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Summary

Parish church with a fine 15th century west tower, the remainder rebuilt in 1842-4 after a fire.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1326192: CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5144
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX59NE/10
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 93378

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (XIII to XIX - 1201 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

Worth, R. N., 1895, Okehampton Beginnings, 103, 111 (Article in Serial). SDV349570.

A coffin lid found when the church was being rebuilt in 1843. Inscribed 'Hic Iacet Robertus De Moles'. From small size probably commemorating a child. A church on the site long before 1261, at rebuilding of 1261 the old chancel was probably allowed to remain. The stone was found 152 millimetres below the surface in digging up the foundations of the chancel wall. Internment may have been overlooked when the later chancel was built. Distinctive characteristics of lettering are Saxon. Probably 11th century. The taxation of Pope Nicholas gives the value of the church at Hocamton at £10.13s.4d. annually, and of the vicarage at £1.6s.8d. This was in 1291.

Prickman, J. D., 1901, Fragmentary Notes of the French Prisoners in the West of England and Other Places in the First Part of the 19th Century., 313 (Article in Serial). SDV349631.

Church contains a tombstone, a rough slab inscribed: 'Cette Pierre Fut/Elevee Par Lamitie a La Memoire/Darmand Bernard/ne au Havre/En Normandie Marie a/Calais a Madelle Margot/11e Officer/De Commerce Decedee/Prisonier de Guerre a/ Okehampton le 26 October/1815 aged 33 ans/A Labri des vertus/Qui Distingaient/La Vie/Tu reposes en paix/ombre tendre et cherie'. Another tombstone nearby is inscribed: 'Ci Cit/Adelaide Barrin du Puyleaune De La/Commune De Montravers Dept/Deo Deux Sevres Nelle 31 Avril/1771 Decedee a Okehampton le 18/Fevre 1811 Fille Legitime Dal/Favre Barron Notaire et Procavre/De Machecourane de Nre/Ici repose la mere & l'enfant'.

Watkin, H. R., 1930 - 1934, Seven Hundred Years Ago. AD 1232, 212 (Article in Serial). SDV81790.

Small Purbeck stone grave cover with double cross on same stem. Inscription probably added at a later date. Probably comissioned by the family of a person who went to the sixth crusade.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 447 (Monograph). SDV17562.

Williams, H. F., 1959-1961, Rectors of Monkokehampton, 183-6 (Article in Serial). SDV349630.

Copeland, G. W., 1966, Proceedings at the 104th Annual Meeting, 25 (Article in Serial). SDV266064.

All Saints Parish Church. Rebuilt by Hayward of Exeter after a fire, 1842-1844. The west tower was spared. The church is built in the Perpendicular style; it contains fine communion plate and 18th century registers. The tall three stage west tower is of ashlar granite with buttresses. There is a granite arcade of five bays and piers of a type with capitals only to the shafts - this was retained by Hayward (as was the west tower) in the rebuilding of 1842-1844. The remains of an old stone reredos lie against the west wall of the south aisle. Stained glass, one south window by Morris & Co., 1897, and one by Kempe, 1900.

Whittemore, P. J., 1974 - 1977, Fragments of Monumental Brasses, 134-5 (Article in Serial). SDV336555.

Mention of small brass of Thomas Godolphin, damaged in the fire of 1842.

Timms, S. C., 1976, The Devon Urban Survey, 1976. First Draft, 155 (Report - Survey). SDV341346.

The parish church occupies an isolated location on the hillside to the west of the town and its location has sometimes been taken to be indicative of an area of Saxon occupation. The medieval church was consecrated by Bishop Bronescombe in 1261 but it is also recorded earlier in the 13th century during the episcopy of Bishop Brewer. All but the west tower was rebuilt after a fire in 1842.

Higham, R. A., 1977, Excavations at Okehampton Castle, 4 (Article in Serial). SDV233066.

No clear evidence for All Saints Church prior to the 13th century. It was appropriated to Cowick Priory, Exeter in circa 1240.

King, A. C., 1979, A30 Okehampton Bypass: Final Report, No. 11 (Report - Survey). SDV343861.

Department of Environment, 1983, Okehampton (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV342832.

Fine 15th century west tower, remainder rebuilt in 1842-4 in Perpendicular style by J Hayward of Exeter. Tall west tower of granite ashlar in three stages with thin set back buttresses, and moulded base, embattled parapet and pinnacles with crockets. Three-light Perpendicular bell-openings and Perpendicular west window with reticulated and intersecting tracery and with foiled frieze below. West doorway has massive square dripmould and carved spandrels. Remainder of church of 1842-4 in Perpendicular style, built of coursed Delabole slate with granite dressings. Nave and chancel in one, five-light Perpendicular east window, north and south aisles with embattled parapets and five-light windows. The north aisle has polygonal stair turret. North porch and small north vestry in angle of aisle and chancel. South porch with another polygonal stair turret in the angle with south aisle. Interior: granite arcades of five bays. Remains of old stone reredos against west wall of south aisle. Stained glass south window by Morris and Co of 1897 and one by Kempe of 1900. Inscribed stone in south porch. Two tomb chests in churchyard east of church with inscribed stone tops dated 1648 and 1676. Path from lychgate to south porch made up with small 17th century gravestones inscribed with dates and initials.

Griffith, F. M., 1986, DAP/GK, 12-13 (Aerial Photograph). SDV12893.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 608 (Monograph). SDV325629.

National Monuments Record, 2012, 440818 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV349632.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

Wooton, M. + Steinmetzer, M., 2021, All Saints Church, Okehampton, West Devon: Monitoring and Recording (Report - Watching Brief). SDV364612.

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken by Oakford Archaeology in August 2021 at the Church of All Saints, Okehampton, Devon. The church is a grade II* listed building and was extensively rebuilt in 1842-4 in the Perpendicular style by the local architect John Hayward of Exeter.

Inspection of the works exposed a 0.1m thick layer of decayed tarmac overlying natural subsoil consisting of a mid yellow clay and shillet. In line with the north elevation of the west tower the natural subsoil was truncated by mid yellowish brown silty clay. This contained disarticulated human bone and has been interpreted as a charnel soil.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8755 - Monitoring and Recording: All Saints Church, Okehampton, West Devon (Ref: OA1720)

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