In the Domesday Book the church and its land (the rectory) were recorded as belonging to William the Conqueror's chancellor, Regenbald also known as Reinbald, who then bequeathed it to Cirencester Abbey.

It also commemorates King George III's visit to Cheltenham in 1788 when he attended a number of services in St Mary's.

Close was perpetual curate of the church for thirty years and a founder of two teacher training colleges which later became the University of Gloucestershire.

But extensive building occurred during the Regency period in the early 19th century and as a result the church is now hidden behind shops and offices.

Thirty-four plans were submitted, but because of opposition the proposal was abandoned and instead between 1851 and 1877 the church was restored by architects Dangerfield, Humphris, and Christian, and equipped with gas lighting and a new heating system.

The then rector, Charles Bell, applied to make St Matthew's the parish church, but the proposal was rejected by the parishioners.

A further reordering took place in 2012 when the prayer chapel was moved to the north transept, the font was moved to the south entrance from the old north porch, toilets and other facilities were installed in the south transept, and some pews were removed to create space for the new prayer chapel, exhibitions and hospitality.

[3] A group known as The Friends of St Mary's, Cheltenham Archived 31 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine raises funds for the upkeep of the church and has an informative website.