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Summary

Possible Saxon origin. Excavation has produced architectural fragments from a Norman building. The oldest surviving part is the north wall of the nave, undateable, but predating the 15th century chancel.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1009304: Frithelstock Priory
• Listed Building (I) 1105177: CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ST GREGORY

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5325
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS41NE/3
• Old Listed Building Ref (I)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

NMR, SS41NE34 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV19666.

Radford, C. A. R., 1933-1936, Untitled Source, 20-27 (Article in Serial). SDV18701.

The church has a modern dedication to St. Mary and St. Gregory. Its origins are unknown (?Saxon) but excavation has produced architectural fragments from a Norman building. The oldest surviving part is the north wall of the nave, undateable, but predating the 15th century chancel. A west tower was also added in the 15th century. In the early 16th century, a chapel was added to the south side of the chancel, which was later extended westwards to the full length of the nave. At the same time, an embattled south porch was added.

Pevsner, N., 1952, The Buildings of England: North Devon, 88-89 (Monograph). SDV336196.

Ceiled wagon-roofs throughout; elaborate 14th century window.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 399-400 (Monograph). SDV17562.

Carved bench ends temp. Henry VIII.

Crowley, J., 1957, Untitled Source (Personal Comment). SDV19655.

Parish church. Situated immediately S. of priory church (SS41NE/1), with the south tower of the priory church formerly touching the east end of the parish church.

Griffith, F. M., 1988, Devon's Past. An Aerial View, 80 (Monograph). SDV64198.

The present parish church of Frithelstock consists of nave, chancel, south aisle, and a tall c15 tower. The date of the parish church is not known but it contains Norman fragments and is said to be pre-Norman in origin.

Department of Environment, 1988, Frithelstock, 79-80 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV17963.

Church of St. Mary and St. Gregory. C13 north wall; chancel rebuilt and south aisle built in early c14; c 1500 se chapel and roofs, and west tower rebuilt in c15. Coursed slatestone rubble; squared and coursed stone to tower; ashlar dressings stone-gabled and gabled slate roofs. Plan: chancel with south chapel, nave with south aisle and west tower. See DoE list for full details.

Griffith, F. M., 1989, DAP/NL 1-4, NL 1-4 (Aerial Photograph). SDV19668.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon (Monograph). SDV325629.

Coulter, J., 2006, An Ecclesiastical Spat at Frithelstock, 22 (Article in Serial). SDV351625.

Carved bench end of Bishop Grandison Exeter and the prior of Firthelstock Priory sticking their tongues out at one another. This apparently is a reference to the dispute over the demolition of the chapel at Waddycleve which the priory had built but which, in breach of canon law, had neglected to have licensed and consecrated by the Bishop.

Orme, N. + Webster, M., 2010, The Medieval Church in North Devon, 49-72 (Article in Serial). SDV361663.

A paper on the early Christian church in North Devon with reference to Hartland, Frithelstock, Chulmleigh, Chittlehampton, Bishop’s Nympton, South Molton, Bishop’s Tawton, Barnstaple, Pilton and Braunton.

English Heritage, 2014, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV355683.

Church of St. Mary and St. Gregory. Anglican Parish Church. C13 north wall; chancel rebuilt and south aisle built in early C14; c. 1500 south-east chapel and roofs, and west tower rebuilt in C15. Coursed slatestone rubble; squared and coursed stone to tower; ashlar dressings. Stone-gabled and gabled slate roofs. Plan: Chancel with south chapel, nave with south aisle and west tower. Chancel has fine early C14 east window, of 3-lights with cinquefoiled lights and circular upper light with 3 spheric triangles. Three-bay north wall of nave has hood moulds over early C14 two-light Decorated windows, with rectilinear-tracery windows flanking curvilinear- tracery centre window. South-east chapel has mid C19 buttresses and mid C19 Decorated-style .3-light east window, which replaced C15 Perpendicular window; 2-bay south wall has C16 plank and studded priest' s door set in chamfered pointed arch and label moulds over c. 1500 three-light round-arched windows with hollow-moulded mullions and casement-moulded architrave. Two-bay south wall of nave has hood moulds over late C15 three-light Perpendicular windows, and Perpendicular-style window dated 1884 in west gable. Late C15 south porch has crenellated parapet with openwork frieze pierced with quatrefoils; sundial dated 1741 above pointed-arched hollow-moulded doorway with Perpendicular capitals to engaged columns; reset C12 stoup adjoins early C14 pointed-arched moulded doorway to inner door, which is a late C18 panelled door with a C14 sanctuary knocker. C15 four-stage tower has offset diagonal buttresses and string courses; 3-light Perpendicular window, partly restored in C19, above studded door dated 1676 set in C15 pointed-arched moulded doorway; label moulds over 2-light cinquefoiled windows, with slate louvres to belfry; crenellated parapet with C18 pinnacles. Interior: late C15 waggon roofs throughout with moulded ribs and floral-carved bosses. 5-bay south arcade: two-bays to south-east chapel are of c. 1500 and have hollow-chamfered capitals and piers; three early C14 bays to west, between nave and south aisle, have similar piers with more pronounced wave-moulding, crocketed canopies over image niches, and foliate-carved capitals including Green Man and vine trail. Early C14 moulded and pointed arched doorway to rood stairs. Royal Arms to north nave wall, of fine plasterwork framed by Corinthian columns, by John Abbot, 1677. Fittings: late C15 and early C16 bench ends and fronts in choir and south east chapel; are carved with tracery patterns, foliate ribs, heraldry, which include the arms of Hartland Abbey (owner of Frithelstock Priory) and crowned double-rose of Henry VII, Instruments of the Passion, Tudor rose and figures including man with liripipe; some bench ends are made of roughly-adzed oak. Late C17 pulpit has reeded pilasters framing blind arches with egg and dart carving to architraves, reset on late Cl9 base. Late C17 parish chest with guilloche carving. C13 quatrefoil-shaped font with cabled herringbone decoration to stem; reset on late C19 base. Late C18 west screen has 3 pointed-arched doorways and panelled doors. C17 Barnstaple tiles and late medieval inlaid tiles on nave and choir floors. Monuments: C17/18 slate ledger stones, including memorials to Gay family of Cloister Hall Farm (q.v.). Tablet dated 1794 in south east chapel. Stained glass: mid C19. The church adjoins the C13 ruins of an Augustinian Priory.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV747 - NL 1-4

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