We invite you to visit us to look around our lovely church with its fascinating surroundings and perhaps join us in worship, or simply come and take the opportunity to pause and reflect in this quiet and peaceful rural location.
We realise that for many this will not be possible and we hope you will enjoy this site, using it to discover more about us and our Church and village.

For nearly 1000 years, villagers have worshipped in this building. They have been christened, married and buried here. The Church was built by them and they have taken pride in its decoration, a pride which remains today as the local congregation strives to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to them to continue maintaining it and to welcome all who visit it.
To link to other sites of interest, please click

HERE.

It costs our congregation £35 every day to keep this church open, a heavy responsibility for a village with a total population of only 700. Please can you help? Visit the Donations page if you feel able.

GREEN MAN For well over 500 years, the Green Man of Hartpury has kept a benevolent eye on the activities of the parishioners. The medieval wood carving, high in the Church roof, reveals the Green man, resplendent with vines and grapes issuing from his beard. It is thought by some that he might originally have been a bench end, although if this were the case it is strange there is not more wear to the base which would have been in contact with the damp floor. A Green man is generally represented as a head surrounded by leaves, sometimes with branches emerging from its mouth. The image has roots both in church tradition and in paganism. He was generally a benevolent, smiling entity as at Hartpury and represents one of the most powerful and enduring symbols of pagan mythology. The Green man is associated with May Day rites celebrating rebirth and renewal and appears as the May King of May day wreathed in garlands of oak and hawthorn - feigning death and then coming to life to dance with his disconsolate Queen. The Green man represents our unity with the natural world and was regarded by early Christians as representing the energy of life reborn in Christ. He was adopted by the early Church to symbolise Easter and the Resurrection. Medieval legend has the Tree of Life growing from seeds planted in Adam's mouth. Carvings of Green men are common in medieval churches and in particular with churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary with whom he is frequently associated, as is the case at Hartpury. He can be variously depicted: wreathed in Oak leaves and acorns - symbolic of Celtic tradition, oak being sacred to the Druids. He represents the Green man of the forest. surrounded by the vine and grapes - symbolic of Bacchus and later Christian tradition. He represents the Green man of agriculture. surrounded by acanthus leaves - sacred in both classical and northern traditions as a symbol of rebirth. He represents the cross between the boundaries of farm and wild land. The Hartpury greenman is evidently that of agriculture.
	One mystery remains …… ……who is the scaled figure, apparently seated, opposite the Green man in Hartpury church roof? Possibly a monk, a crusading figure in chain mail, perhaps a 'woodwose' or wild man, a wingless angel has been suggested, but it is said by some to represent an immortal who was offered a perry pear when feasting at the top of May Hill. he took a bite, but its intense astringency caused him to spit it out, scattering the pips in hartpury and other villages around the hill. the pips took rootand these very local varieties grow to this day.

The Churchyard

A leaflet with further information about a Trail through the Churchyard is available

Lying to the north of the church are the oldest group of headstones, dating from the 17th century. They are easily recognised as they are thick pale Cotswold limestone with a heavy carved hood and include one with what appear to be the face of the Green Man. Before the end of the century green Forest of Dean sandstone was also used, a thinner stone with more elegant script, with the local blue Lias 'mudstone', these three were generally used until the Victorians introduced marble and other stone from further afield.

One of the most interesting Hartpury stone, surmounted by the death's head, records the death of John Hale - blacksmith, who was crushed by a bell in 1692.

'Loe here's interr'd the muses passive friend
Their noblest science - ringing was his end
His actions just, a martyr of that skill
Crusht by a bell 'twas Heavens sacred will
Melodious bells delighting him on earth
Exchanged terrestriall for celestiall mirth
This fatal stroke in haste did stop his breath
Lamented was his unexpected death'

The Sloper chest tomb has the stone effigy of a woman lying on the top - presumably Joane Sloper who died in 1676. It is modelled on the reclining effigy so often found on interior monuments but rarely seen outside.
At the far end of the churchyard a Hartpury Green perry pear tree has been planted, with other varieties that were once common in the parish that took its name from the pear. Nearby is also the unique Bee Shelter, moved to the churchyard in 2002.
The path from the church passes the grave of Evan Williams, father of the wife of the real tailor on whom Beatrix Potter based her well know Tailor of Gloucester's story - the waistcoat really was mysteriously completed while the tailor was ill in bed!

