"We are seeking to preserve the
heritage of the past and at the same time to ensure that our building serves the
contemporary needs of the church family and the local community..."
The 750th
anniversary of the dedication of the Church
In
1259 Bishop Bronscombe (sometimes called Branscombe) set off on a trip round the
churches under his care, dedicating them to their patron saints. On 6th
November he dedicated Chudleigh Church to the Saints of St. Martin and St. Mary.
St. Martin is
Martin of Tours, a 4th century soldier who famously gave half his
cloak to a beggar and then dreamed that he saw Jesus wearing the half-cloak. He
became a Christian and was martyred for his faith.
St. Mary is the
Mother of Jesus.
Early History
There has been a place of Christian worship here since before the Norman
Conquest. At this time the Bishops of Exeter were rich and powerful and in 1080
Bishop Osborne selected Chudleigh as the site for a rural palace, the
fragmentary remains of which may be seen in an orchard adjacent to Rock Road.
In 1225 Bishop Brewer granted the church and advowson[1]
to the Precentor[2]
of Exeter, who, in 1282 was provided with a house at Ugbrooke.
[1]
Right to nominate to the Benefice, including the income
Under the influence of the Precentors, the original church, which consisted of a
nave and chancel, was replaced by a more impressive cruciform building. It was
probably this church that was dedicated by Bishop Bronscombe.
Both the
original and the second church were dressed with red sandstone. Between 1300
and 1350 a further rebuilding in the Perpendicular Style took place and this
time dressings of Beer stone were used. The sturdy tower is thought to date
from this period. The shape of the church was further changed in about 1560
when the south transept was replaced by a south aisle with mullions and
dressings of granite. In 1574 a south door and porch chamber were added at the
west end of the south aisle and it was from this chamber in 1608 that “Beaton
Bucketmaker and her companie were to be removed before the next visitation of my
Lord Bishop …” In order to facilitate the “more convenient meeting of the
parishioners” a vestry was built alongside the south porch in 1754.
An extensive restoration was carried out in the 1840s. The south porch and
vestry were demolished and a new vestry was built at the east end of the south
aisle. By 1870, due to wood rot and to the fact that the arcades were ten inches
out of perpendicular, the roof was on the point of collapse. Another major
restoration followed, putting the church into essentially good order right to
the present day.
The
most prominent feature is undoubtedly the old ROOD SCREEN which dates
from the 15th century. It has been much restored since that time.
Twenty painted panels depict apostles and prophets, each including a Latin
inscription that is either a statement from the Apostles’ Creed or an associated
scripture verse. The two concluding statements of the creed are missing.
Presumably these featured on an additional section of the screen extending to
the south wall. A large external buttress at this point marks the earlier
presence of a stairway to the rood loft. Access to the loft from the other end
was probably through the low arch behind the pulpit that has since been filled
with a memorial tablet
The subject matter, of Apostles and Prophets with inscriptions, is very rare and
has been found in only a few churches. The Prophets stand on desert ground
holding scrolls, and the Apostles on grass holding books and wearing haloes. Fur
hats were associated with Jews, and therefore prophets.
The translated
inscriptions are;
1. Peter – I believe in
God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
2. Jeremiah – Ye shall call me my Father, who made heaven and earth.
3. Andrew – And in Jesus Christ, his only son.
4. David – God has said unto me, thou art my son, this day have I begotten
thee.
5. James the Great – Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin
Mary.
6. Isaiah – Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son.
7. John the Evangelist – He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead and buried.
8. Zechariah – They shall look on Him whom they have crucified.
9. Thomas – He descended into hell, and the third day he shall rise again.
10. Hosea – O death I will be thy plague, O grave I will be thy destruction.
11. James the Less – He ascended into Heaven and sitteth at the right hand
of God.
