Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers- Quainton

Established January 17 1881

Holy Cross & St. Mary, Quainton, Bucks
Central Bucks branch of the ODG

Holy Cross & St. Mary, Quainton©BM 25 Feb 2002

Dedication: Holy Cross & St. Mary, Quainton

Service Ringing: Sun am variable, 6.00pm

Practice night: Wed 7.30pm

The Bells (8) 17-1-26

Augmented from 6 with 2 new trebles in 1985.

Draught: Longish with guides
Audibility: 3 - (On a scale of 1 to 5, 1=faint 5=very loud)

Access to ringing chamber: Ground floor, access either from outside or from an inside door at end of nave. Somewhat intimidating huge marble monuments to members of the Dormer family on two sides, larger than life size, with arms reaching out to snag the bell ropes of ringers who do not pull their ropes down straight.

The inscriptions on the old bells come from A.H.Cocks The Church Bells of Buckinghamshire, page 552.
The information on the current bell weights comes from a framed certificate in the tower. The ring was retuned, and rehung with new fittings in a new lowside frame for eight by John Taylor of Loughborough in 1983. Two new trebles added in 1985 to form a ring of 8.

A ring of 8; tenor 17-1-26, diameter 48”, in E^b

Bell	Weight cwt-qr-lb	Diameter (inches)	Strike note	Date cast	Founder	Foundry location	Inscription
treble	4-2-10	27½	E^b	1985	John Taylor	Loughborough
2	4-3-16	28½	D	1985	John Taylor	Loughborough
3	5-2-6	30½	C	1983	John Taylor	Loughborough
4	6-3-22	32¾	B^b	1957	John Taylor	Loughborough
5	8-2-22	36½	A^b	1621	Henry Knight I	Reading	<> THAT YOV BESTOW OF ALL H [scroll] K X62X
6	11-0-12	40	G	1621	Henry Knight I	Reading	<> TO BRING TO PAS H [scroll] K X62X
7	14-2-4	43	F	1983	John Taylor	Loughborough
tenor	17-1-26	48	E^b	1745	Thomas Lester	Whitechapel	(incised) I EEL^es & W TOM^es C^H WARDENS J745 T LESTER OF LONDON MADE ME

Notes:

On the 6th, the letter S in PAS is reversed
On the tenor, the letter N is reversed in WARDENS and twice in LONDON.
the [scroll] on the Knight bells is reproduced here from Cocks, Plate XXII:

The village:

©KMC 23 Apr 2005

The village of Quainton seen from the road from Aylesbury, with the restored windmill on the skyline and the hill fort in the centre above the village. The hill is reputed to have some of the best examples of strip lychets in Buckinghamshire.

The 6 storey brick built tower mill was built in the 1832 by James Anstiss; at 65 feet it is the tallest windmill in Bucks. It ceased working in 1890.

In 2005 the Quainton Windmill Society is restoring it to working order.

Open Sunday mornings or by appointment.

©KMC 23 Apr 2005 Details from the Mills Section of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.

©KMC 23 Apr 2005

©KMC 23 Apr 2005
The village high street leads from the green, near the windmill, to the church. Several houses have brick nogging and some have thatched roofs. The village shop is about half way along the street on the right, The house above is at the corner of the high street and 'The Pyghtl' a recent housing development.

Some alms houses were built in 1687 at the end of the high street near the church.

©KMC 23 Apr 2005

©KMC 23 Apr 2005

The alms houses were built by Richard Winwood, son of Sir Ralph Winwood, principal Secretary of State to
King James I. The plaque has his coat of arms above the text. Notice that some of the gables do not have real windows, they are merely painted on. This probably saved having to pay window tax.

Monuments inside the church

In the south aisle, erected 1689 by his wife, carved by Thomas Stayner.

©KMC 23 Apr 2005
He built the alms houses.

Transcribed into modern type the plaque reads:
Here
Lyeth ye Body
of Richard Winwood Esq (one
of ye deputy Leivetenants of this
County in the Reigne of King
Charles ye second) Son & heir of
ye R^t Ho^ble S^r Ralph Winwood K^nt
principle secretary of state to King
James ye firft. He married Anne
one of ye davghters of S^r Thomas
Read of ye County of Barks K^nt
And departed this life ye 28^th
day of Ivne Anno Dom: j688
in ye 80^th year of his age.

Here lyes alfo interred ye Body
of ye said Anne who departed this life
ye j^st day of Mar. Anⁿ Dom j693 aged ??

Note: the 'ye' has the 'e' above the 'y'

Adjacent on the south wall Brett monument and on the north wall that of the Pigotts.

Dormer monuments

©KMC 23 Apr 2005
On the North wall of the aisle, Sir John d 1675 and
Lady Dormer d 1672.
Signed by William Stanton. The cupboard on the right contains a kitchen sink.

©BM 23 Apr 2005
Fleetwood Dormer d 1726 by Rysack.
His father the Judge in in his robes in the background, in the front his mother weeps.

These monuments are on two walls of the ringing chamber, the sally of bell 4 can just be seen on the left of the right hand image. At one time the statues were more invasive but were rearranged when one of them lost a part of its anatomy during ringing.

Points of interest in church

(SJ^**C)Simon Jenkins several fine monuments from the 17th century.

Church facilities: toilet

in a new stone porch on the North side, including facilities for disabled

Travel Details: OS Grid Ref: SP750202. Village parking.

Eating Places: Pub 'George & Dragon'

Local points of interest for non ringers:

17th century Alms Houses and old rectory adjacent to the church
Preserved windmill
ancient earthwork behind the windmill
several old houses and a village green with old preaching cross

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