Withington, Gloucestershire (not to be confused with Withington, Herefordshire) lies about 7 miles (11 km) SE of Cheltenham and 8 miles (13 km) N of Cirencester in the Cotswolds. The River Coln runs through the village. The church, which was dedicated to St Mary in 1227 (VCH) and is now dedicated to St Michael, is located at the central crossroads of the village next to a gated manor house. It consists of a chancel with N organ chamber, central tower with transeptal S chapel, aisleless nave, and S porch. Survivals from the 12thc church include the basic plan, the lower stage of the tower, including re-used west piers, the N and S doorways, and the reset chancel corbel table.

A monastery was founded at Withington between 674 and 704 by Ethelred, king of Mercia, and Oshere, under-king of the Hwicce, who gave their foundation 20 cassati of land. The monastery is not recorded after 774 by which date Withington had become a possession of the bishops of Worcester. In 1086 the bishop's manor of Withington comprised estates held in demesne at Withington and Little Compton and tenanted sub-manors at Foxcote, Little Colesbourne with Hilcot, Dowdeswell with Pegglesworth, Notgrove, and Cold Aston. The bishops of Worcester remained owners of the manor until the forfeiture of episcopal estates in the Civil War.

Of the estates within the Bishop of Worcester's 1086 manor of Withington, those at Colesbourne, Dowdeswell, Notgrove and Cold Aston have Romanesque elements that are described in this Corpus. None of these features show a close resemblance to those at Withington, which suggests that the sub-tenants of each estate were individually responsible for the construction of their church. The S nave doorway in particular is very fine.