History
Down Hatherley is an ancient village, mentioned as Athelai in the Domesday Book. Records of religious activity suggest that there were early churches here with evidence of a “chaplain” in Down Hatherley as early as 1222.
The present church is the second to have been built on this site. The tower and base of the east wall of the chancel remain from the original 15th century church, but most of the present church dates from the Victorian rebuild of 1859-60.
Description and Particular Items of Significance
The family of Sir Matthew Wood, financed the rebuilding of the main body of the present church, in Early Decorated style. The architect was F. S. Waller, from Gloucester who also remodelled Ashleworth and Sandhurst churches and built Twigworth church from scratch. Down Hatherley is described as one of Waller’s best rural churches.
The chancel has a hammer beam roof with arch-braced collars and carved corbels. It includes a four bay northern arcade with capitals ornamented with carved foliage. The north side also includes the vestry, further extended in 1929, and a partly timbered porch to the main door. The stone carving was undertaken by Purdy of London and the encaustic floor tiles are by Godwin.
The original 15th century two stage bell tower is late Perpendicular faced in ashlar. It has gargoyles under the battlements and a sundial on the south side. There is a three light west window above the Tudor arched doorway. Inside the tower on the north wall hang four stone memorial tablets, commemorating local families and dating from 1642 to 1842. There are 37 close spiral steps leading up to the bell chamber, which houses a single bell, installed in 1734, when Rev Samuel Gwinnett was rector. The inscription on the bell reads “A.R.1734 ANN PYFF and BEN BREWER CH WARDENS”.
The bell founder was Abraham Rudhall (the “AR” in the above inscription), whose foundry was on Westgate Street in Gloucester.
The stained glass windows in the chancel, dated 1860, were made by O’Connor and are dedicated to the Maddy family. The memorial windows in the north aisle based on the Arthurian legend, feature a Captain killed in action at Ypres in 1915. They were commissioned by the late Captain’s fiancé and sister who was married to the vicar of the time.
The lead font, of late Tudor date, is a fine example of the type. It is one of only nine Tudor lead fonts in Gloucestershire. The decoration is foliage and Tudor roses in cartouche-shaped frames, lozenges, stars and twisted balusters. At the bottom is a band of late perpendicular cresting. The font was set in its stone base around 1860.
The traditional pipe organ built by Jackson of Oxford in 1924, was provided as a bequest of Francis Jones esq. It was extensively restored by Tony Cawston in 1999.
American Declaration of Independence
“Scoundrel and lying rascal” are words used to describe Button Gwinnett, the second son of the Rev Samuel Gwinnett who was Rector of Down Hatherley from 1727 to 1775 and who together with his wife Anne is buried in a tomb in the churchyard. As a second son, Button was driven to seek his fortune in nefarious ways, eventually setting sail to the American colonies and becoming among other things a trader, plantation and slave owner. Aspiring to join the landowning classes his business dealings were somewhat shady, but his ambitions toward political office were rewarded with his appointment as one of the state of Georgia’s delegates to the states meeting in Philadelphia in May 1776. Only two months later, he voted alongside fellow delegates to formally separate from Great Britain, and as such became the second signatory to the American Declaration of Independence. His signature is one of the most sought after by collectors, made more valuable as he met an untimely death only the following year in a dual with a political rival. Down Hatherley’s links with this character of world history, and the restoration of his parents’ tomb, can be found in a short booklet available in the church.