The Church of St Mary consists of a Chancel 32ft-9ins x 17ft-10ins, with a modern Organ Chamber on the North; a Nave 60ft-9ins x 26ft-3in; North & South Aisles 11ft-3in & 8-ft wide respectively; a South Porch & a Western Tower. Up to the 1st Quarter of the 13thC, the Church consisted of a Chancel & an Aisleless Nave of the same width as at present, but some 10-ft shorter. About 1220 North & South Aisles were Added & about 1300 the Nave & Aisles were lengthened by 1-Bay, a Tower being probably begun at the same time. A little later, in the 14thC, the Chancel was rebuilt & the Clearstory was a 15thC addition. In modern times the Church has been drastically restored, few of the windows remaining untouched. The Clearstory & North Aisle were rebuilt & the East Responds of the Nave Arcades, which were of some depth, pierced with small Arches in continuation of the Arcades. In 1907 a New Tower & a Tall Stone Spire were begun from the designs of Mr Oldrid Scott.
The East window of the Chancel is Modern & of Geometrical detail. In the North Wall is a much restored early-14thC window of 2-un-cusped lights, with an un-cusped Circle over & Shafts to the internal Splay. West of this is the opening to the modern Organ Chamber. At the South-West of the Chancel is a trefoiled Piscina, c.1330, with a Shelf & a double Drain. The 2-windows in the South Wall, of 14thC Style & the Door between them, are all much restored but in part Ancient. Below the Western window is a Blocked low side window, with a Square Head & plain chamfered Jambs & with its Iron Bars still in position. The Chancel Arch is modern and of late-13thC Style.
The Nave is of 7-Bays & the 2– Arcades are practically Identical, the Arches throughout being of 2-chamfered Orders. The 1st Arch on either side is Modern, & also the 1st Column, Circular in Plan and with moulded Capital & Base. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th Columns and Arches & the 6th Arch are of 13thC date, the Columns being Octagonal & the Arches having plain chamfered Labels, with moulded Capitals & Plain Bases. The 7th pair of Arches, c.1300, have a Filleted Roll Label & the 6th Columns & the Western Responds are of the same time & are of Quatrefoil Plan, with Moulded Capitals & Bases of the same form & date, but varying from each other in the details of Moulding. The Tower Arch is Modern & of early-14thC Design. The Clearstory has 5 Modern 6-Foil Circles on either side & is shown by Lipscomb to have originally had 2-light windows in this position.
The North Aisle opens to the Organ Chamber by a Modern Arch & the North Wall of the Aisle has been completely rebuilt, but in the main with old Materials. The windows are 4 in number, the 1st 2 of 3-Trefoiled lights with Tracery over, the others of 2 Lights & all with Segmental Heads & of 14thC detail. Some old Stones are set in their Jambs & Splays, but the Tracery in all cases is quite Modern. The Blocked North Door in the Middle of this Aisle is of 14thC date but very much restored, with continuously Moulded Jambs & 2-centred Head of 2-Orders. There is no West window to either Aisle.
The South Aisle has a much-restored East window of 14thC date, with 2-un-Cusped Lights. The Shafted Jambs, Mullion & Splays are old & have Circular Moulded Capitals & Bases. In the South Wall, at the East end, are a much-defaced Piscina & Sedile of 14thC date, with the remains of elaborate projecting Canopies with Shafted Jambs; in the Piscina is a Stone Shelf. Immediately West of this is a very remarkable 3-light window, which looks like 13thC work reused & altered c.1320. The Lights are Uncusped and have a square inner reveal & Stilted Moulded Rear Arches resting on freestanding Shafts with Octagonal Moulded Capitals; there are engaged Shafts to the Tracery Orders also. Partly under this window is a 14thC Tomb Recess with a sub-cusped Cinque-foiled Ogee Head & another like it to the West; both are now empty. Close to the South Door is a small plain much restored Holy Water Recess, and from this point to the Sedile runs a Stringcourse on the Level of the Sill to the window last described. The South Door is of late-13thC date, with a deeply-moulded 2-centred Head & Shafted Jambs with Circular Bases & Capitals. West of the South Door is a window of 3–Cinque-foiled lights, repaired, but of 14thC date & there is a contemporary moulded String-course forming its Sill & extending some distance on each side of it. Below are 2–Tomb Recesses similar to those already described, but having Shafted Jambs.
