Charlbury - St Mary the Virgin Church

Parts of the present building date from the 12th century, though a Saxon church may have existed here. From 1094 until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, all appointments to the living of Charlbury were made by the Abbey of Eynsham. From 1296 the Abbey received the main tithes of corn and from then on appointed Vicars received the lesser tithes of hay and offerings made by the congregation. The right of appointment passed to St. John's College Oxford in 1590, and the President of the college, Dr. Ralph Hutchinson, was vicar from 1593 to 1606. He took part in the translation of the Authorized Version of the Bible, but died before it was finished.

The Tower was built in the 13th century, but its west door (no longer used) was inserted at the end of the 15th century when the height of the tower was increased by one storey. The four-faced clock was installed in 1885. The sundial on the south wall is dated 1776.