Dartmouth Devon
Church of St Saviour, Dartmouth Devon
In 1286 King Edward I was visiting Dartmouth as part of his preparations for launching an invasion of France. At that time the parish church was St Clement's Townstal, which stood on top of a high hill above the River Dart.
The town, however, had shifted its focus of settlement to the foreshore. The townsfolk petitioned the king for the right to build a new parish church close to the waterfront, on account of the 'very great fatigue' caused by having to walk up the hill to attend services in St Clement's Church. King Edward agreed, and granted the townsfolk permission to build a new church, but there was one problem; he hadn't consulted the Bishop of Exeter, or the Abbot of Torre at Torquay, who appointed the priest of St Clements and who would be responsible for maintaining a new church. The Abbot pointed out, rightly, that there weren't enough townsfolk in Dartmouth to financially support two churches, even though land for building a new church had been given by the Bacon family. So for the next 43 years, nothing happened, and the very idea of a new church seemed to have died.
Things changed in 1329 when the priest of St Clement's Townstal committed suicide. This was considered a grave sin by the Catholic Church, and the Abbot of Torre decided to punish the parish by banning all church services including christenings, burials and marriages. The ban lasted two years and must have caused enormous difficulty for the parishioners of Dartmouth. Then the situation got even more tangled. William Bacon, the son and heir of the Bacon who originally gave land to build a new church, decided to grant the very same parcel of land to a pair of friars of the Hermits of St Augustine order. The friars immediately started to build a church on the site. The Abbot of Torre was livid. He was concerned that the new church would compete for donations with the existing parish church of St Clement. He took the extraordinary step of excommunicating William Bacon, the most severe punishment he could administer. He also claimed that the friars were posing as priests and ordered them to stop building their church. He relented - slightly - in 1334 and allowed the friars to use their chapel but not to hear confession or celebrate mass. He also removed the sentence of excommunication on William Bacon.
The legal status of the Augustinian chapel was disputed for the next decade, and in 1344 the friars were ordered to tear it down. The friars appealed for help from the Pope. Then events took a truly bizarre turn.
A stranger appeared, claiming to be the Bishop of Damascus, who said he had been sent by the Pope to consecrate the chapel. This he did, after which he confirmed several children and removed the ban of excommunication from several townsfolk. The truth emerged; the stranger was, in fact, a friar from Cambridge, who claimed to have a dispensation from the Pope to consecrate places of worship. The 'consecration' was not officially recognised, and the legal battles over the friar's chapel continued. Finally, in 1372 the Abbot of Torre and the Bishop of Exeter relented and gave the townsfolk of Dartmouth permission to build a new parish church. It had taken 86 years from Edward I's original grant of permission.
The townsfolk of Dartmouth built the new church themselves and dedicated it to the Holy Trinity and St Mary. The church was consecrated by Bishop Brantingham of Exeter in October 1372. At some point prior to 1430 it was rededicated as St Saviour's.
It is built of local stone rubble with Bathstone and Salcombe stone dressings and was enlarged in the late 14c / early 15c .
It consists of a nave and chancel with transepts, north and south aisles extending into the chancel and flanking the west tower, north and south porches, vestry on south side of the chancel.
The eastern end of the nave was rebuilt in late 15c with a new carved oak rood screen of 1496, possibly along with the transepts.
South porch rebuilt in 1620 & decorated with the town arms (now almost obliterated). In succession the old porch had served as a lodging for a priest, as a place for the sick & then as a reserve store for gunpowder. It was later used as a shelter for the town fire engines.; inside are stone benches and plain vaulted roof. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/k4vi21Z9n4
In 1633-7 the tower was heightened with embattle parapet & corner pinnacles. also new windows to the aisles and the gallery erected as part of major refurbishment by the town corporation who owned the advowson between 1585-1835 .
The clock was added in 19c
In the late 19c a major restoration in 2 phases in which the church was reroofed, the chancel stripped of its 17c furnishings and "restored", the organ "enlarged", and the 1883 vestry built. A plaque records the expenditure of over £3400 in 1887-8 by architect EH Sedding. Further renovation followed in 1891-3 by Ashworth; later repairs in 1932 and 1956.
The south door survives and although dated 1631 the year of its refurbishment it has excellent probably 15c ironwork featuring 2 lions across a tree of life with large leaves. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/522F39ST2Z
In the chancel is a remarkable painted altar table made in 1893 from a late 16c communion table using carvings of the Evangelists as the legs. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/15U7u22i4q
The rare 15c painted stone pulpit on a slender octagonal panelled stem widens above like a palm to octagonal drum (with timber door) which has broad bands of foliage top, bottom and up the corners, narrow panels originally undecorated but symbols of royal authority added with the initials of Charles II probably after his visit to the town in 1671 www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/b54VR4757B
There is a 16c Armada Chest used by a naval officer at the time of the Armada. The chest has an intricate iron locking system and is so heavy that it would have taken several men to carry. flic.kr/p/2jTMQvM
Most of the original stained glass was blown out by bombs in 1943, but fragments of heraldic 17c glass survive including an oval plaque commemorating q 1634 gift of money for window glass by Thomas Pagge. flic.kr/p/a3BBD9
Lancashire Lass www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2512556/saint-saviour#view-ph...
