CHURCHES.
The church at Minchinhampton had
presumably been founded by 1086 when a priest was
recorded there. (fn. 37) The living, to which the church at
Rodborough was annexed as a chapel until 1841, (fn. 38)
was a rectory in 1260 (fn. 39) and has remained one.
Caen Abbey owned the advowson in 1282 (fn. 40) and
presumably had done since acquiring the manor.
From 1349, however, the advowson was exercised by
the Crown on account of the war with France and it
remained in the king's hands until 1411 or later. (fn. 41) It
was perhaps included in the reversionary grant to the
Phillipses in 1414, for in 1444 and 1445 it was exercised by the earl of Suffolk. (fn. 42) It passed with the
manor to Syon Abbey which in 1539 granted the
next turn to a syndicate, of which the surviving
member granted his right to Sir Edmund Peckham
in 1548. (fn. 43) The advowson was included in Henry
VIII's grant to Andrew, Lord Windsor, in 1542, (fn. 44)
and in 1559 a rector was presented by William
Fifield and William Summerfield by virtue of a grant
from William, Lord Windsor. The advowson was
exercised in 1576 by Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon,
and in 1585 by John Adeane (fn. 45) who was then farming
the rectory. The Crown presented in 1611 because of
the minority of Thomas, Lord Windsor, (fn. 46) and again
presented in 1622, (fn. 47) although in 1618 Michael
Halliday of Rodborough presented on a grant from
Thomas. From 1666 the advowson was exercised by
the Sheppards, except that in 1769 Thomas Griffin
of Stroud and Edmund Clutterbuck of Hyde, and in
1806 Joseph Pitt of Cirencester, presented for one
turn. (fn. 48) Philip Sheppard alienated the advowson to
Richard Harris in 1812 but in 1836 it was bought
back by David Ricardo, (fn. 49) no vacancy having occurred
in the interval. It was retained by the Ricardos until
c. 1959 when the executors of H. G. Ricardo conveyed it to the bishop, (fn. 50) the patron in 1973.
The rector received all the tithes of Minchinhampton and Rodborough. In 1825 Minchinhampton parish contracted to lease its share of the
tithes from the rector at £800 a year during his
lifetime, (fn. 51) and in the following year Rodborough
parish made a similar agreement at £210; (fn. 52) in 1839
the tithes of Minchinhampton were commuted at
£976 and those of Rodborough at £255. (fn. 53) In 1584
the rector's glebe included 73 a. of open-field land,
3 tenements, and c. 18 a. in closes in or near the town,
and other property in Rodborough. (fn. 54) His property
in the town was subsequently increased in value by
new building and in 1704 comprised 40 tenements, (fn. 55)
most of which were sold off c. 1800 to redeem the
land-tax. (fn. 56) The rectory was valued at £21 6s. 8d. in
1291 (fn. 57) and at £41 9s. 10d. in 1535. (fn. 58) Its value had
risen to £100 by 1651, (fn. 59) to c. £200 by 1728, and to
c. £300 by 1769. (fn. 60) It was worth £500 by 1815 (fn. 61) and
£520 in 1856, (fn. 62) parts of the tithe corn-rent awarded
in 1839 having been assigned to new daughter
churches. (fn. 63)
In 1584 the rectory house comprised hall, parlour,
buttery, pantry, chambers, kitchen, and outbuildings. (fn. 64) It was rebuilt on a different site, east of
Butt Street, c. 1721 by the incumbent Philip
Sheppard, (fn. 65) and it was extensively remodelled by
E. C. Oldfield, rector from 1865. (fn. 66) The house was
sold c. 1915 and the Coigne, a 19th-century house on
the corner of Butt Street and Friday Street, was
acquired. (fn. 67) The old rectory was divided into flats
c. 1945. (fn. 68)
Roger de Salenges became rector in 1260 when he
was dispensed to hold the living in plurality with
Buxton (Norf.); (fn. 69) he had leave of absence for a year's
study in 1269. (fn. 70) William of Prestbury, instituted in
1318, (fn. 71) had licence for a year's study in that year and
again in 1323. (fn. 72) William died in the plague year of
1349 which also probably claimed the two rectors
presented within the next few months. (fn. 73) John de
Middleton, the third rector to be presented in 1349, (fn. 74)
held the living until his death in 1360 when he was
acting as keeper of the king's victuals at Calais. (fn. 75)
Between 1376 and 1411 the living changed hands
fairly often, usually by exchange; the rectors of that
period included, from 1392 to 1407, Richard
Alkeryngton, a doctor of theology. (fn. 76) William Gyan,
instituted in 1445, (fn. 77) also held the chapel of
Tockington in 1460 when he was dispensed to
acquire another living in addition. (fn. 78)
Gilbert Bourne, later bishop of Bath and Wells,
held the living in 1551, when it was served by a
curate whose knowledge of scripture was found
generally satisfactory. (fn. 79) Bourne was succeeded in
1555 by James Brooks, bishop of Gloucester. (fn. 80)
Thomas Taylor was rector from 1559 (fn. 81) until 1576
when for various failings he was deprived of
Minchinhampton and his other rectory of North
Cerney. (fn. 82) His successor Thomas Freeman, also
rector of Woodchester, held the living until his death
in 1585 when he was succeeded by George Birch,
also rector of Uley. (fn. 83) In 1611 Henry Fowler compounded for the first fruits of the rectory (fn. 84) but a few
weeks later Anthony Lapthorne was presented, (fn. 85) and
Lapthorne, a man of Puritan views, who was said to
have once admonished James I for swearing during a
game of bowls and rebuked Archbishop Abbot for
standing by, (fn. 86) secured institution in 1613. In 1618,
however, Fowler, who claimed that Lapthorne had
been deprived by High Commission, gained institution (fn. 87) but Lapthorne was again presented in 1622. (fn. 88)
Fowler was in possession in 1636 (fn. 89) and until he
died in 1643, a few months after being violently assaulted by a troop of parliamentary soldiers. (fn. 90)
