Hide
hide
Hide

Broadclyst

from

Some Old Devon Churches

By J. Stabb

London: Simpkin et al (1908-16)

Page 36

Transcribed and edited by Dr Roger Peters

Full text available at

https://www.wissensdrang.com/dstabb.htm

Prepared by Michael Steer

Between 1908 and 1916, John Stabb, an ecclesiologist and photographer who lived in Torquay, published three volumes of Some Old Devon Churches and one of Devon Church Antiquities. A projected second volume of the latter, regarded by Stabb himself as a complement to the former, did not materialize because of his untimely death on August 2nd 1917, aged 52. Collectively, Stabb's four volumes present descriptions of 261 Devon churches and their antiquities.

BROAD CLYST. St. John the Baptist. The church [plate 36a] consists of chancel, nave, north and south aisles, south porch, and west tower with eight bells. It is believed to have been erected during the episcopate of Edmund Stafford, 1395-1419, but the upper part of the tower was not completed until the reign of Henry VII [1485-1509]; the church was restored in 1834. The nave is separated from the aisles by six arches on each side, the pillars having carved capitals, and the outer mouldings of the arches, which are studded with carving, spring from angels holding shields in the north aisle and the nave, but in the south aisle (with the exception of two at the east end) they spring from grotesque heads. There is a priest's door and remains of a piscina in the chancel, and very fine sedilia [plate 36b] with buttresses and pinnacles, formed by the canopies of rich foliage terminating in finials. The space beneath the arches of the sedilia is occupied by the figure of a knight in armour. The recumbent figure wears a conical helmet; attached to the rim is the camail or tippet of mail. The head is supported by an angel; the hands are in the attitude of prayer. The arms are encased in brassarts of plate, having couderies or elbow pieces, the legs are enclosed in plate armour, the knees being guarded by genouillieres. There is a girdle round the hips attached to the upper part of the scabbard. The hilt of the sword is gone, and the scabbard has been repaired with wood. There are spurs on the heels, and the feet, encased in sollarets, rest on a lion. There are five shields behind the effigy without any armorial bearings, and there is no inscription of any kind, but the figure is supposed to represent Sir Roger de Nonant who died somewhere about 1350. There is a great similarity between this figure and the one at Widworthy, and they probably date from about the same time.

On the north wall of the chancel is a monument with figures of a man and woman kneeling at a prie-dieu, their hands in the attitude of prayer. The man is arrayed in ruff and long robe, and the woman in ruff, close-fitting bodice, and flowing skirt. There is the following inscription:- The tombe and monument of Henry Burrough, Gent, who dyed the XIIth Decembr 1605, and Elizabeth his wife daughter of George Reynell, of Malston, Esq., who founded xii almes howses in Broadclist and gave weekely mayntenance to the poore and for repayracon thereof and provided yt viii sermons should be here yerely preached for theire better instruction.

At the east end of the south aisle is a high tomb, with a canopy supported by Corinthian pillars. Beneath the canopy are two recumbent figures, their hands resting on their breasts in the attitude of prayer. The male figure is bare-headed, wears a ruff and the legal costume of a Sergeant-at-Law; a cape around the shoulders, and a full plain gown reaching to the feet, which rests on a lion. The female figure wears a coif, tight bodice with long waist teminating in a point, and full skirt, the feet resting on a dog. At the east end of the monument, carved on the wall, facing the principal effigies, are smaller figures kneeling before a prie-dieu; there are three female figures on the right side and four male on the left. The females are arrayed in ruffs and long dresses, and the males in armour. There are twelve shields at the back of the monument, but there are no arms. There was formerly an inscription, of which there is now no trace. It is given in Latin by Prince, and a translation is given by Lieut.-Colonel Harding in his paper on "The High Tombs of Devon" in the Transactions of the Exeter Doicesan Architectural Society. The effigies represent Edward Drew, who was Sergeant-at-Law of Queen Elizabeth [r. 1558-1603], his wife and children.

In the pavement near the head of this monument is a tombstone with the following inscription:-

Here lyeth ye body of Arthur
Daniel Ackland and also the
body of Elizabeth Acland
son and daughter of Sir Hugh
Ackland of Columb John, Bart.
The former died the 22nd of
March Anno Dom 1690
¾tat suæ 11. The latter died
the 24th of October Anno
Dom 1694 ætat suæ 12.

"This marble weeps it can't refrain
The loss so great it must complaine
The parents then must needs exceed
And be a weeping monument indeed."

At the end of the north aisle is the monument of Sir John Ackland who died in 1613. The figure is arrayed in ruff and armour. It would take too much space to describe it at length here, but I hope to illustrate and describe it in the second volume of Devon Church Antiquities. At the end of the north aisle is the rood staircase, but there is no vestige of the rood screen. On the wall of the aisle is a tablet with the inscription:-

Here layeth the
body of Thomas Chap
pell, Inholder of
the cittie of Exon
who departed this
life the 31st day of
July Anno Dom
1637.

Over the south door are the arms of William IV [r. 1830-1837]. There are some old bosses in the nave roof, one representing a sow with a litter of pigs. The tower has grotesque gargoyles, and the west doorway is well carved; on each side there is a bishop's head with mitre. The old churchyard cross has been restored.

The registers date from 1653.