For much of its history, Bitton was a prebendal church. The Prebendary was responsible for the church and received its income. The prebend was founded within the Cathedral Church of St Mary at Salisbury where there was a specified seat. The Prebendary was also the Rector of the parish and appointed, in his place, a vicar who was resident. It is not known exactly when the prebend was founded, but it was in existence in 1291 during the valuation of Pope Nicholas when it is noted as Rector Ecclesiae de Button. The house, now known as The Grange, was originally the Rectory or Prebendal House. Some of those who held the position of Prebendary were distinguished men, and while they probably visited Bitton regularly to hold court and for other administrative reasons, many would have been more conspicuous by their absence. The prebend was abolished under the Ecclesiastical Commission Act 1836 although this took some years to implement.
Prebendaries or Rectors of Bitton
| Appointed | Reason for departure | ||||
| 1. | William de Sardenc | 1303 | Died | ||
| 2. | Richard de Wynton | 3 December 1303 | Died | ||
| 3. | John de Winchelsey | 11 Dec 1304 | Resigned | ||
| 4. | Robert Ayleston | 15 February 1321 | |||
| 5. | John de Wynkelie | 2 August 1347 | Resigned | ||
| 6. | John Godwyke | 26 Jan 1394 | Resigned | ||
| 7. | Robert Hallum | ||||
| 8. | Galfrid, Crucadan literis Apostel | 22 November 1407 | |||
| 9. | Roger Harewell | 20 September 1420 | Resigned | ||
| 10. | Thomas Bubwith | 12 July 1428 | Resigned | ||
| 11. | William Vance | 24 October 1447 | |||
| 12. | John Doget | Resigned | |||
| 13. | Ralph Heathcot | 8 February 1485 | |||
| 14. | David Hopton | Died | |||
| 15. | Ralph Langton | 23 January 1491 | Died | ||
| 16. | John Gunthorp | 4 October 1492 | Died | ||
| 17. | Thomas Holes | 26 July 1498 | Died | ||
| 18. | George Woolfitt | 11 July 1531 | Died | ||
| 19. | Robert Ryve | 6 July 1534 | Died | ||
| 20. | John Sprinte MA | 10 September 1573 | Resigned | ||
| 21. | Meredith Morgan MA | 10 February 1577 | Died | ||
| 22. | Henry Cotton | 4 December 1612 | Resigned | ||
| 23. | Thomas Leech | 23 March 1614 | Died | ||
| 24. | Anthony Hawles DD | 26 July 1616 | Died | ||
| 25. | Thomas Hill | 23 January 1663 | Died | ||
| 26. | Richard Watson | 15 December 1671 | Died | ||
| 27. | Benjamin Johnson | 19 January 1684 | Died | ||
| 28. | Edmund Jeffrey | Resigned | |||
| 29. | Richard Eyre MA | 19 February 1691 | |||
| 30. | Ralph Freeman DD | 11 February 1745 | |||
| 31. | Matthew Spry MA | 9 November 1772 | Died | ||
| 32. | William Coxe MA | 26 July 1792 | Resigned | ||
| 33. | Thomas Henry Hume MA | 2 May 1799 | Resigned | ||
| 34. | William Lewis Rham MA | 3 December 1806 | Resigned | ||
| 35. | William MacDonald MA | 29 September 1807 | Died 24 June 1862 | ||
Vicars
Registers of the Bishop of Worcester for the prebendal Vicars of Bitton
The date of foundation of St Mary’s is unknown but it was certainly a church well before the Norman Conquest of 1066. The identity of its priests is however unknown before the thirteenth century and the establishment of the prebend.
Although the prebend was established in the Cathedral Church of Salisbury, Bitton was within the Diocese of Worcester from its foundation in 679AD until the Reformation.