Most of the wall surrounding the churchyard was built at the end of the 18th century. One entry in the churchwardens' accounts records the purchase in 1797 of 12 tons of stone from the village quarry - for the wall, together with 30 gallons of drink for the workman!

THE ORIGINS OF THE PARISH

Christianity would have arrived in Gloucestershire within the first century of the Roman occupation. Following their departure, it is probable that a Gloucester diocese existed (possibly centred on a church where St. Mary de Lode now stands), with the Severn vale remaining Celtic Christian until the British kings of Gloucester, Cirencester and Bath were defeated by pagan Wessex Saxons in 577. Following the battle, the lower Severn valley was occupied by a tribe called the Hwicce, who in 584 were defeated in turn by a christian-Welsh, pagan-Mercian alliance. The Hwicce became a dependant province of Mercia, then ruled by Penda, who although a pagan, was noted by Bede as being tolerant of Christianity. The area they occupied, which included Hartpury, may therefore have remained Celtic Christian. After Penda's death in 655, Christianity spread rapidly through the remainder of Mercia and the Mercian diocese, originally centred on Litchfield, was divided into five sees. The bishop's seat for the province of the Hwiccas was then set at Worcester.
The first abbey at Gloucester was founded in 679 as a community of monks and nuns by Osric, King of the Hwicce, subregulus of Aethelred, King of Mercia, with an endowment of three 'hundreds'. Its possessions (the three hundreds) probably included King's Barton of which Hartpury was a part. The manor is known to have remained a possession of the successive Christian communities that were accommodated in Gloucester on what is now the cathedral site. Offa, King of Mercia, confirmed or gave the Manor of Hardperie to the Abbey in about the year 760. Minster churches were established throughout the Diocese and priests from these churches ministered to the surrounding villages. It is likely that Hartpury came within the area originally served by St Mary de Lode, the church that appears to have been responsible for all those dependent on the Abbey's minster church. This area would eventually have been divided into several parishes and the parish at Hartpury was probably an early creation when the first church, probably a timber structure, was built.
The abbey was refounded as a community of Benedictine monks in 1022, during the reign of Canute and dedicated to St Peter. Hartpury manor remained a part of Abbots Barton, and belonged to the Abbey. After the Norman Conquest, the Abbey continued to be responsible for the church in Hartpury and received its revenues.

Hartpury Church

The windows and stained glass Early in the 14th century the original windows in the south of the nave were replace by two of the geometric decorated style. The north and south walls of the chancel contain a series of windows developing from southwest to northwest, the decorated tracery through geometric to the flowing curvilinear and eventually in the north windows of the nave, the new reticulated tracery of the perpendicular or rectilinear style. Medieval parish churches were wonderfully colourful places and Hartpury would have been no exception. The large new windows would have been filled with stained glass, probably telling the bible story from the Creation to the Last Judgement, because windows by then had come to replace wall paintings as a teaching medium. With the reformation all was to change - superstition was banished and with it went much medieval glass. While it is not known whether this happened at Hartpury, there are records of the parishioners of the time protesting about the removal of the Rood Loft. The Commonwealth period would have completed the destruction which had begun in King Edward VI's time, leaving only a few fragments of medieval glass in the window tracery. In 1930 the then incumbent Rev. Robert Perry recorded these in both north windows of the nave and identified sections recognisable as Our Lord on the Cross, a throne, mantle and some rays of light possibly together representing the Trinity, and a halo.
In 1970 all this glass was reassembled at the top of the easternmost of the windows, effectively destroying any remaining historical integrity. The design in the large east window is the work of Roy Coomber of Bristol. A dramatic use of glass combining traditional symbolism with a vigorous sense of movement around the central figure of Christ.
	In contrast in the south windows of the chancel the Gothic Revival influence had produced two High Victorian boldly coloured windows with intimately detailed scenes. The southeastern was the work of John Hardman of Birmingham in 1857 and the southwestern of Clayton and Bell of London in 1862. These windows were described by Rev. Perry as being of the worst period!
	In the southeast of the nave James Powell and Son of London in 1905 used a more refined palette in their representation of Evangelists Ss. Matthew and Mark - described as 'modern' by Rev. Perry. They were joined nearly a century later in 2002 by Ss. Luke and John, in another window by Roy Coomber, effectively combining the 21st century's desire for light and a reaction against the excessively abstract designs so prevalent towards the end of the previous century ... but perhaps Rev. Perry's successor in 2050 might see it with very different eyes!

