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Summary

Site of Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel. Thought to be 14th or early 15th century in date. Had a short nave and aisles, raised chancel, west porch and wooden belfry. Demolished in 1870s to make way for present church.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SY28NW/16/2

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CHAPEL (XIV to XV - 1301 AD to 1500 AD (Between))

Full description

Dixon, T. + Turton, S. D., Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV130976.

Chapel of st. Michael the archangel, on the site of which stands the present parish church, was described in 1845 as: 'an ugly ill shaped church mostly of debased character and merely a chapel of ease to seaton. It has a short nave and aisles and a chancel raised higher, a west porch and small wooden belfry. The n & s elevation of the nave consist each of a succession of gables, & the windows have lost their tracery. At the west end they are square-headed and have some ogee heads. The porch has a tolerable door with hood & late mouldings. There are ugly modern arcades with square piers dividing the nave & aisles. The chancel arch is of better character, with fair third p[perpendicular] mouldings. The chancel has an east window, which might possibly be early 1st pd [first perpendicular], but for want of mouldings is more likely debased. The interior is dark and ugly, encumbered with pues and galleries and the pulpit masks the altar. 'secondary sources disagree on the foundation date, but from the above description it was possibly late 14c/early 15c. Risdon, writing in 1811, said it was founded by the walrond family, whose 'arms are cut into the moorstone pillars, just at the bottom of the arches'. The term 'moorstone pillars' implies use of granite, and begs the question of how much local beer stone was used. The chapel was called the 'chapelle of stone' by leland in mid 16c, and a church rate of 1613 records payments for its repair. By all accounts it was a small and unprepossessing building which, after centuries of alteration, was demolished to make way for the new church in the 1870's. Polwhele, writing c.1797, said that it had been 'lately much enlarged' due to the increase in inhabitants. Apart from a photo and cursory antiquarian descriptions, no architectural record of this chapel was made prior to destruction (dixon + turton).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV98287.

Dixon, t. + turton, s. D. /archaeological and historical appraisal of the town of beer east devon/(1995)5/(ea report 95.48).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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