Stained Glass of Buckinghamshire Churches
This page was last updated on 21 May 2021
Information can be found via Index Pages, all accessed from the tabs at the top of every page. As also listed on the Home Page, windows can be found by Church, Artists/Makers, Makers Marks, Dedicatees, Donors, Subjects, and Dates.
The Churches Index also shows how many windows are included for each church.
The Indexes for Artists/Makers, Makers Marks, Subjects, and Dates include the number of windows we list under each category.
The Dates Index groups dates by various numbers of years, to avoid any lists being too long.
All Indexes will lead you to a Church, and most will give you the option of going straight to a particular window in that church.
Information for each church (detailed below) and a list of all the windows included on the website, with thumbnails of each window, where you can choose to look at any particular windows.
Information for each window (detailed below) with thumbnails of various images, where you can choose to look at any particular images.
Information for each image (detailed below) with bars to scroll to Next (or Previous) images for that window.
From the Window and Image Pages you can also choose to look at other window pages for that church from a list of Window Numbers, or return to the Church Page by clicking on the name of the Church.
The information given on each type of page should mainly be self-explanatory, but below are some details of the criteria by which this website has now been set up.
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IMPORTANT CHURCH NOTE : Any details about the current status of the church.
DENOMINATION : Type of Church and its administrative area (Deanery for Church of England).
LOCAL AUTHORITY TO 2020 : District Council for parishes within Bucks County Council area from 1974 to March 2020.
LOCAL AUTHORITY UA : Unitary Authority (and Community Area for Buckinghamshire Council parishes).
The above Local Authority information is to give a rough guide to the location of a parish.
ADDRESS OF CHURCH : Geographical Address (not postal address) see "Address of Church" below.
NEAREST POST CODE : Post code nearest to the entrance of the church.
O/S MAP REFERENCE / NGR : 10 digit Grid Reference.
LATITUDE & LONGITUDE : Lat & Long, and accurate Link to Google Map.
CHURCH WEB SITE : Link to church's own web site (or village website with church info).
C of E ACNY WEBSITE : Link to official "Church of England - A Church Near You" website.
OTHER WEB SITE LINKS : Links to any web sites with particular information about that church.
HISTORIC CHURCHES OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE WEBSITE : Link to our Architecture & History page(s) for the church.
NOTES ON CHURCH : A brief summary of important history and features of the church.
INTRODUCTION TO STAINED GLASS : General information about the stained glass in a church, and the windows or information we have included.
CHURCH PLAN : Plan of church showing windows included. Click the link above a Church Plan to see a larger version, which includes links to each window. Please be aware that this function will not work on many mobile devices.
The church plan will also show details of the Orientation of the church (or direction faced) - see "Orientation" below.
THUMBNAILS OF INDIVIDUAL WINDOWS : Choose any window to view in detail.
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WINDOW NUMBER : Code Number of window in church (from 700 or 01 for E window) - see "Window Numbers" below.
LOCATION IN CHURCH : e.g. Chancel S (E2) - for examples - see "Location in Church" below.
TYPE : Type of window - e.g. lancet, 2 light, 3 light, etc.
SIZE (width x height) : Approximate overall size of glass in a window (including stonework between panes) shown in Imperial & Metric measurements.
SIZE - NOTES : Any additional information.
SUBJECT(S) : Items portrayed in window - see "Subject" below.
SUBJECT - NOTES : Any additional information.
DATE FACULTY GRANTED :~ Date Diocesan Authorities approved plans for installing the glass - see "Faculty" below.
FACULTY - NOTES : Any additional information.
DATE MADE : Date glass made or fitted - see "Date Made" below.
DATE - NOTES : Any additional information.
CRAFTSMAN : Name of Designer / Artist / Painter / Maker - see "Craftsman" below.
CRAFTSMAN - NOTES : Any additional information.
SOURCES FOR DATES & CRAFTSMEN - Indicates sources of evidence used on the history of the Glass.
DEDICATED TO : Person (or event) that window is dedicated to. MORE optional information may be available.
DONATED BY : Person that donated window. MORE optional information may be available.
MAKERS MARK ON WINDOW : If the window has a makers mark - see "Makers Mark" below.
MAKERS MARK - NOTES : Any additional information.
NOTES ON WINDOW : Any special information about the window. MORE optional information may be available.
THUMBNAILS OF INDIVIDUAL IMAGES : Choose any image to view in detail.
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DESCRIPTION : Details about image on that page.
IMAGE : An image showing: Window in situ / Overall View of Glass / Detailed Image / Inscription / Makers Mark.
PHOTOGRAPHER : Photographer of Image (with thanks).