	DESCRIPTION: The settlement at Hartpury was once known as Morewent and it is under this name that it appears in the Domesday book. It has been suggested that the first priests visitng the village preached under an ancient perry pear tree. In due course a church was built in its shade and became known as the church of the hard pear: Hardepirige -hard pear tree that is, one with hard fruit like perry pears. The village name Hartpury eventually replaced the earlier Morewent. The church was built before 1100 and like all early Norman churches would have been dark with massively thick walls and small round arched high-level window openings. An example of this type of window is the one blocked up in the north wall of Hartpury's nave.
Also clearly Romanesque are Hartpury's chancel arch and the south door, which is also now blocked. The Church is now entered through a fine carved oak porch dating from the 14th century. Of similar date are the two medieval carvings in the roof of the nave, the Green Man and his companion.
During the early part of that century the original windows in the nave were enlarged and the present large presbytery (chancel) and Sanctuary added to accommodate the more elaborate ceremonial of the time. The beautiful "butterfly" tracery in the east window is similar to that used in the windows of the south aisle of Gloucester Cathedral The tower (built detached but immediately adjoining the church) and the fine carved oak porch were added during the early part of the 14th century. At about this time the splendid Tithe barn was also built, one of the largest in Gloucestershire and indeed in the country.
		The chancel screen, of neo-Norman construction, influenced perhaps by the work of contemporary architects such as Sir Edwin Lutyens, bears a charmed life. Installed without Diocesan consent in 1900, it was described in 1930 as a 'blot and quite out of place'. Feelings ran high and in 1967 a faculty was granted for its removal, only to provoke a counter petition demanding its retention! The incumbent of the time wisely decided to take no action and the screen is with us yet.

	a 16 page guide book is available to purchase. Please follow this link

The Bells

In the tower, the oldest bell today is the 4th (10cwt 0qr 14lb) by Henry Jefferies, who was a mid 16th century Bristol founder. In 1544 the Church received a bequest from William Webb 'To mayntance and reparacyon of the bellys 12d.' presumably meaning there were at least two pre-reformation bells. Two bells are dated 1626, the 3rd (6cwt 3qr 3lb) and the 5th (12cwt), and one bell, the tenor, 1628 (14cwt 1qr 6lb). John Pennington, an itinerant founder, known to have cast the 11th at Gloucester Cathedral in 1626, cast them. The bells were rehung about 1850, by Isaac Gose of Newent who left space for a treble to make up a ring of six.

In 1901 an appeal for the sixth bell announced that the tenor, 'a really grand bell for her weight (was) undoubtedly a recast of an older bell (without any additional metal to make up for waste) as she is two or three cwt lighter than she ought to be in proportion to the other bells, but notwithstanding this she is one of the very best bells in the Country, and the whole of the ring if made up to eight bells would be equal, if not superior, to the grand ring at the Cathedral, the musical note being the same (E flat)'.

The appeal continued: 'Last and least comes the treble, quite a youngster among her big sisters, but she is equal to them in tone, which is not to be wondered at as the A.R. on her denotes that she came from the celebrated foundry of Rudhalls at Gloucester. She is very lonely with an empty cradle by her side. When may we expect to see a little stranger to swing in it?' The sixth bell only arrived when, in 1926 the 2nd bell originally cast by Abraham Rudhall I in 1715, was recast by Gillett and Johnston of Croydon and the ring augmented to six by the addition of a treble (5cwt.1qr.4lb.) cast by them.

Visiting bands of ringers are welcome, although practices are irregular.

The Sloper memorial:

Lying in the shade of an overhanging yew, to the north of the Church there is a fine 'listed' table tomb, which records that Thomas Sloper died on 13th April 1703.
Thomas was a Clerk of the Court of Kings Bench in Westminster. In 1657 he married Joanne Beale, whose family are recorded as living in Corsend, Hartpury for at least the previous 100 years. The baroque chest tomb with D shaped ends dates from the early 18th century, but what is more remarkable is the stone effigy that surmounts it.
Dressed in cerements or grave clothes of exuberant and deeply carved drapery, the figure is assumed to be that of Joane, his wife, who died in 1676.

If this is correct then the 17th century effigy must originally have lain elsewhere and then been moved onto her husband's tomb at a later date. This would explain the rarity of a 17th century effigy lying outside the church building. Its preservation after 300 years, even in its present worn condition is amazing and can probably be attributed to the protection provided by the old yew.
It is likely that the tomb was erected by Charles Sloper, who became Chancellor of the diocese of Bristol.

