St. Mary, Forthampton, Gloucestershire

Description

The church of St. Mary is an ancient building of stone in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave of five bays, aisles, south porch and a western tower containing 6 bells: a north aisle was built and the church reseated in 1848, and in 1869 an organ chamber and organ were erected and the restoration of the chancel completed: John Wiche, or Wakeman, last abbot of Tewkesbury and first Bishop of Gloucester, 1541-50, is buried here: there are stained windows in memory of Mrs. Augusta Emeline Yorke, d. 1863; Annie Elizabeth Robeson, d. 1865; to the Rev. John Browne, 19 years incumbent here, d. 1819, and to Maria Louisa Erskine, d. 1849, and a memorial brass to the Rev. Frederick Harrison M.A. d. 1882: the font of marble and stone is a memorial to Mrs. Plumptree, d. 1849, wife of a former vicar: there are many mural tablets and monuments to the Yorke, Platt, Dillon and Dowdeswell families, and a very ancient pyrographic drawing of Christ and two of his disciples breaking bread at Emmaus, in a richly carved frame: there are 270 sittings.

Church Records

The registers date from the year 1678.

The Phillimore transcript of Marriages at Forthampton 1678-1812 is available to browse online.