St Michael's Church, Bray, is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

parish church in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

Bray, Berkshire Bray, occasionally Bray on Thames, is a large suburban village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It sits on the banks of the River Thames, to the southeast of Maidenhead of which it is a suburb. The village is mentioned in th ...

History

The church dates from 1293, supposedly to replace a

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

church at

Water Oakley Water Oakley is a hamlet on the River Thames in the civil parish of Bray in the county of Berkshire, England. It is the location of both Bray Studios and the Oakley Court Hotel. History It first appeared on maps around 1800. However, the name 'O ...

. It was partly rebuilt ca. 1500 and extensively restored 1857–82 by

Thomas Henry Wyatt Thomas Henry Wyatt (9 May 1807 – 5 August 1880) was an Anglo-Irish architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870–73 and being awarded its Royal Gold Medal for A ...

. It has a number of sculptures which may have come from the earlier church, including a damaged Sheela na Gig. The

ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish priest ...

shares the wide parish boundaries so is named Bray St Michael with Braywoodside.

Monuments

Foxley Monumental brass in St Michael, Bray

The church contains several brasses from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, notably that of 1378 to Sir John Foxley, the Constable of

Southampton Castle Southampton Castle was located in the town of Southampton in Hampshire, England. Constructed after the Norman conquest of England, it was located in the north-west corner of the town overlooking the River Test, initially as a wooden motte and b ...

. Other monuments are: *William Goddard of Philibert, d.1609, founder of Jesus Hospital, and Joyce Maunsell his wife, d.1622. *Mary Hanger (d.1738) sculpted by

Peter Scheemakers Peter Scheemakers or Pieter Scheemaeckers II or the Younger (10 January 1691 – 12 September 1781) was a Flemish sculptor who worked for most of his life in London. His public and church sculptures in a classicist style had an important influenc ...

Vicars of Bray

''See''

The Vicar of Bray The Vicar of Bray is a satirical description of an individual fundamentally changing his principles to remain in ecclesiastical office as external requirements change around him. The religious upheavals in England from 1533 to 1559 (and then from ...

for the satirical description, or ''

The Vicar of Bray (song) "The Vicar of Bray" is an eighteenth century satirical song recounting the career of The Vicar of Bray and his contortions of principle in order to retain his ecclesiastic office despite the changes in the Established Church through the course ...

'' for the English folk song. *Reinbald 1081 *Roger 1288 *Henry de Chilbalton 1301 *Roger de Crossby 1327 *William Scherreve 1368–75 *John Dray 1382 *Thomas Gernon 1382–96 *William Dyer 1396–1440 *Robert Manfelde 1440–43 *Thomas Pashe 1443–44 *Thomas Topclyf 1444 *Thomas Luyde 1444–54 *William Morris 1454–79 *Thomas Phillippis 1479–97 *John Perkwyn 1497 *John Halle 1504 *Richard Watts 1504–20 *John Mogeryge 1521–23 *

Simon Symonds Simon Symonds M.A. (d. 1551) was a Canon of Windsor from 1535–1551. Career He was educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge and graduated B.A. in 1509 and M.A. in 1511. He was appointed: *Vicar of Elmdon, Essex 1518 *Vicar of St ...

1523–47 *William Stafferton 1548–55 *Alexander Barlo 1556 *

Simon Aleyn Simon Aleyn (or Alleyn; died 17 October 1565) was a Canon of Windsor from 1559–63 He was educated in Oxford and graduated BA 1539, MA 1542. He was appointed: *Vicar of Cookham 1553 *Vicar of Strathfieldsaye 1559 He was also Vicar of St Micha ...

1557–65 *Henry Cranshawe 1565 *David Tuke 1589–99 *Edward Cranceshaw 1599 *Edward Boughton 1621–40 *Anthony Faringdon 1640–42 * Hezekiah Woodward 1649–60 *Edward Boughton 1660 *Edward Fulham 1660–62 *Francis Carswell 1665–1709 *Thomas Brown 1709–59 *George Berkeley 1759–69 *Hon George Hamilton 1769–87 *Edward Townshend 1787–1822 *Walter Levett 1822–25 *George Legge 1825–26 *Walter Levett 1826–53 *James Austen Leigh 1853–74 *William Brassey Hole 1874–87 *Charles Raymond 1887–1915 *William Riddelsdell 1915–31 *Arthur Jones 1931–45 *Edward Lowman 1945–58 *Sidney Doran 1958–77 *Neil Howells 1977–84 *George Repath 1985–2007 *Richard Cowles 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bray Church of England church buildings in Berkshire Grade II* listed churches in Berkshire St Michael's Church