	The Pears in Hartpury's Churchyard:
	The naming of perry pears is very confused. There are nearly 100 varieties in Gloucestershire known by over 200 names. The names variously reflect their parish, season of ripening, breeder, shape or colour or perhaps simply their taste or effect! Many varieties bear different names in different areas, with the
	added confusion that sometimes the same name refers to different varieties in different areas. This is well illustrated by the pears in Hartpury's churchyard, where in addition to the HARTPURY GREEN, known since the 17th century, the following are to be found:
ROCK: Known as the Brown Huffcap in Hartpury, this pear is called Red Huffcap in Newent, but Black Huffcap in Highnam! Perhaps it is understandable that in Haresfield it is called Mad Cap and in Bromsberrow Mad Pear, although this is more on account of the effects of its considerable potency than its erratic nomenclature. BLAKENEY RED: Probably the most common perry pear now found locally, in the 1600s this pear was regarded as suitable to be eaten raw, cooked, or made into perry. At one time it had an unfortunate reputation for its diuretic properties, to the extent that it became known as the Circus pear - once round and out again! This was probably caused by farmers milling rotten fruit. Perry unlike cider must always be made from fruit vintage ripe, and preferably of only one variety. In 1963 it was estimated that in most seasons Blakeney Red contributed the largest tonnage to be made into perry of any variety. Also used for pickling and canning perhaps its strangest use was during the 1st World War by the dye industry to produce khaki, thus justifying the proud claim by one grower that 'thic pear won that thur war - it gave Tommy good drink, good food, and clothes for his back!' In Blakeney called the Red Pear, the name is used for totally different varieties in other areas. In Dymock, Red Pear refers to the Aylton Red. In Newent yet another pear is called the Dymock Red, however this pear in Upleadon is known as Billy Thurston's - confused? OLDFIELD: An ancient pear - in his Pomona of 1664, John Evelyn speaks of a gentleman who had some bottles of Oldfield perry, where 'the perry was over 40 years old and as rich and high flavoured as ever'. Known as Hawfield in Tirley, this could possibly give a clue as to its origin. The Haw appears in the Domesday Book, as a Manor of Deerhurst Priory, which then belonged to the abbey of St. Denis in Paris. MOORCROFT: A more modern variety of perry pear, probably dating from the 19th century. Was this the perry known to Hartpury's poet Will Harvey? A Moorcroft Farm lies close to Redlands, his later home in Minsterworth, but it is thought the name is derived from Moorcroft Farm, Colwall in Herefordshire. Also known as Malvern Hills, it is called Stinking Bishop in Minsterworth's neighbouring parish, Highnam. In some areas it bears the name Choke, used historically for all pears that made perry in the same way that Styre was used to refer to all apples for cider.
BUTT: In the 18th and 19th centuries the perry made from this variety was recognised as ideal for diluting wines and spirits. It was widely bought for that purpose by wine importers in Bristol and London. STAUNTON SQUASH: Sometimes referred to as the Squash pear or the White Squash of Corse, this is also one of ancient lineage, since although the famous Squash pear mentioned since 1691 is probably the variety now known as Taynton Squash, seedlings with similar characteristics adopted the name.
Staunton Squash is one of the pears illustrated in the Herefordshire Pomona. It is very appropriate that it should appear in Hartpury's churchyard because the parishes of Hartpury, Corse and Staunton now form a united benefice within the Diocese. CORSE HILL: An interloper in the collection of Perry Pears, this is generally regarded as an apple used for cider, although the fruit is really dual purpose if left to ripen fully. It is only right that the tree most closely connected with Hartpury's neighbouring parish Corse, should be included in the orchard. A leaflet about perry pears is available: Please follow this link.

