First mention is made of a church at Dinton in 1070, though the Saxon church, which was probably a thatched building, didn’t survive. However, it was soon replaced when it passed from Bishop Odo’s control and became the property of the convent at Godstow. The rebuilding began in about 1140 with the nave on the present church site. The main entrance was the South doorway, the same as it is today. The ancient font, too, belongs to the Norman period and the chancel also dates from this period. The stone bench, lying against the North wall, was the only form of seating in a pre-pew era.

Alterations were made in about 1230 to enable more light to enter the building. At this time the South aisle was added to the nave and the old South wall replaced by the present series of arches. The South doorway, the crowning glory of the church, was taken down and moved to its present position. The figures above it are said to represent St. Michael and the Dragon. In 1234 the buttress in the North was remade and the present four, large windows inserted.

The tower was added c.1340 and the south porch in the early C 16^th.

A small group of interesting memorials to the Mayne family of the Dinton Hall ( adjacent to the church ) can be found on the North wall near the chancel. Dating from the Civil War they have their own dangerous history as does the Hall itself. The brasses in the sanctuary are in memory of contemporary celebrities and beneath them were found, in 1944, older treasures plundered from monastic churches.

The village stocks still survive. According to the guide book they stand where the disused almshouses had been, though in my visit,* I found them in the church porch.

From a leaflet about Dinton Church by R. C. C. W. supplied by Andrew Wild

* Bobbie May Visited Summer 2004.

1. The ‘N’s are reversed in the ‘HENRY SVMNAR’ tenor inscription.