| Year of appointment | Patron (prebend) | Reason for departure | |
| 1270 | Galfridus de Compton, Capellanus | Adenulf, Rector | Resigned |
| 1295 | Eustachius de Button | Rie de Sotwell | |
| 1319 | Hugo de Cyeestre, Diaconus | John de Wynchelsy | Resigned |
| Roger Hermer | Resigned | ||
| 1328 | Thomas de Bruyton | Areeston | |
| 1338 | Reginaldus de Pyryton | Romesbury, Preb | |
| Richardus Franceys | Died | ||
| 1348 | Johannes de Alta Ripa, Prebiter | Walter Waleys | |
| Johannes Hauterine {Exchanged for } | |||
| Richardus Acard {Shrivenham } | |||
| Philip | Died | ||
| 1360 | Johannes Cok, Presbiter | Walter Waleys | |
| 1362 | Johannes de Burgo, Capellanus | Henry le Despencer Prebendi de Button | |
| Thomas de la Barton Segrave} Exchange { | |||
| 1371 | Thomas Franceys } { | ||
| Nicholas Danyel } Exchange { | |||
| 1377 | John Brandenynggt } { | Godewyke | |
| 1382 | William Shawe, Capellanus | Godewyke | Exchanged |
| 1385 | Nicholas Peverell | Godewyke | Resigned |
| 1385 | John Gowk, Priest | Godewyke | Resigned |
| 1387 | Thomas Erne | Godewyke | |
| 1392 | William Ingelby, Priest | Godewyke | Exchanged |
| 1400 | Walter Eymer, Vicar of Burford Linc | Hallum | Exchanged |
| 1404 | Walter Haclyng, alias Wyot, Rector of St Michael, Bath | Hallum | Died |
| 1404 | Thomas Staunton, Priest | Hallum | Exchanged |
| Galfudus Roger | Crucadam Herchell | ||
| 1421 | Johannes Taylor, Rector of Notgrove | Harewell | Exchanged |
| 1444 | Phillippus King, Rector of Tarent | Bubwyth | Resigned |
| 1453 | Humfridus Clerk, Capellanus | Vance | Died |
| 1481 | Johannes taylor, Capellanus | Doget | |
| Edwardus Owey | Resigned | ||
| 1524 | Jacobus Powet, Capellan | Halls | |
| 1529-37 | Richardus Bond, Vicar | Resigned | |
Diocese of Gloucester – founded 1541
| Date of appointment | Patron (prebend) | Reason for departure | |
| 12 October 1554 | William Beckwyth, Clerk | R Ryve | Resigned |
| 8 April 1555 | William Moseleye | R Ryve | Died |
| 11 June 1564 | Thomas Mynthorne Buried at Bitton 1582 | Hugh Powell | Died |
| 9 November 1573 | William Sprinte, Clerk | John Sprinte | |
| 6 September 1582 | Lewis Evans, BA | M Morgan | Died |
| 23 March 1617 | John Burnley, BA Buried at Bitton 1627 | And. Atwood | Died |
| 23 June 1627 | John Carpenter, MA Buried at Bitton 1662 | F Leech | Died |
| 8 November 1662 | Henry Hoskins, MA | Anthony Hawles | Died |
| 23 February 1684 | Richard Towgood MA | B Johnson | Resigned |
| 11 November 1691 | Edward Parker BA Buried at Bitton | John Seymour, the elder | Died |
| 3 August 1714 | John Stockwell, MA Trinity College Oxford | Richard Eyre | Resigned |
| 25 December 1715 | John Eade BA | Richard Eyre | Died |
| 7 March 1719 | Robert Eyre MA | Richard Eyre | Resigned |
| 20 June 1724 | Richard Barry Jr MA Buried at Bitton | Richard Eyre | Died |
| 20 March 1766 | Charles Elwes MA | Ralph Freeman | Died |
| 20 April 1796 | William Coxe MA | Himself | Resigned |
| 13 July 1798 | John Adey Curtis MA Buried at Bitton | William Coxe | Died |
| 14 July 1812 | William Batchelor MA | William MacDonald | Died |
| 4 March 1817 | William MacDonald MA | Himself | Resigned |
| 10 July 1823 | Maurice Hiller Goodman MA | William MacDonald | Resigned |
| 5 November 1835 | Henry Thomas Ellacombe MA Buried at Bitton 1885 | William MacDonald | Ceded |
| 3 April 1850 | Henry Nicholson Ellacombe MA Buried at Bitton 1916 | William MacDonald | Died |
Diocese of Bristol, founded 1896
| Year of appointment | ||
| 1916 | Frank Henning William Taylor MA | |
| 1940 | Lendon Bell | |
| 1949 | Albert Jenkins BA | |
| 1966 | Henry Edward Baker | |
| 1970 | Harold George Wood | |
| 1974 | David Holloway | |
| 1978 | Louis Ward | |
| 1980 | Canon John Porch | Benefice of Bitton, Warmley and Syston |
| 1987 | Canon George Mitchell | |
| 2002 | Canon Paul Denyer | |
| 2014 | Jeremy Andrew |