The South Porch is Modern and has a small Lancet on either side.
The New Western Tower is of 3-Stages, with a Tall Stone Spire & Incorporates the Old Tower, which has been refaced.
The Font is modern, with a plain Octagonal Bowl. There are no Monuments of Interest in the Church and the Roofs & Seating are modern. There is, however, a 17thC Oak Pulpit.
There is only 1-Bell, dated 1838 & a small ‘ting-tang,’ dated 1805.
The Church Plate consists of a Communion Cup of 1752, given by Thomas Penn, Rector; a Plated Paten; & a Flagon of 1629, given by Miss Mary Chibnall.
The 1st Book of the Registers contains Baptisms & Marriages from 1561 to 1695 & Burials from 1561 to 1678. Burials are continued in a 2nd Book from 1678 to 1727, and Baptisms & Marriages in a 3rd from 1695 to 1721. A 4th Book contains Baptisms & Marriages from 1721 to 1754; a 5th & 6th Burials from 1721 to 1786 & from 1786 to 1812. Baptisms, after a Gap, are continued from 1788 to 1812, & 3-Books containing Marriages with Banns run from 1754 to 1776, from 1776 to 1803 & from 1803 to 1812.
Advowson: The Church of Princes Risborough was Granted by Walter Giffard to Notley Abbey at its Foundation, with the Tithes of his Demesne Lands there. A Vicarage, however, was not Ordained. In 1258 the Abbot obtained leave from the Pope that the Churches & Chapels belonging to his Abbey should be Served by the Canons or other Priests, who should be answerable to the Abbot & Convent. This method of Serving the Churches caused various complaints in the 14th & 15thCs, but the privilege was confirmed by Boniface IX in 1402. The Rectory belonged to the Abbey of Notley at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It was afterwards Granted by Henry VIII to the Dean & Chapter of Oxford & was held with the Abbot’s Manor till the 19thC. A Vicarage is mentioned in the Grants of Henry VIII & Edward VI, but this was probably a mistake. The Advowson of the Church was Granted with the Rectory to Thomas Crampton & the Church was served by a Perpetual Curate appointed by the Impropriator of the Rectory. The Patronage was transferred to the Bishop of Oxford in 1860 & finally, the Benefice was declared a Rectory in 1868.
A Chapel of St John the Evangelist was Built at Lacey Green early in the 19thC, the Plan being mainly carried through by the exertions of the Rev Richard Meade, Rector of Horsenden & Perpetual Curate of Princes Risborough. It was Consecrated by the Bishop of Lincoln in 1825.
The Hamlet, with Looseley Row & Speen, was, however, formed into an Ecclesiastical Parish in 1851; the Living is a Vicarage in the Gift of the Rector of Princes Risborough.
The Abbot of Notley, at the time of the Dissolution, was bound to distribute certain Charities to various Poor Persons at the Church of Princes Risborough, to the value of 20s a year, for the Benefit of the Souls of the Earl Walter Giffard & Countess Ermengarde. An acre of Land was also Granted to provide a Light at Princes Risborough, presumably within the Church.
A Baptist Chapel was Built in 1707 in Bell Street & a 2nd Chapel was Opened at Looseley Row in 1862. There was a Branch of the Bell Street Chapel at Longwick, where there is also a Wesleyan Chapel. The Wesleyan Methodists have a Chapel in Princes Risborough, Built in 1869. At Speen, there is a Baptist Chapel Opened in 1813 & the Primitive Methodists have a Chapel at Lacey Green.
For many years there was an Ancient Custom at Princes Risborough by which the Impropriator gave a Bull & a Boar on Christmas Day for the use of his Parishioners. They were distributed ‘in large pieces, smoking hot from the Copper at 5-o’clock in the morning for Breakfast on Christmas Day.‘ Four Bushels of wheat & 4-Bushels of Malt were also made into Bread & Beer & given away. The Custom, however, was given up before 1847.