12. Amos – Who builds his ascent in Heaven.
13. Philip – Who shall judge the quick and the dead.
14. Malachi – I will come to you in judgement and be a saviour to you.
15. Bartholomew – I believe in the Holy Ghost.
16. Joel – I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.
17. Matthew – The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints.
18. Zephaniah – They shall call upon and serve him.
19. Simon – The remission of sins.
20. Micah – The Lord shall take away all your iniquities.
The missing four would have been Paul, Jude, Daniel and Ezekiel.
In 2007 the platform in front of the Rood screen was added, replacing a smaller
construction. At the same time moveable covers were introduced on the East wall
to enable the wall’s Minton tiles to be seen on request. A low screen that had
been introduced in 1959 separating off the side chapel was also removed to
enable the area to be used more flexibly.
The present FONT and PULPIT both date from the 1840s’ restoration.
The font is made from Ogwen limestone from Snowdonia, and is a fine example of
it’s kind. It would be interesting to know what became of their earlier
counterparts, both of which are referred to in the church records.
The large EAST WINDOW is of decorated style and the glass was inserted in
1847 in memory of Reverend Gilbert
Burrington, who was vicar from 1785 to 1841. He had succeeded his father who
had been vicar from 1752, so between them
father and son served the parish for 88 years. The donor of the window, Mr John
Williams, had been abandoned on the vicarage doorstep when a small baby, and was
brought up and educated by the kind-hearted Mr Burrington. The other stained
glass windows were presented between 1840 and 1870.
John Williams became a very rich man and was
a great benefactor of the church and the poor. More of his generous acts are
recorded on the stone tablets in the Fellowship Room and Porch.
The first GALLERY at the west end of the church was erected in 1752. It
was replaced in 1843 and at this time an additional gallery was provided in the
north transept. The latter was removed in 1959 when the side chapel was made to
commemorate the 700th anniversary of the dedication of the church.
When the CHAPEL was formed, a piscina belonging to an earlier chapel was
found in the east wall. Records indicate that this earlier chapel was variously
known as the Jesus Aisle and the Hunt Chapel. The Hunt family purchased the
manor farm of Hams Barton in 1552. Their crest appears on the chapel wall and
adjacent memorial stones refer to member of the family.
The
most prominent memorial is that on the north wall of the chancel to Sir Piers
Courtenay and his wife Elizabeth. The names of their seven children are
recorded and it should be noted that their daughter Anne married Anthony
Clifford, the squire of Kingsteignton. On his death in 1552, Sir Piers left Ugbrooke Park to his daughter Anne and thus began the long association of the
Clifford family with Ugbrooke that has continued to this day.
There are many other interesting floor stones and wall tablets that reflect
the life and times of those they commemorate. We hold records of these, as well
as the graves in the churchyard. There is also a Stained Glass Window trail
available to borrow in the Fellowship room
The first reference to a
musical instrument in the church was in 1562 when four pence was “paid for corde
for the orgons”. The present two manual organ was built and installed in the
West Gallery by Foster and Andrews of Hull in 1872. It was rebuilt in 1967 by
Osmonds of Taunton, at which time the action was converted from tracker to
electric, enabling the introduction of a detached console. In 1990 the organ
was moved to its present position at the east end of the south aisle.
In his will dated 1368, Bishop Grandisson
bequeathed to the parish church “two large BELLS of my chapel at Chudleigh”.
The chapel referred to was at the nearby Bishop’s Palace. The records show that
in 1553 there were “IIII belles yn the tower heire”. A treble bell was added in
1752 and in 1783 the five bells were taken to Penningtons of Exeter and recast
into six. In 1923 two additional bells were presented and all eight bells were
rehung on a new steel frame.
The present CLOCK with Chard chimes was
installed in 1948, replacing an earlier timepiece made by a local blacksmith.
The clockface was completely refurbished in 2007.
The CHURCH REGISTERS date from the
first year of the reign of Elizabeth I. Chudleigh also possesses a fine set of
Parochial Records and Accounts that date from 1581. All these valuable records
are in the care of the Records Office in Exeter.
