Church Of St. John The Baptist, Cirencester

The Church of St. John Baptist, Cirencester is a parish church in the Church of England in Cirencester. HistoryThe church is medieval. It is renowned for its perpendicular porch, fan vaults and merchants' tombs. The chancel is the oldest part of the church. Construction started around 1115. It was widened in about 1180. The east window dates from around 1300. The original stained glass of the east window has long since disappeared and it is now filled with fifteenth century glass from other parts of the church. To the north of the chancel is St. Catherine's Chapel which dates from around 1150. It contains a wall painting of St. Christopher carrying the Christ Child, and vaulting given by Abbot John Hakebourne in 1508. To the north of St. Catherine's Chapel is the Lady Chapel, first built in 1240 and extended in the 15th century. The Trinity Chapel dates from 1430–1460 and was endowed for a priest of the nearby Abbey to say masses for the souls of Kings and Queens. It contains a squint which enabled the priest to synchronise the celebration of mass with that at the high altar. The nave was completely rebuilt between 1515 and 1530 and is a remarkable example of late perpendicular gothic architecture. The tower is fifteenth century and remarkable for the large buttresses which shore it up at its junction with the nave. The great south porch which adjoins the market place was built around 1500 at the expense of Alice Avening. Parish statusThe church is in the combined parish which includes: Holy Trinity Church, WatermoorSt. Lawrence, ChestertonRecord of incumbentsThomas Marshall 1558Thomas Perpointe 1562William Aldsworth 1574Thomas Woodlande 1578John Mortimer 1580John Stone 1581Philip Jones 1586Henry Bishop 1587Robert Butler 1592Heymo Leigh 1594Richard Dyer 1610John Burgoyne 1616Alexander Gregory 1632Thomas Carles 1663Jeremiah Gregory 1675Joseph Harrison 1690 Samuel Johnson 1753Martin Stafford Smith 1778William Shippen Willes 1789Henry Anthony Pye 1806William Frederick Powell 1839James Ogilvy Miller 1869Henry Rudge Hayward 1881John Stewart Sinclair 1898William Aubrey Robins 1909Lewis Westmacott 1922Ronald Huntley Sutch 1941Rowland Edward Hill 1962John Arthur Lewis 1978Hedley Sidney Ringrose 1988Michael St. John-Channell 1999Leonard Doolan 2008

The Church of St. John Baptist, Cirencester is a parish church in the Church of England in Cirencester. HistoryThe church is medieval. It is renowned for its perpendicular porch, fan vaults and merchants' tombs. The chancel is the oldest part of the church. Construction started around 1115. It was widened in about 1180. The east window dates from around 1300. The original stained glass of the east window has long since disappeared and it is now filled with fifteenth century glass from other parts of the church. To the north of the chancel is St. Catherine's Chapel which dates from around 1150. It contains a wall painting of St. Christopher carrying the Christ Child, and vaulting given by Abbot John Hakebourne in 1508. To the north of St. Catherine's Chapel is the Lady Chapel, first built in 1240 and extended in the 15th century. The Trinity Chapel dates from 1430–1460 and was endowed for a priest of the nearby Abbey to say masses for the souls of Kings and Queens. It contains a squint which enabled the priest to synchronise the celebration of mass with that at the high altar. The nave was completely rebuilt between 1515 and 1530 and is a remarkable example of late perpendicular gothic architecture. The tower is fifteenth century and remarkable for the large buttresses which shore it up at its junction with the nave. The great south porch which adjoins the market place was built around 1500 at the expense of Alice Avening. Parish statusThe church is in the combined parish which includes: Holy Trinity Church, WatermoorSt. Lawrence, ChestertonRecord of incumbentsThomas Marshall 1558Thomas Perpointe 1562William Aldsworth 1574Thomas Woodlande 1578John Mortimer 1580John Stone 1581Philip Jones 1586Henry Bishop 1587Robert Butler 1592Heymo Leigh 1594Richard Dyer 1610John Burgoyne 1616Alexander Gregory 1632Thomas Carles 1663Jeremiah Gregory 1675Joseph Harrison 1690 Samuel Johnson 1753Martin Stafford Smith 1778William Shippen Willes 1789Henry Anthony Pye 1806William Frederick Powell 1839James Ogilvy Miller 1869Henry Rudge Hayward 1881John Stewart Sinclair 1898William Aubrey Robins 1909Lewis Westmacott 1922Ronald Huntley Sutch 1941Rowland Edward Hill 1962John Arthur Lewis 1978Hedley Sidney Ringrose 1988Michael St. John-Channell 1999Leonard Doolan 2008