Church of All Saints (Sutton Courtenay)

Church of All Saints
All Saints' church from the southeast
Location	Sutton Courtenay
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Website	All Saints Church Sutton Courtenay
History
Founded	12th century
Dedication	All Saints
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Designated	9 February 1966
Years built	12th century
Specifications
Bells	8 (Ring)
Tenor bell weight	0 long tons 12 cwt (1,300 lb or 0.6 t)
Administration
Parish	Sutton Courtenay
Diocese	Oxford
Province	Canterbury

The Church of All Saints, Sutton Courtenay is the Church of England parish church of Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire (Berkshire until 1974). Extant since at least the 12th century, the church has been Grade I listed since 1966. It is in the centre of the village, near the northeast corner of the village green.

The nave and lower stages of the west tower are late Norman. The font is also Norman, but decorated with a series of pointed arches. The chancel and third stage of the tower are 13th-century. The nave clerestory, north and south aisles and their four-bay arcades are 14th-century additions. The clerestory has five windows on each side. Most are Perpendicular Gothic, but two on the north side are Decorated Gothic. The two-storey brick south porch is early 16th-century. The panelled south door is oak, dating from the same period.

Control of the church at Sutton varied between Abingdon Abbey and the Pope. In 1258 the Abbey leased the church. When Hugh Courtenay inherited the manor he took over the rights from the Abbey.

Around the tower door are marks in the stone believed to be carved by soldiers returning from the Crusades, thanking God for their return. The tower has a clock with a one-handed dial, one of only 22 in England.

The five-bay rood screen is 15th-century. There is a wall painting above the chancel arch of the Stuart royal coat of arms. In 1643, in the English Civil War, gunpowder and munitions stored in the church exploded, shattering windows and damaging part of the tower. The King's coat of arms is believed to have been painted after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.