u3a

Woodstock and District

Duns Tew, October 2025

Duns Tew was on our "must visit" list, as when we visited Hampton Poyle, several years ago, we discovered that the Rector of Hampton Poyle, Richard Thomason, had gone on to St Mary, Duns Tew, where he had ended his days "hung in chains from the Tower" during the Reformation, due to his refusal to accept the new Prayer Book.

We were met by Maria, the Church Secretary, and her Husband, Alan, who is researching the Church History, and was able to add a lot to the visit - putting out information about various aspect of the Church, and putting us right on that particular bit of history - though sentenced, he - and several others - were pardoned and so spared a particularly gruesome end!

It was a big group who came - probably about 20 of us, and we spent a good hour exploring the Church and its Churchyard, with Alan answering many questions! I d scraped some information off the internet, so put together a bit of a talk, but Alan was able to correct me and add detail from his research. He asked for our help finding their supposed Mass Dial, a Sundial device that told the time for the Services, not the time of day, and I think we tracked it down (but I did not get a good photo of it) - we've seen similar in other Churches, the best that I recall was at St James' Littlemore.

As always, some pics of the visit - and we went for coffee after at the local Pub ... the delightful White Horse Inn.

  • Duns Tew Church from - a general view, intended to match the perspective of a historic sketch
  • The Dovecote in the adjoining Manor Grounds
  • Inglenook fireplace in the Pub!
  • The group in the pub .. a panorama
  • the Pub, bar.
  • The Sustainable Duns Tew food stall, a great eco initiative
  • The White Horse Inn ... 100 metres from the Church, and a great place for coffee and conversation
  • A window boss with the Mason's Mark visible; usually they are hidden in the stonework.
  • the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Adminstration Flag - a post WW2 organisation to restore peace and organisation to a post war world
  • the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Adminstration Flag - a post WW2 organisation "This Plaque and the flag that hangs above it commemorates the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration with headquarters in Washington USA, which through its European Regional Office in London and its international workers in many European areas brought help to the stricken in Europe, 1943 - 1948. The flag is the gift of Major General Sir Richard Lewis, KCMG, CB, CBE, of Duns Tew Manor, the last Personal Representative of the Director General in Europe.
  • The board commemorating the Vicars of Duns Tew
  • beautifully carved and painted handrail to the pulpit steps
  • The group exploring the Church
  • The Font
  • The Church has a small "refill station" to fill bottles with various household products - another eco initiative
  • just a small carved head above a window arch ... random, charming!
  • Flower arrangement on the window cill - the Church is in its "harvest festival" plumage with Gourds as a part of the display
  • one of many carved heads, this probably from the Victorian restoration
  • The beautiful stained glass windows, a detail - all the windows have different, beautiful designs in the stained glass.
  • A tall, slim window - is it the ancient Lancet Window? victorian glazing though
  • The East Window - showing the Crucifixion, Ascention, and apparently the Resurrection
  • A brass memorial to one of the Dashwoods, big local landowners in history
  • Another commemorative brass to the Dashwood.
  • The altar and Reredos, with the sanctuary light
  • A wooden memorial
  • An ancient Gargoyle, probably moved from its original position.
  • The Churchyard from the rear
  • The 18th century sketch showed what was probably a Cedar of Lebanon Tree; it is still in the Manor House Garden, and this is what it looks like now, about 250 years later - heavily reduced, but still magnificent