In 1975 the need to provide a more informal
space within the church was met by the creation of the FELLOWSHIP AREA
beneath the gallery at the west end of the nave. At the same time a new south
door was created and kitchen and toilet facilities provided. These were
modernised in 2005 and the west door porch area was remodelled to give an open
and welcoming entrance to the building and to provide disabled access to the
toilets.
We
very much hope that you will enjoy visiting to our historic church. We are
seeking to preserve the heritage of the past and at the same time to ensure that
our building serves the contemporary needs of the church family and the local
community. Please join us in praying for our witness and service in Chudleigh.
“Come and let yourselves be
built as living stones, into a spiritual temple; become a holy priesthood, to
offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:5 (NEB)
The church regularly receives enquiries from relatives
seeking their ancestors, and we also have a number of interesting gravestones,
some of which are listed monuments. The graves were surveyed in 1970, but only
the name and year of death was recorded. In 2008 a team of volunteers started
recording the full inscriptions and this has now been put onto a searchable
spreadsheet, with an accompanying map. With careful cleaning of the stones we
were able to read some inscriptions that were recorded as ‘undecipherable’ in
1970. Conversely, some details recorded then have been lost in the intervening
38 years.
Your Chudleigh ancestor may not be in the Anglican
churchyard. Burials may have taken place in;
The Church itself, marked by a memorial or floor
stone.
Overseas, but marked by a memorial.
The Baptist graveyard (now a private garden).
The Free Church graveyard (previously
Congregationalist and U.R.C., and now the site of a playgroup)
After 1880 most burials took place in the
cemetery.
There is some doubt about where Catholics were
buried prior to 1880, although some are in Chudleigh churchyard.
The Methodist church did not have a graveyard and its
members were buried in the Anglican churchyard.
We have attempted to record the burials for all these
sites, surveying the remaining gravestones and researching burial registers and
church records. We are especially indebted to Steve Coombs of the Chudleigh
History Group for so much of this work. We hope that the links below will enable
you to find your ancestor. Chudleigh Church and Chudleigh History Group are
happy to search their records for you.
To access the CHUDLEIGH CHURCH
GRAVEYARD survey click here. This is a
searchable spreadsheet – please read the Instructions tab before
proceeding. If you are visiting the churchyard contact Roger if you would like
directions on how to find ‘your’ grave(s). If you cannot visit we can often
supply a photograph.
For MEMORIALS INSIDE THE CHURCH
please click here.
For an index of personal and place names for INTERIOR
MEMORIALS AND STAINED GLASS WINDOWS please click here.
This is the index to the Stained Glass Window and Memorial Trail which is
available at the back of the church, and duplicates some of the information in
the Memorial spreadsheet above.
For the BAPTIST AND FREE CHURCH
GRAVES & MEMORIALS the following link will take you to the relevant
section on the History Group website - http://chudleighhistorygroup.com/chapels.html. This website contains a wealth of information about the town and its
inhabitants, - use the ‘back to history index’ button at the top of the
page.
For enquiries about burials in THE
CEMETERY (after 1880) contact the Town Clerk’s office via the Town
Council website:
Now that we have most of
the graves on a spreadsheet, we can search the data in various ways. One is to
list the deceased by age. There is a span of all ages, from infants up to
Richard Stamp who died at 98. The information does not reflect trends in
Chudleigh as the poorest, and therefore the shortest lived, rarely had
headstones. It is clear, however, that the middle classes in the town were far
from immune to infant and child death.
Typical is the
stone of the Latham family. Thomas died in 1828 aged 12, and his brothers and
sisters James, Mary and June died in infancy. The stone also records three other
Latham females (without ages), but it is not clear whether they were siblings.
The devastation that befell this family is only too common and other stones tell
more harrowing tales.
Mary Wright was
wife of William, part of a dynasty of respected maltsters in Chudleigh. She died
at the age of 37 in 1815. The gravestone simply records that nearby are buried
five of their children, but we have not located the graves.