William Dolman signed the Gloucestershire Ministers'
Testimony as incumbent of Minchinhampton in
1648, (fn. 91) and died the following year. (fn. 92) His successor
Samuel Hieron, described as a constant preacher,
held the living until the Restoration. (fn. 93) He was
succeeded then by Thomas Warmstry, a prebendary
of Gloucester cathedral, (fn. 94) who had been presented to
the living in 1643 but had been denied admittance. (fn. 95)
Philip Sheppard, son of the lord of the manor, (fn. 96)
was instituted in 1720 and held the living (with
Avening from 1728) until his death in 1768. His
successor, Robert Heaton, was also rector of Avening
and was succeeded in 1774 by John White, D.D., (fn. 97)
also rector of Brimpsfield. (fn. 98) William Cockin, rector
from 1806 (fn. 99) until his death in 1841, (fn. 1) also held
Cherington (fn. 2) but served Minchinhampton where he
resided at the Lammas. (fn. 3) The end of his incumbency
saw the dismemberment of the benefice by the
creation of ecclesiastical districts for the new
churches of Amberley and Brimscombe and for the
ancient church at Rodborough. (fn. 4) An iron mission
chapel was built at Box before 1897 (fn. 5) and was replaced
in 1953 by a small stone chapel designed by Peter
Falconer. (fn. 6)
A chantry, dedicated to the Virgin, was founded at
Minchinhampton in 1338 by the rector William of
Prestbury who endowed it with 2 messuages, a watermill (the later St. Mary's Mill), 2½ yardlands, and
20s. rent; (fn. 7) an estate called Forwood which was later
among its possessions seems to have been acquired
as an additional endowment from John Craft c.
1400. (fn. 8) The priests were presented by the rectors of
Minchinhampton and two of the earliest were local
men, Thomas of Chalford instituted in 1341 and
Peter of Avening instituted in 1348. (fn. 9) The priest was
required to assist with divine service on holidays
which is presumably the reason why the last incumbent Richard Gravener (fn. 10) was described as a
stipendiary in 1540. (fn. 11) The lands of the chantry,
valued at £8 17s. 3½d., (fn. 12) were granted by the Crown
to John Thynne and Laurence Hyde in 1548. (fn. 13) A
church house was recorded at Minchinhampton
from 1556, (fn. 14) and in 1635 it was held on lease from
the manor. (fn. 15)
The ancient parish church of HOLY TRINITY (fn. 16)
is cruciform on plan, comprising chancel, central
tower, transepts, and aisled and clerestoried nave.
Only the tower and transepts survive from the
medieval church, the remainder having been rebuilt
in 1842. The survival until the rebuilding of 12thcentury features in both chancel and north arcade
suggest that at that period a cruciform church
existed or was intended. The tower and transepts
were rebuilt during the first half of the 14th century,
and in the same century the south aisle was added or
rebuilt and provided with a porch and the chancel
received at least one new window. A clerestory and
roof of low pitch were placed above the nave,
probably in the 15th century, and there were some
late medieval alterations to the windows of nave and
chancel. (fn. 17)
The tower carries a truncated spire finished with
battlements and finials; the spire had taken that form
by the early 18th century when the top was said to
have been removed because of its instability. (fn. 18) The
south transept, described by William Burges in 1869
as 'one of the most perfect and curious specimens of
the architecture of the middle of the 14th century', (fn. 19)
is of six narrow bays, marked externally by tall
windows separated by buttresses. Inside the pitched
roof of stone slabs is supported on open stone trusses
and the south wall has a large window with a rose
design forming its upper section. (fn. 20) The name
Ansley's chapel was being applied to the transept by
1578 (fn. 21) and there seems little reason to doubt the
tradition that it was built by John of Ansley, who
held Delameres manor in the 1330s, or that the two
effigies lying in recesses beneath the south window
represent John and his wife Lucy. (fn. 22) The north
transept is of similar date and was possibly built to
house the chantry founded in 1338, (fn. 23) although in
1459 and 1548 that was described as being situated
in the churchyard; (fn. 24) at the restoration of the church
the base of an altar was discovered against the east
wall of the transept and, in the wall, two niches
which had contained figures, (fn. 25) possibly among the
'sundry superstitious things tending to the maintenance of idolatry' removed from the church in 1575. (fn. 26)
In the course of the 17th and 18th centuries a large
number of galleries and proprietary seats were put
up in the church. (fn. 27)
The rebuilding of the chancel, nave, and aisles,
begun in 1842 and completed by the following year, (fn. 28)
was carried out to the designs of Thomas Foster of
Bristol. (fn. 29) David Ricardo agreed to provide £2,000
and the rector Charles Whateley £500, on condition
that the remaining £1,000 needed could be raised by
other subscribers. (fn. 30) Alterations and refitting of the
chancel carried out under the direction of William
Burges in 1869 included the building of a new and
larger east window as a memorial to Mary, wife of
William Playne of Longfords, (fn. 31) and some restoration
work was carried out in 1884. (fn. 32)
The church once had other medieval effigies
besides the two in the south transept mentioned
above; there is a tomb recess in the north wall of the
north transept and there was formerly another on the
north side of the chancel. (fn. 33) Three medieval brasses
survive, although moved from their original settings:
one of c. 1500 to a man and his wife has lost its
inscription; (fn. 34) another is to Edward Halliday (d.
