Churches
| Click on a heading below to be directed to the selection of your choice |
| Introduction |
| Clergy, Lay Ministers, Wardens & Elders |
| Service Times in Ashbury |
| Churches Covenant |
| Honorary Canon of Christchurch Cathedral |
| Ashbury PCC |
| Church Activities |
| Forthcoming Fund Raising Events |
| Reports on Past Fund Raising Events |
| Further Reading |
There are two churches in Ashbury, St Mary The Virgin Parish Church and the Ashbury Evangelical Free Church; they work together closely and hold joint services and events. Find out more about the historical background here.
As a result of extensive searches of the archives, initially by Peter Knott, and more recently by Leonie Knott and Margaret Smith, a plaque setting out the names of Vicars and Rectors appointed to St Mary's Church, Ashbury from 1317 to 2000 has been placed at the Church in memory of Rev Dr Michael Starr. A copy may be viewed here.
The Evangelical Free Church celebrated its centenary in 2009; click here to read a booklet published to mark this important event and click here to see some of the old photographs that were displayed at the time.
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Ashbury
The Shrivenham & Ashbury Benefice is situated in the Vale of the White Horse and is part of the Oxford Diocese. It is comprised of seven villages:
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Shrivenham
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Ashbury
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Watchfield
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Bourton
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Longcot
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Fernham
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Compton BeauchampAshbury Evangelical Free Church
Clergy, Lay Ministers, Wardens and Elders
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Vicar
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Revd. Richard Hancock
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01793 780183
vicar@standrews-shrivenham.fsnet.co.uk |
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Curates
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Rev Anne Bell (duty days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday)
Rev Canon Edwin Clements (duty days: Tuesday, Friday)
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01367 820091
01793 710811
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Lord Rodney Elton |
01793 710225 |
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Richard Green |
01793 710227 |
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Margaret Smith |
01793 710800 |
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Philip Charters |
01793 710431 |
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David Pirt |
01793 822533 |
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Main Contact for the Free Church: Andrew Bunce |
01793 710212 |
- Service times for the Shrivenham and Ashbury Benefice may be found on following web site (click)
- Service times for St Mary's Church, Ashbury are as follows:
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Sunday 5 February
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11.00am Joint Service - St Mary's and the Free Church.
6.30pm Healing Service with Benediction at Shrivenham
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Sunday 12 February
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11.00am Holy Communion
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Sunday 19 February
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11.00am Family Service
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Sunday 22 February
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7.00pm Benefice Service Holy Communion with Ashing
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Saturday 26 February
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11.00am Holy Communion
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- Service Times for Ashbury Evangelical Free Church are as follows:
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Sunday 5 February
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10.15am Communion 11.00am Family Service
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Sunday 12 February
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10.15am Communion
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Sunday 19 February
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10.15am Communion
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Sunday 26 February
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10.15am Communion
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St Mary's Ashbury and Free Church Covenant
On 24 May 2011 members of St Mary's PCC and the Free Church met under the chairmanship of the Revd Richard Hancock to discuss future joint services and to agree the wording of a Covenant which would express the unity and intent of the two Churches. It is noteworthy that this covenant formalises what has existed over many years. Lent services, Harvest Thanksgivings and Christmas services have brought the two Churches together in happy fellowship. In the days that the Methodist Chapel existed a series of Autumn meetings took place in the Chapel for a number of years. These were led by the three congregations. Fragmentaion within "The Church" has been an unhappy feature for centuries so it is good to demonstrate that the oneness of the Body of Christ does not depend on any one form of worship.
The Covenant was signed and ratified at a joint service at St Mary's on Sunday 9th October 2011. Click here to read it.
Appointment of the Revd Richard Hancock as an Honorary Canon of Christchurch Cathedral
The Revd Richard Hancock has been appointed an Honorary Canon of Christchurch Cathedral by the Bishop of Oxford in recognition of his work in the Shrivenham and Ashbury Benefice and as the Area Dean of the Vale of the White Horse Deanery. Richard will continue to serve as our Vicar and Area Dean. His installation will take place in the Cathedral on 14 January at 6.00pm during Evensong.
Ashbury Parochial Church Council
The Parochial Church Council or PCC is the executive body of a Church of England Parish. It consists of the clergy and churchwardens of the Parish, plus a number of representatives of the laity. It is responsible, in co-operation with the incumbent vicar, for promoting the mission of the Church within its Parish; this includes the financial affairs of the Church and the care and maintenance of the Church fabric and its contents. Contact: PCC Secretary – 710801
| PCC Membership 2011 |
| Rev Canon Edwin Clements (Chair) |
| Roger Simons (Secretary) |
| James Reade (Treasurer) |
| Dickie Green (Church Warden) |
| Margaret Smith (Church Warden) |
| Judy Clarke |
| Leonie Knott |
| Clare McGlashan |
| Sue Reade |
| Graham Weller |
Bell Ringers ensure that the bells at St Mary’s Church are rung regularly. Volunteers are needed and training is available. Contact: 710364
Bible Studies are organised by the Free Church on Wednesdays at 7.30pm. Joint study groups meet during Lent and in the Autumn. Venues are published in Church Notices.
