Dartmouth St Saviour

from

Some Old Devon Churches

By J. Stabb

London: Simpkin et al (1908-16)

Page 79

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.

DARTMOUTH. St. Saviour. The church, which dates from 1372, consists of chancel, nave, north and south aisles, north and south transepts, north and south porches, and west tower containing eight bells.

The rood screen is very fine [plate 79a], it is complete with groining, cornices and doors, and has the rood with figures of the Blessed Virgin and St. John added in 1891. The date is probably early 15th century. The ribs of the groining are enriched with a scroll pattern, the panels have sunk tracery, and there are handsome bosses at the intersections, the cornices are carved with vine leaves and grapes. The screen is covered with chromatic decoration and gilding. The panels of the chancel section have painted figures, including St. Anne, pointing to the words "Radix Jesse Floruit", St. John, St. Matthew, St. Thomas, St. Andrew, St. Jude, St. Philip, St. Matthias, and St. Bartholomew. There are sedilia and a piscina in the chancel, and one of the finest altars in the county, the top of the table is supported by carved and painted figures of the four Evangelists [plate 79b]. At one time [William] Brockedon's picture Our Lord raising the Widow's Son, was over the altar, but it has been removed, and its place taken by a reredos.

In the floor between the choir stalls is a particularly fine brass, commemorating John Hawley, founder of the church, date 1408. There is a good south parclose screen [plate 79c]. The pulpit is of stone [plate 79d], carved and painted to correspond with the screen. The recesses at one time contained figures of saints, these have been removed and their placed filled with the following devices in wood coloured and gilt; a lion surmounted by a Royal crown, a rose surmounted by a Royal crown and encircled with strawberry leaves, the thistle, fleur-de-lis, the harp, and the portcullis similarly surrounded, and the letters "C.R.", within a chaplet. These adornments were probably added during a visit to the town in 1671 of King Charles II [r. 1660-1685]. The north and south galleries have been removed, and the arms of the old merchants of the town, which formerly adorned their fronts, have been placed on the front of the west gallery.

The south porch door is richly ornamented with a design in wrought iron [plate 79e], representing heraldic lions impaled on a tree, with roots, branches, and leaves extending all over the woodwork. The date 1631 is on the door, but the iron work is probably at least 200 years older. This door is generally kept shut, and as the entrance to the church is by the north door, is often overlooked by visitors.

The registers date from 1586.