St Mary's Church, Great Bedwyn
The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin is the parish church of Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, England, and a Grade I listed building. The church was built in the Norman style in the 12th century, but beneath the existing building are Saxon remains dating back to the 10th century. The church boasts a handsome memorial to Sir John Seymour, father of King Henry VIII's wife Jane Seymour, and grandfather of King Edward VI of England. History. The church has Anglo-Saxon origins. In A.D. 905, the bishop of Winchester purchased land in Great Bedwyn  to build a church. Beneath the existing church are the substantial remains of a Saxon church. Norman era. In 1086 the church belonged to Bristoard, the priest, at which time the church lands were recorded as being worth "one and a half hides". 16th Century. In the chancel is a memorial to Sir John Seymour (1474–1536), father of King Henry VIII's wife Jane Seymour, father to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, and grandfather of King Edward VI of England. Seymour's monument consists of a chest tomb displaying heraldic escutcheons, surmounted by his recumbent effigy, fully dressed in  armour with hands in prayer, his head resting on his helm from which projects the sculpted Seymour crest of a pair of wings. His feet rest on a lion and a sword lies by his side. On the wall above is fixed a tablet inscribed as follows: A transcript was made of the inscriptions of the Seymour monuments by the topographer John Aubrey on his visit to the church in 1672, who also recorded the heraldry on the monument at that date, much of which has been lost. 17th century. Thomas Willis (1621–1675), the great Oxford physician and natural philosopher , was born at Great Bedwyn on 27 January 1621 and was baptized on 14 February at the church. Still present in the church today is the elegant tomb of Frances Seymour, Duchess of Somerset (1599–1674), the daughter of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, who was executed for treason in 1601. Frances Seymour was the second wife of William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, and the mother of his seven children. Today. The church is designated as a Grade I listed building. A 14th-century limestone cross in the churchyard is also listed Grade  II*. The parish is part of the Savernake Team, a group of eleven village parishes.