Exploring the Christian Faith – an Alpha course is run from time to time in Ashbury or one of the nearby villages. Contact: 780183
Friends of Ashbury Church devise a variety of creative activities to raise funds towards the upkeep and restoration of our historic church. Contact: 710208
Prayer Group meets on Monday mornings for one hour, at alternating venues within the Village. All are welcome. Contact: 710333
Special Choir is formed for Christmas and other special events. New members are welcomed. Contact: 710208
Women’s Fellowship meetings are held at the Free Church on Wednesdays at 2.15pm. Contact: 710759
Cricket - On 2nd May 2011 the Ashbury St. Mary's cricket team won the United Churches Six-A-Side cricket tournament at Sevenhampton, taking on teams from churches all around the Swindon area. They took the trophy by crushing Rodbourne St. Mary's in the final. Thanks go to Stewart Smith, the captain, who through experience, skill and enthusiasm steered the team to this historic victory. Edwin Clements, seen holding the trophy, was wicket keeper on the day; he not only stumped out a member of the opposition, but ran another opponent out too. Not bad for someone who had not played cricket for over twenty years!
Forthcoming Fund Raising Events
Reports on Past Fund Raising Events
St Mary’s Church Christmas Bazaar - held on Saturday 26th November in the Village hall
This is the main fund raising event of the year so we hope for good weather to bring out the crowds. Fortunately it was fine and the villagers came; both regulars and newcomers, and it was a very pleasant social occasion as well as a fund raising.event. The total raised was a magnificent £1544.70, about £70 less than last year but amazing in the present economic climate. We are very grateful to everyone who donated things to sell, manned stalls or just came and spent. There were some excellent bargains to be had but one needed to look carefully amongst the things on sale as space is very limited and there is not enough room to display the goods properly Members of the church had called at most of the houses in the village before the bazaar selling raffle tickets which reminded people about the bazaar. The 20 prizes which had been donated included £50 cash, a £30 voucher for a meal at the Rose and Crown, a grocery hamper, and bottles of wine.
How the French Eat - held on 22 October 2011
Over 70 people attended this event. The evening started with Marie-Noelle Witty talking about her own first-hand experiences of French food and customs. She often referred to her mother and what her mother would and would not have approved! After the talk attendees enjoyed sampling French food prepared by Ashbury ladies to Marie-Noelle's recipes. Questions and answers followed and then a time to socialise. This very enjoyable evening raised just over £500 for St Mary's Church funds.
Late Summer Concert a Great Success - held on Saturday 3rd September 2011
Ashbury resident Yvette Cummings, a renouned soprano, accompanied by Travis Baker an international organ recitalist, delighted an audience of 100 people with a mixed programme of classical songs, popular arias and more. In the ethereal atmosphere of the Church she performed 21 songs ranging from about 1600’s to about 1750 in the first half (including music from Mozart and Handel), whilst in the second half the songs were mainly from the “Romantic period” from the early 1800’s onwards.Yvette concluded her more serious range of songs with a fun number - “Lime jello, marshmallow, cottage cheese surprise!”
This performance, that would have been acclaimed on the Covent Garden stage, was performed here in our Church at Ashbury for the delight of Ashbury and surrounding area residents, although one couple did come from Carmarthen, Wales. Several of those who attended took part in a quiz which was won by Philip Brown; his prize - a bottle of champagne - was donated by Yvette. Those who took part in the quiz have been circulated with the correct answers. Anyone else who wishes to receive a copy should contact Roger Simons on e-mail Roger-maggie@asham.fsnet.co.uk or telephone 710801
Thanks to Yvette’s generosity and the good support, not only was an enjoyable evening had by all, but their performance enabled the Church to raise significant funds towards its annual costs.
St Mary’s Ashbury would like to thank not only Yvette and Travis but all those who attended, our sponsors, those who provided the floral displays and many others who enabled the event to take place.
Stations of the Nativity - 22 December 2010
This is a traditional event that takes place in Ashbury just before Christmas every year. The parishioners gather at the Cross Roads for an evening torch light procession through the village singing hymns and re-enacting the Christmas Story. This year the collection for the Salvation Army raised £198. The following photographs are reproduced courtesy of Lucy Clements Brown.