As websites are now viewed on many different sized screens, we have reached a compromise by setting a maximum page width of 960 pixels. The photos are limited to 750 pixels high and 800 pixels wide, to try and ensure that the whole photo will usually be visible. However, some of the photos, particularly "Overall Views of Glass", and some other highly detailed photos are available at larger sizes (usually restricted to a maximum of 1000 pixels). Clicking on an image will open it in a new browser window, where it may be shown larger. Close that browser window to return to the sequence of images on a particular stained glass window.
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In towns and large villages, this will show the address within the town or large village. However, with many smaller villages, postal addresses can be confusing, as they often refer to towns well outside Buckinghamshire. So we have included distances to the nearest town or large village within Buckinghamshire.
Most churches lie on a West-East axis, with the Chancel (and conventional place for the Altar) being at the East end. So looking down the Nave from the West end, usually the North side is on the left, and the South side is on the right.
Occasionally churches, and often chapels, are built in a different orientation, usually because of the shape of a site, or so that the entrance faces the road.
In such cases, this web site treats the Chancel as the "Liturgical East end" so the window at the end of the Chancel will be known as the East window, and will be Number 01 (or 700) to conform with the standard numbering system (detailed below).
Church Plans are gradually being introduced to this web site which will identify the true orientation of each church.
Each window in a church has a Code Number on this web site. The sequence usually starts with the East window, the numbers then proceed around the church in a clockwise direction. Windows on upper storeys, such as a clerestory, will usually be numbered as a separate sequence around the church, if they have any stained glass. The windows of porches, upper stories of towers, and later extensions such as vestries may not be included in the numbering sequence, unless they have stained glass.
Until October 2016 this website has used a numbering system similar to the one used by NADFAS for their church recording work, starting with 700 for the East window. However, for any particular church the numbers on this website may not have matched those in any NADFAS record that might exist for that church.
From November 2016 we are gradually changing to a new series of Window Numbers which usually starts with 01 for the East window. This will only apply to churches as we re-photograph them. There are occasionally particular reasons where it is more logical not to use a standard system of starting with the East window as 01, and then numbering in a clockwise direction around a church.
Most churches will also then have a Church Plan, which will make it easier to identify individual windows, by showing their Window Numbers and Locations.
The windows in each church are listed in the order specified by the Window Numbering System (detailed just above). The location of a window is described in this format:
Part of church, Direction faced (looking at window from inside), Order from east or west.
For example:
The gradual introduction of Church Plans on this website will make it easier to identify individual windows.
Some large windows can include many subjects, so they will be listed together under details of the complete window. When possible we will try to separate them with individual images, and each will then have its specific subject noted.
In theory, the installation of a window requires authority from the Diocese, and this authority is referred to as a faculty. There are very rarely copies of a faculty in a church, but most can be found in the Diocesan records deposited at the County Record Office at Oxford. These documents sometimes give details of the date, manufacturer and/or the dedicatee of a window. Where we have evidence of a faculty, its date is included.
A window sometimes has the date on it, and sometimes the date is known from a faculty or an inscription or from other sources such as a guide to the church.
A year preceded by a dagger (†) indicates a date of death of the dedicatee, which will obviously have relevance in estimating the date of a window.
On some windows, from the 19th century onwards, the artist and/or the manufacturer has put a mark on the window. This is most frequently found in a bottom corner, but may be anywhere on the window. The mark may be a name, name and address, or a rebus - often a pun on the name of the maker.
The original version of this web site listed makers marks by their catalogue type numbers from the original 1993 NADFAS Stained Glass Makers' Marks, which was amended in 1995. That list was superseded by the 2002 NADFAS Stained Glass Marks and Monograms, which was amended in 2009. From the March 2016 update of this website we have decided not to list the catalogue type numbers of makers marks. However whenever possible, we will try to include images of the actual marks on the windows, which we hope will mean more to most people, whether or not they have access to the catalogues.
In December 2018 we introduced a new "Index of Makers Marks" which leads to examples of the Marks of any particular Maker being available together.
The number of people involved in the production of a stained glass window could vary greatly. When we know any details, we have tried to indicate the different skills on our website. They could be individuals who designed and made their own windows in their own small studios. We refer to them as ARTIST / MAKER. On the other hand, they could be large companies who might make church furnishings as well. They could employ their own DESIGNERS, who often became famous themselves, and might get their work executed by PAINTER craftsmen. Alternatively, such a Designer might paint the glass as well, and we would term them an ARTIST. Finally, other craftsmen in a large workshop would combine the pieces of glass together with leadwork to make a complete window, and we would call them the MAKER.
Stained Glass of Buckinghamshire Churches
©2003-2013 Clifford and Monica Robinson
©2015-2024 Michael G Hardy