The Church of St. Michael and All Angels Steventon
One of the DAMASCUS Parish Churches
http://www.damascusparish.org.uk/index.html
Associate Priest: Rev Phil Sutton
Email: revphil@damascusparish.org.uk (01235 526114)
Lay Minister: Mr Jack Jarvis (tel: 01235 831395)
Churchwarden: Dr Hilary Otterburn (01235 834025)
Deputy Warden: Mr Alan Binning (01235 820009)
Sunday Services are held at 9:45 each Sunday (except the 5th Sunday in the month when there is a combined service in one of the DAMASCUS parish churches (Drayton, Appleford, Milton, Sutton Courtenay & Steventon)
For detailed information about the life of the church and information about baptisms, weddings and funerals and pastoral support, please visit the DAMASCUS Parish website or contact Revd. Phil Sutton directly.
The Damascus Parish Ministry Team:
Rector: The Reverend Helen Kendrick,
The Rectory, 3 Tullis Close,
Sutton Courtenay, Abingdon OX14 4BD
Email: rector@damascusparish.org.uk
(01235 848297)
There are two publications available about the village and its history:
The Story of Steventon and Steventon Life all proceeds from both publications are given to the Church
History
The presence of a church in Steventon is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086), but the existence of a place of worship in the village may well be much earlier.
The church’s dedication is to St Michael and All Angels, which often indicates very early origins and, perhaps, even connections with Celtic Christianity, and the presence of an ancient yew tree in the churchyard is sometimes associated with pagan sites.
The earliest feature in the church now visible is a 13th century column by the incumbant’s stll. The general appearance is 14th century, with fine stonework in the aisle windows and the great arch-braced roof, decorated with a fine series of carved bosses, dating from that period; the large windows at the East and West ends date from the early 15th century. Some of the carved woodwork and pew ends are from the 15th and early 16th centuries.
The original stained glass was sold to Bryant Barrett, the owner of Milton Manor, in 1772 for the then considerable sum of £7, and can still be seen in the chapel. The large East window now has glass by Warrington (1833) depicting the seven Archangels, and the ten occasions on which angels are mentioned in the bible.
Among many other ornaments is the handsome Jacobean wooden pulpit, an alms-box, dated 1633, with three compartments and three locks, and two brasses commemorating Richard Do (d. 1476) and one of his two wives (there is the outline of the second, but the brass is missing), and Edward Wiseman, his wife (d. 1584) and their eight children.
There is an unsual 14th century double sedilia in the chancel, which was abandoned by the mason with the decorative carving left unfinished.
The bell tower was build circa 1330 on the South side of the church. In 1552 the Commissioners’ Inventories record “Stevington three belles in the stepulle A small belle sacringe belles A burying belle”; these bells were probably cast on-site. There is now a ring of six bells, originally hung in wooden frames, and a Sanctus bell. Rather unusually, the main entrance to the church was through the ground floor of the tower, which also served as the ringing chamber, with three bell-ropes on either side of the entrance.
In 1932 the bells were rehung in iron frames with the bell-ropes in a circle, and, for services when bells are rung, the congregation enters by the North door.