Ashbury Christmas Bazaar in aid of St Mary's Church - 27th November 2010
The annual Christmas Bazaar in aid of the village church was held on 27th November in the Village Hall and followed the usual format with stalls selling books, cakes, white elephants, gifts, jewellery and handicrafts. There was a bottle stall and raffle with a big selection of good prizes. Space is very limited in the hall for such an event so the stalls often look rather crowded and we haven’t enough room to have many children’s games or activities but there were lots of good bargains on sale. We were worried about the weather, too, as the snow and ice were starting. However it stayed fine during the afternoon and to everyone’s delight and surprise we made £1596 - a wonderful result. It costs a great deal to maintain the church now and the insurance alone costs £2375. Members of the church visited every house in the village selling raffle tickets and this was a successful way of meeting newcomers as well as raising money.
Ashbury Manor Family Barn Dance in aid of St Mary's Church - 25th September 2010
Another very successful harvest barn dance was held on the 25th September, the evening before the Harvest Festival church services. It was the second time it had been held in the newly restored barn at the Manor by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Prentice and although it was meant as a social occasion for all the family, we did make £200 for St Mary's church. The barn is an ideal place for such an occasion. Large sheaves of maize and coloured leaves were placed round the barn with a beautiful pedestal arrangement to set the scene, and a large table for seating and eating was tucked away into each stall which left lots of room for the square dancing. Lovely to see dancers of all ages, toddlers to octagenarians joining in and all enthusiastically led by "Jugged Hare" a trio who specialise in such dances They got everyone onto the floor and played tirelessly from 6.30 - 10pm except for a short break when a deluxe version of a ploughmans supper was served. About 65 people attended on a bitter (the only one at that time) evening, the only minus of the night, Those who wore thick clothes felt very smug.
Ashbury Flower Festival & Display of Wedding Dresses through the Ages, 11th - 13th June 2010
The Flower Arranging Workshop in St Mary’s Church on 11 June attracted 28 participants from many surrounding villages, Faringdon and even Swindon. Novices were paired up with those having previous experience and all made a pew end, plus either a pedestal or a cascade arrangement. Click here for photographs. The church looked absolutely magnificent when all the floral creations had been sited amidst wedding dresses that spanned the 18th century to the present day (click to view). In most cases the dresses were accompanied by wedding photographs (click) of couples married in Ashbury in the same decade; some showed up to three generations from the same family.
On 12 June the Church was open to the public for viewing; 196 people attended between 10.00am and 6.00pm. An evening concert by the Wantage Male Voice Choir attracted an appreciative audience of around 85, who took the opportunity to view the flowers and dresses during the interval. The choir conductor cleverly weaved the 'love and marriage' theme into the programme of music.
Morning Communion service at St Mary’s on 13 June was attended by visitors from Swindon and other local villages who also looked round the displays. The Church then re-opened for public viewing from 12noon till 3.00pm. A renewal of marriage vows service followed and the church bells were rung at the end of the service. As people stepped out of the church their photos were taken beneath the archway, which had been beautifully decorated with flowers. Everyone then made their way to the Village Hall for a cream tea, prepared by Ashbury ladies. Meanwhile the Church was re-opened to the public until 5.00pm. A total of 163 people visited the displays that day.
The event generated a magnificent profit of over £1,100 for St Mary’s Church. Special thanks go to Margaret Smith for conceiving and co-ordinating the flower festival and to her willing support team who ensured that everything ran so smoothly and successfully.
A Pilgrims Guide to the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin Ashbury is an illustrated guide to our historic church (click here)
Welcome to St Mary the Virgin Ashbury and Ashbury Evangelical Free Church (click here)
Ashbury 1988 gives a valuable historical account of the Parish Church and Manor House; it was written by Peter Knott, a former resident of the village and knowledgeable historian. Profits made from the sale of the brochure go to the Church Restoration Fund. Contact: 710333. You will find the brochure on the Archives page (click here)
Interesting Facts about the Church and Parish of Ashbury written by he Rev. A Fosbroke-Hobbs MA, vicar from 1921 to 1934 may also be read on the Archives page (click here).
Ashbury Evangelical Free Church Centenary Celebrations Booklet 1908 - 2009 compiled and edited by Suzanne Bunce can be found on the Archives page (click here).
The Ashbury, Compton, Longcot & Fernham Newsletter is issued monthly; it includes Church calendars, Benefice news, details of various courses, study groups, and meetings, articles about country matters and dates of forthcoming social events (Contact: 710302).
Please take a look at the Historical Background pages and the Archives pages where you will find more photographs and information about our Churches.