Building record 0403600000 - St Mary's Church, Mursley

Dimensions - Length 32m, Width 18m.
Plan Form - Subrectangular.
Grade II+. Parish church. C14, C15 tower, all very much restored and partly rebuilt 1867. Coursed rubble stone, part roughly dressed. Nave and chancel have tiled roofs, aisles have lead roofs. W tower of 3 stages has diagonal buttresses, battlemented parapet and 2-light openings to bell-chamber. W side has 4-light traceried window and single light above. Small blocked lancets to N and S. Nave has clerestory of 4 quatrefoil windows. Aisles have 3 bays of 2-light C19 Decorated windows with varied tracery, and similar windows to E. N and S doors have moulded 2-centred arches, that to S with C19 hood and carved head stops. C19 S porch. Chancel has 2 bays of similar windows and 3-light to E, similar doorway to S. Interior: triple hollow-chamfered tower arch. Nave arcade of 4 bays has moulded arches on octagonal piers with moulded caps and bases. Similar chancel arch on semi-octagonal piers, Aisles have cusped ogee piscinae and corbels with ballflower bases flanking E windows. Chancel has C14 cusped ogee piscina with stop-chamfered sides, and C19 double sedilia with shaped stone armrest. N wall has blind recess with C19 moulded arch on triple shafts with carved foliage caps. C19 roofs, that to chancel on carved foliage corbels. Fittings: C17 pulpit with carved arcaded panels. Other fittings C19, including elaborately arcaded carved marble reredos. 1862 glass in E window. Monuments: in chancel: brass to Cecilia Fortescue 1570 on stone altar tomb with blind tracery and blank heraldic panels, monument with painted kneeling figures of Sir John Fortescue and wife, 1607 above; undated stone and marble monument to Sir Francis Fortescue (son of Sir John) and wife with painted kneeling figures in niches and mourning children. RCHM II p 203-4 (B6).
Built of large blocks of limestone rubble; tower of sandy limestone ashlar. Chancel, nave arcades & aisles 1st half of C14; tower C15; S porch & clerestoy C19 (B3).
6 bells recast in C18. List of rectors 1239-1833 (B1).
At NGR (B5).
Watching brief carried out by KDK Archaeology between February 2020 and February 2021 during groundworks for a service trench across the churchyard and construction of wc and kitchen in the west end of the church revealed details of the wall and arcade foundations, the stone footings of an undated former north porch, and a single articulated juvenile burial in the churchyard to the north of the church. See report for detail (B7-8).