St Mary's Church, Thatcham

The St Mary's Church is a Church of England parish church at Thatcham in the English county of Berkshire. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is a Grade II* listed building.^[1]

St Mary's Church
A view across the graveyard
Location	Church Gate Thatcham Berkshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Founded	1140
Dedication	St Mary
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*[1]
Designated	6 April 1967
Style	Norman
Administration
Diocese	Oxford
Archdeaconry	Berkshire
Parish	Thatcham

It has been claimed that the church was founded in the 7th century by St Birinus, and parts of the church date from the 12th century.^[2]

Tower and bells

The tower contains a peal of 10 change ringing bells. The oldest bells (5th–9th) date from 1624 and were cast by Ellis I Knight of Reading. The newest bells (1 and 2) date from 1969 and were cast by John Taylor & Co. The tenor bell (cast in 1825) weighs 13-0-23 (671 kg) and rings out the note 'F'. The bell ringers practise on a Tuesday night from 7:30 pm till 9:15 pm. They also ring on a Sunday from 9:15 am till 10 am.

Treble: 3cwt, John Taylor 1969 in A

2nd: 3cwt, John Taylor 1969 in G

3rd: 4cwt, John Taylor 1929 in F

4th: 4cwt, John Taylor 1929 in E

5th: 5cwt, Ellis I Knight 1624 in D

6th: 6cwt, Ellis I Knight 1624 in C

7th: 6cwt, Ellis I Knight 1624 in Bb

8th: 7cwt, Ellis I Knight 1624 in A

9th: 10cwt, Ellis I Knight 1624 in G

Tenor: 13cwt, Thomas II Mears 1825 in F