Charities: In 1615–16 William Smith by his Will left £40 for the use of the Poor. The Legacy was laid out in Land, in respect of which 3-a 2-r 36-p in Near Side Field were Allotted on the Inclosure in 1820. The Land is Let in Allotments, producing about £7 a yr, which is applied in the Distribution of money, 2s-6d to each Recipient.
An annual payment of £32 a year is made by Lord Rothschild out of the Manor Farm, Tring, in respect of Joan Chibnall’s Charity, by Will, 1646, for providing Gowns, etc, for Poor Widows or Ancient Ladies of Princes Risborough & other Parishes in this County & Oxford. In 1905 13-women of this Parish were provided with Gowns at a cost of £8-2s were given to 51-Recipients & 10s paid to the Rector for a Sermon.
In 1684 Thomas Meade left £100 to be Laid out in Land, the Rents & Profits to be applied in Apprenticing to Trades (except Husbandry). The Legacy was Laid out in the Purchase of Land, in respect of which at the Inclosure in 1820, 3-a 0r 10-p in Near Side Field were allotted for the Poor. The Land is Let at £3-10s a year.
In 1713 Mrs Katherine Pye by Deed Settled Lands in Towersey for Educational & Eleemosynary (Alms) purposes in the Parishes of Bradenham, Towersey, Princes Risborough, Hughenden, & West Wycombe. The Land, known as Quash Farm (Lower Green), contains about 53-acres awarded under the Towersey Inclosure Act, 1822, producing a net income of about £60 a year. By an Order of the Charity Commissioners, dated 15th March 1904, made under the Board of Education Act, 1899, the part of the Endowment applicable for Educational purposes was determined to be an Annual sum of £36 for Schooling certain children of the said Parishes & an Annual Sum of £1-1s-8d for Books for such children leaving School. The yearly Sum of £12 is payable under the Deed of Foundation to 6-Poor Widows, or Widows & Maids of Bradenham, Towersey, & West Wycombe, 40s to each; £5 to the Treasurer & 40s for the Expenses of the Trustees & the Surplusage, if any, in Apprenticing. The Sum of £8-10s is received as the Share of Princes Risborough & Applied to General School Expenses.
In 1772 Richard Stratton by Will Bequeathed £500 to the Governors of Christ’s Hospital, to secure the Nomination of one Poor Boy belonging to Princes Risborough.
Elizabeth Eustace, by Deed 5th July 1784, gave certain Lands for providing ‘lots of Linen‘ for the Poor. On the Inclosure 1-a 0r 27p were Allotted in respect thereof, which is Let at £4-10s a year, of which the Sum of £1-3s is paid to the Parish of Bledlow. In 1905 Linen to the value of 5s was given to each of 12-Recipients & 1s was retained by each of the 5-Trustees in pursuance of the provisions of the Deed.
The Poor’s Land Allotted on the Inclosure contains 39-a 3-r 11-p, Let to 15-Tenants at £30 a year. The net proceeds are distributed in Coal among the Cottagers.
The Church Land consists of 32-poles at Longwick, Let at £1-1s a year, which is Applied towards the Church Expenses.
The Baptist Chapel in Bell Street, Erected in 1707, in addition to the Minister’s House, is possessed of a House at Parkfield, Let at £12 a year. By an Order of the Charity Commissioners, dated 11th March 1898, New Trustees of the Trust Property, including the Old & New Burial-ground, were Appointed
Lacey-Green – a Chapelry, in the Parish of Prince’s Risborough, Union of Wycombe, Hundred of Aylesbury, County of Bucks, 5-miles 
from Great Missenden; containing 926-Inhabitants. The Chapelry consists of the Villages of Lacey-Green, Speen, & Looseley-Row, in the Upper part of the Parish. The Living is a Perpetual Curacy, endowed with 18½-acres of Land by John Grubb, Esq & 8½-acres by Lord George Henry Cavendish; total income, £90; Patron, the Incumbent of Prince’s-Risborough. The Chapel, Dedicated to St John, was completed in 1825.
Aston Rowant & Chilterns Spring Line Villages 