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Denbury

from

Some Old Devon Churches

By J. Stabb

London: Simpkin et al (1908-16)

Page 81

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.

DENBURY. St. Mary. The church consists of chancel, nave, north and south transepts, south porch, and west tower with five bells. In the chancel there is a piscina and priest's door. In the vestry opening out of the chancel is preserved the coat of arms of John Peters, Esq., with the following inscription:- John Peters Esq customer of Devon who died February 13th 1573, who gave ye sum of twenty shillings yearly in fee for ever to the parish of Denbury for ye use of ye poor; which money is to be paid out of Cornworthy according to his last will and testament. Whose body is buried in St Thomas Chuch without the western gate of Exon.

The rood screen was removed by a former vicar, but across the south transept arch is a screen of five bays [plate 81], said to be of the same design as the old rood screen. The upper doorway of the rood staircase remains. The south transept contains tablets in memory of the Taylor family, and an old helmet and sword are suspended on the wall over the screen. There is a Norman font, with a carved band round the edge of the bowl; it most probably had cable moulding around the base of the bowl and the bottom of the shaft, but if it had, it has now been scraped smooth.

The registers date from 1559.