CHURCH.
Architectural evidence shows that there
was a church at Edgeworth by the 11th century and a
chaplain was recorded there c. 1220. (fn. 45) The parish
priest was styled rector in 1306 (fn. 46) and the living has
remained a rectory. Edgeworth living was united
with Duntisbourne Abbots in 1928 (fn. 47) but that union
was dissolved in 1949 when Edgeworth was united
with Miserden. (fn. 48)
The first recorded presentation to the living was
made by Robert Walrond in 1271 (fn. 49) but the Helions
held the advowson in 1303 and it later descended
with their portion of the manor. (fn. 50) At the partition of
the estate in 1751 the advowson was granted to
Barbara Ridler, (fn. 51) and it remained with the owners
of that part until 1830 when Edward Colston
Greville devised it to his son Charles. (fn. 52) Charles sold
the advowson to Thomas Erskine May, the Revd.
Philip Jacob, and the Revd. Bryan Fausett in 1854.
May and Jacob sold the advowson in 1864 to the
Revd. G. F. E. Shaw who secured his own
presentation and sold it to Arthur James in 1898. (fn. 53)
It remained in the James family until they sold the
manor, when it passed to the Diocesan Board of
Patronage (fn. 54) who exchanged it for the advowson of
Winstone with Mrs. Sinclair of Miserden Park in
1949. (fn. 55) She remained patron in 1971.
In the late 11th or early 12th century Hugh de
Lacy made a grant of the demesne tithes at Edgeworth to Gloucester Abbey (fn. 56) which transferred
them to the Priory of St. Guthlac at Hereford, the
owner in 1535. (fn. 57) After the Dissolution John Price
was granted the priory's portion of the tithes, (fn. 58)
receiving it in the form of a pension which he held
at his death in 1555. (fn. 59) The pension is not recorded
later and seems to have been discontinued. Tithes
were paid in kind in the early 18th century and there
was a levy of 2d. on all persons under 16 years of age
in the parish. (fn. 60) The tithes were commuted for a corn
rent-charge of £265 in 1839. (fn. 61) In 1680 the rectorial
glebe comprised a dwelling-house and c. 50 a., 14 a.
of which were pasture and the rest in the open fields.
By 1807 the glebe was extended at 42 a. (fn. 62) The
church was valued at £6 6s. 8d. in 1291 (fn. 63) and
£7 12s. 4d. in 1535. (fn. 64) It was worth £50 in 1650 (fn. 65) and
had doubled in value by 1750; (fn. 66) in 1856 it was
valued at £244. (fn. 67)
In 1635 the parsonage house was described as
having two bays with a kitchen of a further 1½ bay.
That house was presumably replaced by 1807 when
the house was in good repair, (fn. 68) although it was not
large enough for the rector who had 10 children and
was living in the manor-house in 1810. (fn. 69) The house,
of coursed rubble, was considerably enlarged in 1862
by Waller & Fulljames of Gloucester. A south crosswing was added and the west front remodelled to
incorporate a schoolroom. (fn. 70) The house ceased to be
used as a rectory in the 1930s and was a private
residence in 1971. (fn. 71)
Of the medieval incumbents of Edgeworth two
were members of the Helion family, Thomas
Helion, rector 1303-32, and John Helion who was
presented in 1338. (fn. 72) Little is known of the other
medieval rectors beyond their names; during 1417
and 1418 the Crown presented five rectors to the
living in succession. (fn. 73) Richard Hill, who was rector
from before 1540 to 1556, was found to be a
competent minister, (fn. 74) but his successor Edward
Lysterley was said in 1576 to neglect preaching and
the homilies and failed to instruct the youth of the
parish. (fn. 75) John Ward, rector in 1584, was neither a
graduate nor a preacher. (fn. 76) Nathaniel Capel, rector
from 1661 to 1684, had the assistance of a relative,
Richard Capel, as curate. He was succeeded as rector
by Thomas Ridler of the family which owned the
manor. Edward Loggin Griffin, rector 1707-29, held
Edgeworth in plurality with Driffield from 1711, and
with Uley from 1724. He was succeeded by another
member of the Ridler family, Samuel Ridler, rector
1729-65, who was also a pluralist, holding Edgeworth with the rectory of Cranham from 1739. (fn. 77)
His successor was Richard Brereton, husband of
Barbara Ridler, who presented himself to the living
in 1765 (fn. 78) when it was served by a curate. (fn. 79) Brereton
resided at Wotton near Gloucester in 1784 when
Edgeworth was served by a curate. (fn. 80) His successor
was Anthony Freston, rector 1801-19, a poet who
also published sermons and essays on ecclesiastical
subjects. (fn. 81) Henry Prowse Jones, rector 1820-60, was
assisted by Thomas Freston, a son of the previous
incumbent. In 1837 Jones was licensed to hold
Edgeworth in plurality with Berkeley and in 1840
to hold it with Hazleton. (fn. 82) Frank James of the family
which owned the manor was rector from 1909 until
1933. (fn. 83)
The church of ST. MARY (fn. 84) is built of coursed
rubble with ashlar dressings and comprises chancel,
nave with south porch, and west tower. The
earliest part of the building, the west part of the
nave, dates from the 11th century and incorporates
a north doorway, now blocked. The nave was
extended eastwards in the late 12th century when
the chancel, which has a corbel-table supported on
animal-head brackets, was built and the south
doorway renewed. (fn. 85) Additional windows were
inserted in the nave and chancel early in the 13th
century when the porch was added. During the
14th century two further windows were inserted in
the east end of the nave, probably at the same time
as the chancel arch was restored. At the same
period stained glass, depicting an archbishop or
bishop, was inserted in an earlier window. (fn. 86) The
tower was also built in the 14th century, and in the
15th century a rood-stair was inserted. In the late
16th century a pair of new windows was put in the
south wall of the nave. The chancel roof was
replaced in the early 18th century by the rector,
Edward Griffin, who sued his predecessor, William
Deighton, on account of the dilapidations. (fn. 87) A
restoration carried out in the 1870s by the rector,
George Shaw, and the lord of the manor, Henry
Sperling, (fn. 88) considerably altered the appearance of
the church. The chancel windows were given
cinquefoil interior arches as were the piscina and
sedile, a rood-screen was inserted and the old stair
reopened, a stone chancel-rail was added, the
interior walls were scraped and pointed, and the
south porch was restored in 14th-century style.
In the west part of the nave are some trefoilheaded 15th-century bench ends and others in the
church have been copied from the design. The font,
which has an octagonal bowl with quatrefoil panels
and a shortened stem, and the piscina in the nave
also date from the 15th century. The ring of five
bells cast by Abraham Rudhall in 1716 (fn. 89) was
replaced in 1895 by another ring of five cast by
Mears & Stainbank. (fn. 90) The church plate includes a
silver-gilt chalice, paten, and flagon made in 1773, (fn. 91)
and the silver altar ornaments were made in the
early 20th century by Arthur James, the lord of the
manor. (fn. 92) The parish registers begin in 1555. (fn. 93)
In the churchyard is the round base, shaft, and
rounded head of a 15th-century cross. (fn. 94) At the north
west corner of the churchyard away from the road a
lychgate, erected in memory of the Revd. B. Fausett,
marks the entrance used by the villagers who walked
to church by a path across the fields. (fn. 95)