly the south door) set in a moulded depressed arch. The north arcade is Transitional in style, comprising five bays with chamfered arches, cylindrical piers and moulded capitals, of which two are scalloped and one bears quatrefoil ornament. A chamfered square pier lies between the west bays. The 19th-century nave roof rests on restored stone corbels with carved heads, with another corbel positioned between the east arches of the arcade. The east bay of the arcade opens into the north chapel, which contains a trefoil-headed piscina in its east wall.

The 13th-century chancel arch has two hollow-chamfered orders, the inner resting on moulded corbels. To the left of the chancel arch, in the east wall of the nave, is a rectangular niche. The chancel has wide window splays with altered 15th-16th century heads, a 19th-century roof, window-seat sedilia, and an aumbry and piscina in the east wall. The piscina is trefoil-headed and has a carved foliage corbel.

The wall paintings in the nave are of mid-to-late 13th-century date. The north wall depicts scenes of the Vesting and Martyrdom of St. Thomas a Becket, the Tree of Jesse, St. Christopher, and the Baptism of Christ. Painted roundels also feature the Coronation of the Virgin and Saints Peter and Paul. The south wall bears a figure of St. Richard of Chichester positioned high near the east end, and two figures of bishops with a hand of God above a painted roundel at the west end. Other scenes appear in the jambs of the central lancet and to its left, including painted foliage friezes, the Angel appearing to Joseph, the Massacre of the Innocents, and the Adoration of the Magi.

The fittings include a 12th-century cylindrical font on a square base with worn carved feet, and a semi-octagonal 15th-century stone pulpit with blind tracery panels and brattishing. Other fittings are 19th-century, including glass by Clayton and Bell.

The north chapel contains two notable monuments. The first is to Elinor Hungerford (died 1592), featuring a recumbent effigy beneath a Corinthian tabernacle. The second is a marble wall cartouche to Anthony Hungerford (died 1703), enriched with carved military trophies.