HISTORY: The nave of the church appears to date from the English Romanesque or Norman period, although the configuration of the west end and the surviving herringbone stonework could possibly suggest Saxon origin. This might have included a west chamber, or porch, with on the first floor a small chapel or chamber occupied by the priest. The two high level windows above would then have been necessary to light to the main body of the church.
	In 1300 John de Gamages, abbot of Gloucester, built a moated mansion on common land to the south of the church. The next century must have been one of almost continuous building in and around the Church. This predates the more usual period of church improvements in the late 14th and 15th centuries, when Gloucestershire's churches, particularly in the Cotswold area, were enlarged and enriched using the wealth derived from the wool trade. It is believed that it was at this time that the Church suffered a major fire, now evidenced by the reddening of much of the nave stonework.
The Reformation and the puritanical influences of the Commonwealth would have led to the destruction of much of the rich medieval decoration of the Church, the wall paintings, statuary and other ornamentation. Proceedings in the Chancery Court reveal that the Lord of the Manor Walter Compton removed the Rood Loft in the 1550s and during the Civil War, Hartpury Court was occupied by Parliamentary forces. In 1779, historian Samuel Rudder wrote 'The church is out of repair and in a filthy condition. The Churchwardens accounts reveal repairs a few years later costing £31.13s.6d.
	Despite this attention Hartpury church continued largely unaltered until it was re-ordered on three occasions in the 19th century, with the Victorians completing, when the walls were stripped of their plaster, the destruction begun by the reformation. There are specifications dated 3rd March, 1830 by John Jacques, architect, for re-pewing Hartpury Church. In 1854 a new Vestry was built on to the south side of the church and the Chancel reordered by Thomas Fulljames and the church was again re-ordered by F.S.Waller in 1882, when open seats replaced the pews, the plaster on the Nave walls was removed and the Gallery taken down.

How you can help
Please be as generous as you can and use this form to contact us.
Please note that you must sign and post a printed copy of this form if you are making an annual covenant. This will enable us to claim a contribution from the Inland Revenue

I would like to help Hartpury 's church/churchyard/general funds: {Delete as appropriate)

As an annual payment (please complete Banker's Order) of £
As a single donation (enclosed) of £

Please enter your name and address and print and send off this form as soon as possible.

I
Of
Postcode
DECLARE that I want all subscriptions or donations I make to the PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL of St. Mary the Virgin, HARTPURY, before on or after the date of this Declaration, to be treated as Gift Aid donations. I UNDERSTAND that in any tax year, I must have paid or had deducted, an amount of income tax or capital gains tax equal to the tax reclaimed on my donations in that year.

Signed

Date

BANKER'S ORDER

To		Bank plc
of
Please pay Lloyds Bank pIc, Gloucester - sort code 30 93 48 for the credit of HARTPURY PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL Account No 2497947
the sum of (pounds)£
on		and thereafter on each anniversary until further notice
and debit
Account Name
Account Number

Date:

Signed:

Address:

The Churchyard

THE ORIGINS OF THE PARISH

Hartpury Church

The windows and stained glass

Vicar:
Curate:

Services:
1st Sunday
2nd Sunday
3rd Sunday
4th Sunday

Rev. Canon John Evans
Rev. Penny Hamer

Parish Communion
Holy Communion (BCP)
Parish Communion
Evensong

01452 840302
01452 700314

10.30am
8.30am
10.30am
6.30pm

DESCRIPTION:

The Bells

Links:

The Sloper memorial:

The Pears in Hartpury's Churchyard:

The Diocese of Gloucester

HISTORY:

How you can help
Please be as generous as you can and use this form to contact us.
Please note that you must sign and post a printed copy of this form if you are making an annual covenant. This will enable us to claim a contribution from the Inland Revenue

BANKER'S ORDER

The Churchyard

THE ORIGINS OF THE PARISH

Hartpury Church

The windows and stained glass

Vicar: Curate: Services: 1st Sunday 2nd Sunday 3rd Sunday 4th Sunday

Rev. Canon John Evans Rev. Penny Hamer

Parish Communion Holy Communion (BCP) Parish Communion Evensong

01452 840302 01452 700314 10.30am 8.30am 10.30am 6.30pm

DESCRIPTION:

The Bells

Links:

The Sloper memorial:

The Pears in Hartpury's Churchyard:

The Diocese of Gloucester

HISTORY:

How you can help Please be as generous as you can and use this form to contact us. Please note that you must sign and post a printed copy of this form if you are making an annual covenant. This will enable us to claim a contribution from the Inland Revenue

BANKER'S ORDER

Vicar:
Curate:

Services:
1st Sunday
2nd Sunday
3rd Sunday
4th Sunday

Rev. Canon John Evans
Rev. Penny Hamer

Parish Communion
Holy Communion (BCP)
Parish Communion
Evensong

01452 840302
01452 700314

10.30am
8.30am
10.30am
6.30pm

How you can help
Please be as generous as you can and use this form to contact us.
Please note that you must sign and post a printed copy of this form if you are making an annual covenant. This will enable us to claim a contribution from the Inland Revenue