1519) of Rodborough and his wife Margery and
includes Edward's cloth-mark; (fn. 35) and a third depicts
John Hampton (d. c. 1461) and his wife Ellen in
shrouds, their daughter Alice, and other children. (fn. 36)
Later monuments include the inscription plate to the
astronomer James Bradley, which was stolen from
his tomb in the churchyard in the early 19th century
but later recovered. (fn. 37) The plain octagonal font of the
14th century was apparently removed from the
church at the rebuilding but was restored to its
original use after the First World War as a memorial
to an officer killed in action. (fn. 38) Stained glass memorial
windows by Herbert Bryans, most of them to
members of the Playne and Ricardo families, were
inserted in the aisles in the period 1899-1922, and
the south window of the south transept was filled
with glass by Hardman in 1873. (fn. 39)
Five new bells were cast for the church by Roger
Purdue in 1633 or 1634 and the tenor was recast by
Abraham Rudhall c. 1686. (fn. 40) At least three were
recast by Rudhall in 1719, and of the three others
making up the ring of six, one was recast by John
Rudhall in 1797, another by the same founder in
1825, and a third by T. Mears in 1842. (fn. 41) Also hung
in the church is an ancient bell which bears the date
1515 and the name of Alice Hampton. It is said to
have originally hung in one of the market-houses,
which was demolished in 1806 when the bell was
installed at Longfords House as part of a turret
clock; (fn. 42) it was given to the church by the Playnes
c. 1920. (fn. 43) The plate includes two silver chalices of
1681, and three alms-dishes and a tankard flagon of
1735. (fn. 44) The registers survive from 1558. (fn. 45) The
churchyard has some carved tombs of the 18th
century and early-19th-century tombs with plates
engraved by Charles Iles of Minchinhampton. (fn. 46)
The church of HOLY TRINITY at Amberley
was built in 1836 by David Ricardo, who also provided a glebe house adjoining. (fn. 47) In 1840 the church
was assigned an ecclesiastical district (fn. 48) and the living
became a perpetual curacy in Ricardo's gift; (fn. 49) it was
designated a rectory from 1866. (fn. 50) The income,
mostly supplied by tithe corn-rents diverted from
the parish church, (fn. 51) was £400 in 1870 and there were
20 a. of glebe. The advowson was bought from the
Ricardos in 1866 by J. G. Frith (fn. 52) and it descended
with his Highlands estate; in the late 1930s it passed
from R. E. White to the Diocesan Board of Patronage, (fn. 53) the patrons in 1973. The church, a single cell
building in the Early English style, designed by
Stokes of Cheltenham, was built with schoolrooms
in the basement storey. (fn. 54) The plain, unadorned
nature of the building was in conformity with the
founder's wishes. (fn. 55)
The church of HOLY TRINITY at Brimscombe
was begun in 1839 and consecrated the following
year (fn. 56) when it was assigned an ecclesiastical district. (fn. 57)
The cost of the building was borne largely by David
Ricardo (fn. 58) and the income of the benefice was supplied by the tithe corn-rents from that part of the
parish. (fn. 59) The benefice, a perpetual curacy later called
a vicarage, was worth £276 in 1856 when there were
17 a. of glebe and a glebe house built by the incumbent James Legge in 1843. (fn. 60) The advowson was
assigned to David Ricardo (fn. 61) in whose family it
remained until c. 1895 when it was acquired by P. J.
Evans. By 1914 it had passed to the Sellwood
trustees (fn. 62) and it was acquired before 1963 by the
London College of Divinity trustees, (fn. 63) the patrons in
1973. The church, in Romanesque style, comprises
chancel, nave, and tower; Ricardo's opposition to
the Tractarian movement is again evident in the
alignment of the building, which has its chancel at
the west end. (fn. 64) Alterations carried out in 1881
included the addition of an organ-chamber. (fn. 65) A
small stone mission room was built at Hyde in the
ecclesiastical parish in 1902 (fn. 66) and remained in
regular use in 1973.