The Ellis tomb
is a fine granite cross on a square base. Each side records a child’s death;
Alice died in 1859 aged 3 weeks, Agnes died in 1870 aged 7 months followed
twelve days later by 5 year old Roland. Alfred died in 1877 aged 16 years. There
are a higher number of deaths in 1870 than most other years, spread throughout
the year, so we assume that this was an epidemic year. For one family, however,
the next year was devastating for them, possibly due to a harsh winter. On Dec
10th 9 year old Mary Jane Perrott died. Grandfather Septimus died on
Christmas Day, and Mary’s 7 year old sister Eleanor succumbed on Dec 30th.
The Victorians must have accepted infant death with some fatality but this must
have shattered the family. The inscription on the tomb reads; “Be ye at all
times ready.”
More disease
may be assumed when the Salter family were hit in 1866. 2 year old Annie died in
February. In March father Henry died at the age of 28. His 27 year old widow
Eliza left Chudleigh and went to Bristol, but died in the June. The inscription
starts; “Mysterious are the ways of God, To we of human sight, But holy light
is His abode, And all his actions right.” Which summarises the Victorian
outlook as inscribed on many of the stones.
The Victorian
practice of naming children after their deceased siblings is nicely shown with
two stones placed inches apart. The larger one is to Elizabeth Heath Saunders
who died in 1877 aged 60. A child’s stone is placed against it. This is to
Elizabeth H Saunders who died at the age of 6 month in 1805;- two sisters born
twelve years apart, who shared a name and a grave but never met.
As
mentioned before, our survey attempts to include all the denominations and not
just those in the church graveyard. One of the denominations that has caused us
to scratch our heads is Catholic. Where were they buried prior to the opening of
the Town Cemetery in 1880 (which includes a Catholic section)? The Cliffords are
buried at Ugbrooke, but not the general congregation. It was Lord Clifford who
suggested that they might be in the church graveyard along with the Anglicans,
as after the 1832 Reformation Act this was permissible by law. I admit that I
felt that this was unlikely, especially as there is nothing on any of the church
gravestones to suggest that the deceased was a Catholic. It was Steve Coombs who
found the first one. One gravestone commemorates the Weston family, including
John Weston who died in 1832. We know a bit about him: he was landlord of the
Clifford Arms (Old Coaching House) at the time of the Great Fire of 1809.
Following this, he temporarily moved the pub into Western House on the corner of
Oldway for about ten years. Steve found an obituary in the local paper saying
that he was a well-known and respected Catholic. Well, that is one. Now we have
to find the rest.
Changing denominations: There is an intriguing inscription
in the old Congregational Chapel, now the Woodway Room in the Town Hall. When
the chapel was converted the tablets on the wall were boarded over, and it was
in October 2008 that the caretaker uncovered them and revealed three fine marble
plaques. Two are to ministers of the chapel and one is to Mr John Petherick and
his wife Anne (both died 1856, he aged 55 and she aged 75) and their little
grandson. It is not clear why John Petherick warranted such a prominent
memorial. Included in the inscription is a line in small lettering, running
round the bottom edge. This reads – Mourner retire, and kiss the afflictive
rod. To thee their exit calls “Prepare to meet thy God.”
Enquiries as to what an ‘afflictive rod’ might be have
proved inconclusive (although I can remember my teachers having them at school).
Is this a quotation from another source? If anyone can shed light on the origin
and meaning of this inscription I would be interested to hear it.
***
We had
a lady researching the name Nosworthy. There was no-one of that name on the 1970
list of graves, but Steve discovered some 'lost' graves in the gully that runs
along the north wall of the church, one of which was to Robert and Mary
Noseworthy.
