St. Mary, Painswick, Gloucestershire
Description
The church of St. Mary is an edifice of stone, chiefly in the Early Perpendicular style, and consists of chancel, with aisle or chapel, nave of five bays, aisles and an embattled western tower, with spire, containing a clock with chimes and 12 bells: the chancel is fitted with oak stalls: the north chantry chapel is used for daily service: the south aisle, erected in the 18th century, was restored in 1891: the font dates from 1661: in the north chantry, beneath a groined canopy enriched with elaborate fan-tracery, is an altar tomb of Purbeck marble, erected to Sir William Kingston K.G. constable of the Tower, ob. 1540, and Elizabeth, his wife; it is now in a dilapidated state, and the brasses formerly on the upper slab are lost; and on the tomb are now placed alabaster effigies of John Seaman LL.D. chancellor oof the diocese, ob. 1623, and his wife, which have been removed from their original site in the chancel: during the restoration of the church, brasses, dated 1571, were found under the flouring of the nave: at the back of the pulpit is a double hagioscope of unusual type, and in the belfry are various tablets recording some of the wonderful peals rung at different times by the celebrated "Painswick Youths"; the work of restoration was begun in 1878-9, when the galleries and high pews were removed, the floors levelled and the interior reseated at a cost of £2,250: in 1883, on Sunday, June 10th, the church was struck by lightning during a violent storm, and great damage done; and in addition to the repairs necessitated by this calamity, the chancel was renovated, a panelled roof erected, new choir stalls and fittings introduced, and other improvements effected under the direction of Messrs. Waller, architects, of Gloucester, at a cost of about £1,944, and in 1891 further restoration was effected, and vestries and an organ chamber erected at a cost of £2,060: there are 600 sittings: the churchyard contains 104 yew trees, all regularly planted and uniformly cut.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1552.
The Phillimore transcript of Marriages at Painswick 1547-1812 is available to browse online.