The Chancel

The Chancel is the oldest part of the chuch, originally reserved for the Clergy and formerly separated from the Nave by a decorated carved wooden screen, the rood screen.

Whilst the Chancel dates from the 14th century, the windows are later 15th and 18th century insertions. The triple canopied recessed stone seat, the sedilia or priest's seat, is to the right. The carving of stone double rose emblems on each side is the badge of Tudor monarchs, used as such after Henry VII came to the throne in 1487.

The stone croziers carved in bas relief on the noth and south walls of the Chacel probably refer to the Abbot of Gloucester, who was Patron of the church at the time the Chancel was built. As a 'mitred abbot', he was entitled to the status and emblems of a bishop, which includes a crozier, an emblem that is still in use to this day.

In the north wall is a doorway with a 14th century cusped arch which now leads to the Sacristy or Vestry. To its left is the blocked arch of an earlier opening.

The high altar directly under the great east window has a mensa (or altar slab) that is fashioned from a single piece of limestone, measuring 300cm long, 120cm deep and 15cm thick (120in x S0in x 6in); it weighs well over a ton. The stone is support­ed by a carved hardwood frame, now concealed by a frontal made in Ciren­cester in 1906 to a design by Sir Nin­ian Camper.

The story - probably not apocry­phal - tells that the people of North­leach, not wishing to destroy a reli­gious object, hid the stone slab within the church when instructed under the Reformation laws of the 16th century to remove it and replace it with a simple table. The slab was rediscov­ered in 187 4, but reburied. It was fi­nally restored to its rightful place in the early 1900's.

Today, the mensa is largely hid­den by the Camper-designed frontal, and the riddel posts and screens that surround it. The riddel posts were designed by F.E. Howard, a pupil of Ninian Cornper, and date from 1923.

The mensa is now normally only on view on Good Friday when all hangings are stripped from the altar.

The glazing design of the great east window, depicting 'Christ in Glo­ry', is by Christopher Webb; it dates from 1964, when it replaced an earlier Victorian design. Note the imagery in the window: the small figure at the bottom right holding a model of a church is the traditional way of de­picting a donor, in this case John Fortey. The sheep shears, wool sack and Town arms all relate to the histo­ry of this church and its surrounds.