Arising out of
this research we found the following account in 'The Times' of 3 September 1810:
‘A plumber being lately employed to repair the pipe of a pump
belonging to Mr BOND, of Chudleigh, found the carbonite gas from the well (which
had not been opened since the dreadful fire at that place in 1807), so powerful,
that he would not venture in. Two miners, who had been at work in the
neighbourhood, coming by at that instant, one of them volunteered to do down, (a
ladder 19 feet in length had previously been fixed), but before he had descended
half that depth, fell off and sunk to the bottom, about forty feet. His
companion followed, and shared the same fate. A joiner, named Nosworthy, caused
a rope to be fixed round his waist and was let down, but on his senses going
off, the noose of the rope slipped, and he was likewise precipitated to the
bottom. Another man had the rope fasted between his legs and round his waist,
but had not proceeded ten feet before his senses left him, and he was drawn up
nearly lifeless. After this they procured a grappling iron, by which the three
bodies were extricated from the well, but the life of each was extinct.’
The well lies in the grounds
of Swanston House, and was capped and built over when the house was refurbished
and made into three dwellings a few years ago.
***
Another unfortunate incident
came to light whilst researching the 'Exeter Flying Post'. This is taken from
the edition of 2nd October 1822:
MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE
Yesterday afternoon, a
chimney in the Ship public-house, Chudleigh, was observed to be on fire, and on
the alarm being given, three soldiers, belonging to the 9th Lancers, who were
returning from Plymouth, where they had escorted a deserter, entered the house
to render assistance, when Mr Windsor, the Landlord, desired one of them to
discharge his pistol, which was loaded with ball cartridge, up the chimney; but
the soldier, more effectually to bring down the burning soot, added a quantity
of shot, and whilst in the act of ramming it down, the pistol accidentally went
off, and , shocking to relate, Mrs Windsor, who was standing opposite the
soldier, received the whole contents in her body, which killed her on the spot.
As you may know, maintenance of the churchyard is the responsibility of
Teignbridge District Council, with the exception of Memorials for which the
grave owners are responsible. As part of its responsibilities, Teignbridge has
arranged for Welters Organisation Worldwide to inspect the memorials in closed
churchyards throughout the District (see also
http://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2758). If any are
identified as unsafe, they may be carefully laid down to prevent accidental
collapse.
If you have a memorial in the churchyard, you may wish to seek
advice and/or help from a firm such as Welters Organisation who have set up a
helpline on 0870 240 0915 (available between 10am and 4pm) through which advice
is available. Alternatively there are other firms of Monumental Masons who can
provide advice and/or help.
Please note that making changes to Memorials, whether done by
Welters Organisation or any other firm, is subject to meeting the requirements
of both the Diocese and the Local Authority.
When Bishop Michael travels from Exeter on 1st November to join
in celebrating the 750th anniversary of the dedication of Chudleigh
Parish Church, he will probably be grateful that the journey is relatively
short. The Bishop will in several respects be following in the footsteps of his
predecessor, Bishop Walter Bronescombe, who dedicated the church in 1259, but
there will also be some significant differences. One of the most obvious is that
on the day of the dedication, Bishop Bronescombewould have needed to
travel no further than from his palace in what is now the orchard of Palace
Farm, Rock Road. That palace was one of several, distributed throughout the
diocese, though would not have been as ‘palatial’ as we might at first imagine.
Over 750 years, times have changed a great deal, and the differences between the
life and lifestyle of a bishop then and now are a reflection of those changes.
Bishop Bronescombe
was born in Exeter, and is known to have attended university, presumably Oxford.
Between 1245 and 1257, he held several benefices in plurality, but he was not
ordained priest until 9th March 1258. In remarkable succession to that, he was
on the following day consecrated as bishop, and scarcely a month later enthroned
at Exeter.