Dartmouth Devon
Church of St Saviour, Dartmouth Devon
In 1286 King Edward I was visiting Dartmouth as part of his preparations for launching an invasion of France. At that time the parish church was St Clement's Townstal, which stood on top of a high hill above the River Dart.
The town, however, had shifted its focus of settlement to the foreshore. The townsfolk petitioned the king for the right to build a new parish church close to the waterfront, on account of the 'very great fatigue' caused by having to walk up the hill to attend services in St Clement's Church. King Edward agreed, and granted the townsfolk permission to build a new church, but there was one problem; he hadn't consulted the Bishop of Exeter, or the Abbot of Torre at Torquay, who appointed the priest of St Clements and who would be responsible for maintaining a new church. The Abbot pointed out, rightly, that there weren't enough townsfolk in Dartmouth to financially support two churches, even though land for building a new church had been given by the Bacon family. So for the next 43 years, nothing happened, and the very idea of a new church seemed to have died.
Things changed in 1329 when the priest of St Clement's Townstal committed suicide. This was considered a grave sin by the Catholic Church, and the Abbot of Torre decided to punish the parish by banning all church services including christenings, burials and marriages. The ban lasted two years and must have caused enormous difficulty for the parishioners of Dartmouth. Then the situation got even more tangled. William Bacon, the son and heir of the Bacon who originally gave land to build a new church, decided to grant the very same parcel of land to a pair of friars of the Hermits of St Augustine order. The friars immediately started to build a church on the site. The Abbot of Torre was livid. He was concerned that the new church would compete for donations with the existing parish church of St Clement. He took the extraordinary step of excommunicating William Bacon, the most severe punishment he could administer. He also claimed that the friars were posing as priests and ordered them to stop building their church. He relented - slightly - in 1334 and allowed the friars to use their chapel but not to hear confession or celebrate mass. He also removed the sentence of excommunication on William Bacon.
The legal status of the Augustinian chapel was disputed for the next decade, and in 1344 the friars were ordered to tear it down. The friars appealed for help from the Pope. Then events took a truly bizarre turn.
A stranger appeared, claiming to be the Bishop of Damascus, who said he had been sent by the Pope to consecrate the chapel. This he did, after which he confirmed several children and removed the ban of excommunication from several townsfolk. The truth emerged; the stranger was, in fact, a friar from Cambridge, who claimed to have a dispensation from the Pope to consecrate places of worship. The 'consecration' was not officially recognised, and the legal battles over the friar's chapel continued. Finally, in 1372 the Abbot of Torre and the Bishop of Exeter relented and gave the townsfolk of Dartmouth permission to build a new parish church. It had taken 86 years from Edward I's original grant of permission.
The townsfolk of Dartmouth built the new church themselves and dedicated it to the Holy Trinity and St Mary. The church was consecrated by Bishop Brantingham of Exeter in October 1372. At some point prior to 1430 it was rededicated as St Saviour's.
It is built of local stone rubble with Bathstone and Salcombe stone dressings and was enlarged in the late 14c / early 15c .
It consists of a nave and chancel with transepts, north and south aisles extending into the chancel and flanking the west tower, north and south porches, vestry on south side of the chancel.
The eastern end of the nave was rebuilt in late 15c with a new carved oak rood screen of 1496, possibly along with the transepts.
South porch rebuilt in 1620 & decorated with the town arms (now almost obliterated). In succession the old porch had served as a lodging for a priest, as a place for the sick & then as a reserve store for gunpowder. It was later used as a shelter for the town fire engines.; inside are stone benches and plain vaulted roof. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/k4vi21Z9n4
In 1633-7 the tower was heightened with embattle parapet & corner pinnacles. also new windows to the aisles and the gallery erected as part of major refurbishment by the town corporation who owned the advowson between 1585-1835 .
The clock was added in 19c
In the late 19c a major restoration in 2 phases in which the church was reroofed, the chancel stripped of its 17c furnishings and "restored", the organ "enlarged", and the 1883 vestry built. A plaque records the expenditure of over £3400 in 1887-8 by architect EH Sedding. Further renovation followed in 1891-3 by Ashworth; later repairs in 1932 and 1956.
The south door survives and although dated 1631 the year of its refurbishment it has excellent probably 15c ironwork featuring 2 lions across a tree of life with large leaves. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/522F39ST2Z
In the chancel is a remarkable painted altar table made in 1893 from a late 16c communion table using carvings of the Evangelists as the legs. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/15U7u22i4q
The rare 15c painted stone pulpit on a slender octagonal panelled stem widens above like a palm to octagonal drum (with timber door) which has broad bands of foliage top, bottom and up the corners, narrow panels originally undecorated but symbols of royal authority added with the initials of Charles II probably after his visit to the town in 1671 www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/b54VR4757B
There is a 16c Armada Chest used by a naval officer at the time of the Armada. The chest has an intricate iron locking system and is so heavy that it would have taken several men to carry. flic.kr/p/2jTMQvM
Most of the original stained glass was blown out by bombs in 1943, but fragments of heraldic 17c glass survive including an oval plaque commemorating q 1634 gift of money for window glass by Thomas Pagge. flic.kr/p/a3BBD9
Lancashire Lass www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2512556/saint-saviour#view-ph...