Arthur Mee - The King's England, Oxfordshire.
Launton – The Bishops in the Windows.
It has an avenue of yews and gnarled old elms planted in the time of Queen Elizabeth, leading from the churchyard beside the rectory lawn, with three splendid elms much younger towering above them all. Its little church is old in years and has fine fittings in wood and glass of our own time. Its oldest possession is its low tower from the 12th century, with two extraordinary flying buttresses and a belfry reached by an outside ladder and a flight of steps. The arches of the nave are 12th and 14th century; much of the beautiful chancel is 15th. There is an old piscine niche with a projecting bowl. The roofs have much old timber. Under a heavy oak reredos with its rich panels is a stone altar with consecration crosses. The chancel screen is carved on both sides with diamond panels of flowers and musical instruments and birds picking berries, the rich cornice of passion flowers being crowned with sprays of roses. The richly carved pulpit stands on six legs round a column. The oak lectern has a splendid eagle and four angels.
The chancel has many memories of bishops. In the east window a priest ordaining clergy, and preaching from a pulpit, is a portrait of Bishop Skinner who retired here when turned out of the bishopric of Oxford during the Commonwealth. Here he continued to take services and ordained 300 priests. His window also shows Christ blessing the Disciples and sending them out into the world. Another chancel window has the richly robed figures of Bishop Wilberforce and Bishop Grosseteste, one of the robes having a remarkable border of panels all in rich colours, and each one containing a saint; the window is in memory of Dr. Bloomfield, a last century Bishop of London whose son Sir Arthur Bloomfield built so many churches.
W. Hobart Bird – Old Oxfordshire Churches.
The church of St. Mary has quire, nave, aisles, South porch and West tower. The latter has been restored, but retains the original Early English belfry lights, which are pairs of lancets within a rude masonry round arch. The large Perpendicular quire has a beautiful pillar piscina and double sedilia and the East window is of two lights, and others North and South are of the same period.
The North arcade is Decorated with octagonal pillars and capitals, and chamfered two order arches. The South is Early English with cylindrical pillars and moulded capitals, except the central one, which has hob-nail ornament and interesting “masks.” The fenestration is practically all Perpendicular. Note the holy-water stoup within the South doorway, and a small piscina at the East end of the same wall. The font is massive plain octagonal, probably Perpendicular.
In the churchyard are the base and part of the stem of the old cross. Note the curious old sundial at the West end of the South aisle.