The History of the Parish and Deanery Church of St Mary the Virgin Hawkesbury

       Once described by the Rev Devereux Mack BA then Vicar of Hawkesbury as " a pearl in a superb setting" this ancient church nestling in a sheltered position on the North and East by the Cotswold escarpment and to the North by the steep hill side leading to the Knoll, the enduring impression is that of tranquility and perhaps later the curiosity of why the church is here most village church's are central to the village but in this case there are very few buildings surrounding it, the modern village of Hawkesbury Upton often confused with Hawkesbury proper was once a hamlet of Hawkesbury just known as Upton which in recent centuries has out grown Hawkesbury. 

      A.D 680 a College of Secular Cannons was founded here by Osward the nephew of King Ethelred of Mercia the secular Cannons were dismissed by King Edgar in the year 972 at the request of the Bishop of Worcester and replaced by monks of the order of St Benadict, King Edgars charter re confirms the same privileges as are said to have been granted at an earlier time by King Coenulph included in this grant are estates named as "Suthstoce (South Stoke) Hileahe (Hillesley) Treashaa (Tresham) Cyllingcocotan (Kilcott) Badimyncgtun (Badminton) and Upton (Hawkesbury Upton) as a Deanery Church it shows it must have been the earliest church in quite a large area.

     St Mary's consists of a chancel with a south chapel , a nave with south aisle a tower to the west and north and south porches with chambers over both porches its length from east to west is just under 36.5 meters (120 feet) with a width of 21.3 meters (70 feet) including the two porches.  Its logical that a church must have been constructed in A D 680 and some early Saxon work survives most prominently the bases of the inner doorway of the north porch one is 5 cm's (2 inch's) lower on the west side in the Norman period the later door shafts were built on to them. During renovation in 1888 William Wood Bethell the Architect notes that foundations were found under the church extending eastwards and northwards outside of the church this must be an earlier building and Bethell says it could be part of an earlier Saxon church or even of Roman construction (see dotted lines on Bethell's ground plan they do not line up with any of the later foundations).

 The church of St Mary Pershore in Worcestershire held the manor from ancient times until the dissolution in 1540 Henry VIII seized the Abbey of Pershore and Sold it to the former steward of the village John Botelier.   

    1145 - 1272   The early English period the greater part of the chancel the greater part of the south aisle the lower part of the tower arch and part of the north porch.

    1272 - 1377  The Decorated period the nave arcade and the start of the tower up to the level of the then roof (later raised)

    1377 - 1509 The Gothic or Perpendicular period The roof of the naive and aisle, the nave clerestory, the south porch the upper part of the north porch several modifications to the windows in the nave and aisle, the chapel , the chancel east window is altered the doorways to the pulpit and rood-loft. and the tower completed, the chancel arch was rebuilt and raised to suit the new height of the nave roof and it was found that the extra stress of the higher masonry was pushing the exterior wall's out and the make sure a buttress was built to support the extra load.

     1539 under Henry VIII the church was still in essence catholic although now the church of England.

     1547 under Henry VIII son Edward (1547 -1552) the church came under the first major changes in parish activity, including translation and thorough revision of the liturgy along more Protestant lines. The resulting book of common prayer, issued in 1549 and revised in 1552, came into use by the authority of the Parliament.

     1553   Following the death of Edward, the Roman Catholic Mary I (bloody Mary) 1553 - 1558 came to the throne. She renounced  her father Henry VIII and Brother Edward's changes, first by repealing her brother's reforms then by re-establishing unity with Rome. She gained the common sobriquet of "Bloody Mary" because of the widespread torture and execution of many of those opposed to Roman Catholicism such as the burning of dissenters at Wotton Under Edge and Chipping Sodbury.

     1558  The second schism, from which the present Church of England originates, came later. Upon Mary's death in 1558, her half-sister Elizabeth I 1558 - 1603 came to power. Elizabeth became a determined opponent of papal control and re-introduced separatist ideas. In 1559 parliament recognized Elizabeth as the Church's supreme governor, with a new Act of Supremacy that also repealed the remaining anti-Protestant legislation. A new Book of Common Prayer appeared in the same year. Elizabeth presided over the Elizabethan Settlement, an attempt to satisfy the Puritan and Catholic forces in England within a single national Church. Elizabeth was eventually excommunicated on Feb 25 1570 by Pope PiusV, finally breaking communion between Rome and the Anglican Church.

    1630 Its probable that about this time the oak screen that crossed the entire length of the eastern side of the church was pulled down along with the rood loft as these were associated with the catholic church   

    1649 -1660  During the  Commonwealth (1649 - 1660), the ascendant Puritans replaced the government of the Church with a Presbyterian form, but retained the principle of ultimate state control of religious matters. 

    1660  After Charles II came to power in 1660, his restoration  government re-established the Episcopalian structures, and issued a new revision of the Book of Common Prayer in 1662. The Church of England played a part in rebuffing James II's policy of indulgence towards Catholics and Protestant dissenters (1685 - 1688) Bethell say's that during the restoration in 1882 while removing the medieval plaster which was richly painted a layer of whitewash with religious statements was found and was thought to be from this period.  

     1696 The church account book shows over £250 pounds was spent on repairs the roof must have been leaking as 11.5 tons of lead were purchased plus 2 cwt of "soulder" (this must be Solder to seal the lead) and large quantities of stone and timber.

     1882 July restoration began and lasted until April 1885 this work cost £2,400 raised partly by a volantry1 shilling in the pound and partly by subscription major works were undertaken by Mr. Gyde Builder of Pitchcombe near Stroud the principal work done was removal of all plaster and whitewash from the interior walls and roofs and repointing the stone, removing the gallery, opening out the staircases to parvises, putting a new oak roof to the nave and covering with lead, repairs to other roofs, Alterations to the oak seats and rearranging them, providing new oak stalls, sedilia and alter rails, laying oak blocks under the seats, relaying the passages with old paving stones and monumental slabs, restoring the Norman doorway, repairing all the mullions, traceries, and string courses, replacing the 18th century window at the east end of the chapel with one of the exact design, reglazing the whole of the windows with cathedral glass, repairing the pulpit, repairing the tower, and fitting a lightning conductor to the tower, providing new oak doors with wrought iron work, an oak tower screen and wrought iron chandeliers, A heating appliance by Grundy and a deep soak trench around most of the exterior walls.    

    1927 the parish raised £260 to have all the woodwork chemically treated after attack by the death watch beetle.

    1930 the parish raised £120 to replace the worn out heating apparatus installed in 1884.