Bishop
Bronescombe's tomb
He was favoured by both the
king (Henry III) and the pope, his time being, of course, two and a half
centuries before the English church broke with Rome. In 1266 Bishop Bronescombehelped secure the election of the king’s half brother to the bishopric of
Winchester, and he continued in royal service and was a frequent visitor to
France on the king’s behalf until the coronation of Edward I in 1274. The bishop
was apparently on good terms with Edward too, baptising his son and heir
Alphonse. (Alphonse did not outlive his father, so never became king.) Bishop
Bronescombe is believed to have been ‘practical and conciliatory, a man who
inspired confidence in those with whom he had dealings’and, notwithstanding the extent to which he was diverted by royal
service, ‘a vigorous and conscientious bishop, active in visiting, and often
rededicating, the churches of his large diocese.’
In his foreword to The
Register of Walter Bronescombe, Bishop of Exeter 1258-1280; The Canterbury
and York Society, 1995, O F Robinson writes that following Bishop Bronescombe’s
installation as Bishop there was ‘An extraordinary spate of dedications carried
out in 1259 and again in 1261, with a further group in Lent 1269. Twenty-seven
of the fifty-two named churches or chapels are in Cornwall, two in Somerset, and
the rest in Devon. Usually the notice is simply that the bishop dedicated a
church; at Combeinteignhead he dedicated two altars and a high altar (the
Register says a portable altar), at Kentisbeare three altars and a
graveyard, and an altar at the chapel of Tregear. Of the 1269 dedications the
register unfortunately gives no details, but records only that the bishop
dedicated many churches throughout Devon and Cornwall. The reason for all these
dedications is obscure; not many of them are likely to have been new churches,
though there may have been an occasional dedication to a new saint. The Council
of Westminster in 1102 had prohibited the consecration of churches until all
necessities had been provided for them and their priests; on the other hand, the
papal legate, Ottobuono, at the Council of London in 1268, had emphatically told
the bishops of the province to remedy such situations. Some may perhaps have
been built and never consecrated; in others there may have been new altars; some
may have been restored after tempest, fire or collapse had made them unfit for
their purpose; rededication after bloodshed, or something equally sacrilegious,
may explain some others.’
It may be that there was
some catching-up to do following the bishopric of Walter’s predecessor, Richard
Blund 1245-1257. Richard may have left the Diocese in a state of neglect;
certainly he left it with significant debt, and scandal was created as he lay
dying (quite possibly already dead) as church officers and others close to him
drew up and sealed letters in his name disposing of his property and conferring
benefices.
Bishop Bronescombe was not
afraid of travel, transacting diocesan business from the palace in Chudleigh (24
April 1259) only four days after a spate of the same in Bishop’s Nympton (near
South Molton), and two days later in Paignton. He appeared to make a point of
visiting all the extremities of the diocese early in his bishopric (including
Bishop’s Nympton, Marazion [Penzance] and Loders [Bridport]). Perhaps some or
all of those places had not seen the Diocesan bishop for some considerable time.
The timetable of dedications
in autumn 1259, when the churches in both Chudleigh and Trusham were dedicated,
was as follows:-
24 September to 25 October: 21 churches in Cornwall
6 November: Cheddeleg (church)
8 November: Brideford (church)
10 November: Cumb’ in Tynhide (two altars and a portable altar)
17 November: St Marie, Totton (Totnes)
21 November: Trisme (Trusham)
22 November: Aiscumbe (Ashcombe)
24 November: Pouderham
26 November: St Katerine, Exon
3 December to 10 December: six churches in East Devon
Bishop Bronescombe died in
Bishopsteignton in 1280 and is buried in Exeter Cathedral. With his effigy lying
on top of a stone casket, his monument is one that most visitors will have
noticed.
The quotations are from the
Dictionary of National Biography
![[Under Construction]](images/undercon.gif)
The
most prominent memorial is that on the north wall of the chancel to Sir Piers
Courtenay and his wife Elizabeth. The names of their seven children are
recorded and it should be noted that their daughter Anne married Anthony
Clifford, the squire of Kingsteignton. On his death in 1552, Sir Piers left Ugbrooke Park to his daughter Anne and thus began the long association of the
Clifford family with Ugbrooke that has continued to this day. 
