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Summary

Site of St Clare's Chapel, shown on 19th century map, and mentioned in documentary sources from the 13th century. Exact location not known.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX85SE/19
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX85SE41

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CHAPEL (XIII - 1201 AD to 1300 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'St Clair's Chapel (Site of )' shown to the south of Clarence Hill.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'St Clair's Chapel (Site of )' shown on the north side of Clarence Hill.

Watkin, H. R., 1911, The foundation and early history of Dartmouth and Kingswear churches, 159-60 (Article in Serial). SDV172950.

Watkin, H. R., 1929, Proceedings of the 68th Annual General Meeting, 35-6 (Article in Serial). SDV341200.

Watkin, H. R., 1929, The lost Chapel of Saint Clare at Hardness, Dartmouth, 219-36 (Article in Serial). SDV341199.

The probable site of St Clare's Chapel, Hardness, Dartmouth. Although the exact location of the chapel is not known, the author argues the case for it having been on the north side of Clarence Hill Road, more or less opposite the end of Browns Hill Road. It was probably established sometime between 1224 and 1235 and may have been the earliest settlement of the nuns of St Clare, a strict order founded by the sister-saint of Francis of Assisi, in this country. All known medieval documentary references to the chapel are given. It had its own cemetery.

Leland, J., 1964, Leland's Itinerary 1535-45, 206 (Monograph). SDV337630.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX85SE41 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV341202.

1) Site of the Chapel of St Clair or Clare. A Poor House site possibly a house of Nuns of St Clare.
2) A chapel and cemetery of Saint Clare at Hardness are mentioned in documents from about 1235 onwards and Leland also records 'a chapel of Clare'.
3) Watkin believes there must have been a small community of Poor Clares which were taken over by the feoffees of the parish before the reformation to become the parish poor house. He sites the chapel to the yard of 4 Clarence Terrace at SX87675149 where he discovered old masonry foundations.

Goodyear, R. I., 1990, Chapel Site (Worksheet). SDV350969.

"The 'ruined chapel of St. Clare' - the remains of this chapel are visible near Mount Galpin now turned into a dwelling house" (citing Dean Milles' Index).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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