St MICHAEL,StANtON COURt

OXFORD DIOCESE PILGRIM PROJECT

In the late 12th century Queen Adeliza granted

the manor of Stantone to her kinswoman

Millicent, wife of Richard de Camville. Their

daughter Isabel married Robert de Harcourt

bringing the manor as her dowry. The Harcourt

family have been associated with the village

ever since. The Manor House has its own chapel

and the only conical roofed kitchen in England.

These are no longer open to the public.

St Michael’s church is cruciform in shape,

Norman, Early English and Perpendicular in

architecture. The church was extensively altered

in the 13th century. The chancel is divided from

the nave by an Early English Rood Screen which

is unique, for it is the oldest surviving wooden

screen in England and dates from the 13th

century. The hinges, bolt and lock are original.

On the extreme right of the screen are two

panels which escaped the attentions of the

Puritans and retain their original paintings.

You may like to reflect on all those hundreds

of people who have prayed in this place over

the years. Pray for the continued witness of the

church within the community today.

The Harcourt Chapel (which is kept locked)

was added to the church c. 1470, probably

commissioned from William Orchard, master-

mason by Sir Robert Harcourt, High Steward

of the University from 1446. It houses many

impressive Harcourt monuments including

Margaret who, unusually for a woman, wears

the Garter, above her left elbow. On the outside

south wall of the church is an epitaph written by

St Michael, Stanton Harcourt, mentioned in the Domesday Book, lies in a bend of the River Thames. St Michael’s church is thought to have been built in 1130 by Queen Adeliza, the second wife of Henry I, who owned the Manor. The church is famous for the shrine of the Anglo-Saxon female saint St Edburg, rescued in 1537 from Bicester Priory during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Alexander Pope who was sitting in the tower of

the Harcourt Manor Chapel and witnessed two

lovers struck dead by lightening.

Give thanks for the craftsmanship that has gone

into this building and its furnishings. Thank

God for the gift of creativity which enriches our

churches.

The Shrine of St Edburg

St Edburg was an Anglo-Saxon saint from the

7th century. A daughter of King Penda of Mercia,

Edburg was a nun for most of her life. The upper

part of the monument is the exceptionally

fine Purbeck marble canopy of the shrine of St

Edburg, which was rescued in 1537 from Bicester

Priory during the Dissolution of the Monasteries,

probably by Sir Simon Harcourt (whose tomb

is in the south transept). On top of it will have

originally stood a chest containing the relics of

the saint. The canopy has been identified from

the heraldry displayed, dated to 1294-1317. The

lower section visible is not the original base but

part of a later medieval tomb.

Give thanks for those who have inspired your

own faith. Pray that you may be a ‘light in the

world’ by the way you live your life.

PILGRIMAGE PRAYER

Pilgrim God, You are our origin and our destination. Travel with us, we pray, in every pilgrimage of faith,and every journey of the heart.Give us the courage to set off,the nourishment we need to travel well,and the welcome we long for at our journey’s end.So may we grow in grace and love for youand in the service of others.through Jesus Christ our Lord,Amen

John Pritchard, Bishop of Oxford

You might also like to visit other nearby churches in the Pilgrim Project:

Dorchester AbbeyAncient Abbey Church

St Peter Ad Vincula, South Newington Exceptional medieval wall paintings

St Margaret of Antioch, Binsey Alice in Wonderland’s treacle well

OXFORD DIOCESE PILGRIM PROJECT

Oxford Diocese Pilgrim Project:St Michael, Stanton Harcourt

OX29 5RJ

Website: www.achurchnearyou.com/

stanton-harcourt-st-michael

Illustrations by Brian Hall © Diocese of Oxford