Milton Damerel

from

Some Old Devon Churches

By J. Stabb

London: Simpkin et al (1908-16)

Page 160

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.

MILTON DAMEREL. Holy Trinity. The church [plate 160a] consists of chancel, nave, north aisle separated from nave and chancel by five arches resting on granite pillars, south porch, and west tower. The bells were being re-hung when I visited the church [ca. 1909] and were resting on the floor of the nave, one was dated 1658, another 1758.

On the south side of the chancel there is a piscina with drain, also a priest's door, and there are some good windows in the chancel. The pulpit has a carved border over plain panels, it rests on a stone base and is probably of Jacobean date [ca. 1603-1625]. At the east end of the aisle, on the south side, there is a piscina, on the north side a fireplace. This portion of the aisle is screened off and is used as a vestry. The chancel is apparently comparatively modern. There are some old encaustic tiles in aisle and nave and stretching from the north to the south door. Over the inside arch on the north door are the carved arms of Charles II [r. 1660-1685], dated 1664. The roofs are waggon shape with narrow carved wall plates in nave and aisle, the chancel roof is modern.

There is an old granite font [plate 160b] octagonal in shape on short shaft. Over the doorway of the south porch is a sundial with the inscription:- 1808
Thomas Clark
Rector
John Ratterbury
Francis Fishleigh Ch
Wardens.

The registers date: baptisms, 1683; marriages, 1683; burials, 1678.